Abalone Guest Lodge

Our honeymoon in South Africa was even better thanks to the hospitality and service at Abalone Guest Lodge. Ansley and Sima were proactive and went the extra mile to arrange our stay and activities. Chef Machiel made an excellent dinner. It was pricey, but worth every dollar. Come hungry, because dish after dish will keep coming. Definitely book here if you’re planning a stay in Hermanus!

A great place for a getaway, with great staff. The highlight was the personal chef in a cowboy hat, absolutely legendary.

The team and location are both excellent, and the lodge makes great use of its cliff top sea views. There are only 30m of gardens between the lodge and the sea, then it’s horizon and mountains. Plenty of places use careful photos to hide the car park or road between the lodge and the water, but that isn’t the case here. We stayed one night in a thoughtfully designed room with everything we needed and more, plus uninterrupted sea views. We were even allowed to linger in the morning well past the usual 10am check out time. From arrival, people offered to help with our bags, and we got a friendly farewell when leaving. Breakfast was very good, and we were happy to linger over coffee and juice while listening to the sea. It’s on the 11km coastal trail, so there’s lots to see and do nearby. The town centre, with its restaurants and bars, is a short uber ride away. We’re glad we chose this lodge, and it would be a great place to stay for a few days.

Maybe we came on a bad day. We arrived on a Sunday to a fairly warm welcome at a very sparsely staffed lodge. That part was fine. We filled in the forms, had coffee, and headed for our room. Things went downhill from there. Our room was separate from the main lodge, with a view of its front door and a pile of bricks outside the bathroom window. The toilet kept filling. Flushing didn’t stop it, the flush was pathetic, and then it took about 10 minutes before it could be flushed again. When I complained, I was told it was fine and I just needed to be more patient. We asked to move, but were told this was the only standard room available. To change, we’d have to pay the full upgrade fee, which was more than the difference on booking.com, but hey ho. With the toilet noise driving me mad, we agreed to upgrade, though it felt like we were being held over a barrel. We waited another 40 minutes or so for the new room. It was stunning and had excellent views, though the toilet could have had more privacy. Once we got into bed, we noticed the sheets were stained and torn, although they had clearly been washed. I’m not sure why a 4 star hotel would use them. We complained and were given a cheeseboard in compensation, which I think was leftovers from the breakfast buffet 🤔. They also did our washing for free. Since it was our honeymoon, they gave us a bottle of wine, a nice gesture. They said the booking agent hadn’t told them, although every other hotel knew before we arrived, so clearly their agent doesn’t pass messages on. At checkout, nobody offered to help with our bags, unlike at every other hotel we stayed at in SA. I’ll never stay here again or recommend it to friends. The view from the upgraded rooms we saw was delightful, and we did see whales, so that earns an extra star.