"More than a few seaside resorts offer whale watching excursions. But at the Marine Hermanus, guests need not leave their rooms to watch the spectacle — this stretch of the southern coast of South Africa is a natural playground for the Southern Right Whales that breach near the shore from July to November. The 45-room resort, built at the turn of the century and restored in 1998 by Liz McGrath, the proprietress of a series of luxury hotels in the Cape Province, is gracefully furnished and surrounded by exquisite gardens. The Marine’s truly notable feature, however, is and always has been its stunning clifftop location overlooking Walker Bay — you could miss out on half the appeal if you don’t book a suite facing the sea." - Tablet Hotels