Things to do in Hermanus (other than whale watching!)
Hermanus is world famous for the chances of catching a glimpse of a whale in the cooler months. I had not realized what an absolute buzzing place it is in the summer too. Here’s a run-down of some of the things I got up to during my 2 nights in Hermanus.
You’re sure to spot this whale!
Village Centre / Promenade
Hermanus is freaking beautiful!!!
Seriously, the vastness of the ocean and the rough tide can leave you feeling like you just want to jump into the foamy waves. Hermanus is a photographer’s dream. Pity I’m not much of a photographer but there were plenty of other photographers and tourists in general – the place felt like it was bursting at the seams.
God’s other fine creation 😉
There never seemed to be any parking, the bars were packed constantly and we couldn’t even get a seat at Gelato Mania. The promenade was crazy full but understandably so – like I said, the beachfront is simply stunning and has lots of little touristy shops to explore!
Fick’s Pool
The Hermanus Guesthouse, that we stayed at, is situated opposite Fick’s Pool which is a little tidal pool.
Fick’s Pool
Honestly, it was a bit dirty as all the leaves from the surrounding trees get swept in. I wish that were the end of it but it also seemed to be full of broken glass from people that must have been over-indulging on previous evenings.
It has a magical view and is a great place to sit and watch the waves against the rock (and become very sunburnt). Some local kids were doing impressive dives into the water.
There were some hippies about and the scent of fresh marijuana lingered in the air.
Grotto Beach
Due to some Twitter recommendations (@networkfreek and @intheOverberg) I knew I had to check out Grotto Beach. What a place! Blue-flag rated and beautiful.
It was about a 5-minute drive from the Village Centre. The one side (close to the toilets) was like Clifton meets Muizenberg. Lots of surfers and beautiful people. Awesome waves.
We went over to the far end of the beach which had some sort of lagoon that flowed out to meet the ocean. There was a strong current that if you jump in it the one side, it would sweep you out into the ocean. It looked scary – due to the rocks and the fact that you can’t tell how deep it actually gets – but fun, and I was thankful that my mother wasn’t there to see me jump in several times (and she indeed scold me when I told her about it!). Lots of people jumped in with body boards, probably for safety.
And the best part? The water is sort of warm! Not Durban warm but warmer than Muizenberg in my opinion.
I also loved that the ladies’ bathrooms had private showers where you could rinse off.
Eating out
On our first night in Hermanus, we ate at the Tikka Palace.
The decor in the section we were sitting in was not all that, but the food was great. I had a chicken tikka curry with naan and my husband had the beef tikka (R79 and garlic naan R25). Both were really good and my husband claims it’s the best tikka he’s tasted!
They were fully halaal so it was nice to know that there’s a good place to eat in Hermanus. The owner was also very friendly.
Tikka Palace
On our second night, we went to Fusion Restaurant which seemed to be really busy and popular. The waiter let us know that it is halaal-friendly and that they have completely separate pans and cutlery used with the halaal food.
I had a craving for Mexican food so I had the nachos (around R70) and my husband had the fillet steak medallions (R 139).
The food was also great and presented in an interesting way.
Fillet and salad at Fusion
I’d recommend both restaurants any day. In fact, I feel like going back right now to get dinner.
– Rif (with a little help from Kamiel Sadien,)
Read more about our stay at the Hermanus Guesthouse here.
Hermanus Part 1: The Hermanus Guesthouse | Suitcases and Lattès
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