Where to stay on the Whale Route

TAKING in the blue romance of Walker Bay, with the old harbour beneath, the new Quarters Hermanus hotel presents the latest in luxurious & stylish lodging on the Cape Whale Route.

And all of which can be viewed from the from the sea-facing rooms & suites or by simply floating in the spectacular, panoramic first floor swimming pool where glass balustrades allow for an uninterrupted view.

In both cases you are likely to spot the town's famous visitors, Southern Right whales and their calves, in the bay below.

Designed in Cape contemporary coastal style – with large windows & stacked sliding doors allowing in abundant natural light - Quarters Hotel Hermanus is also located adjacent the town's charming new market square, reached from the Hotel via a pagoda with a see-through roof.

All of this makes for a stay at the hotel more than just swish or unique, but also captivating in its sense of place.

One of the country's most charming boutique hotel groups, The Quarters story began in 1999 when two Victorian homes on Durban's Florida Road were renovated and fashioned into the first Quarters Hotel, setting the tone for both ambiance & stylish décor.

Indeed, as you enter into the lobby of Quarters Hotel Hermanus, fairy-light chandeliers and crystal pendant lights emphasize the aesthetic notion of contemporary, neo-modern styling fused with traditional touches such as large, ornately carved silver mirrors.

"Teak tables on black & white checker floors over-look the blue azure ..."

"My inspiration came from the location & architecture and then marrying all of this with the existing Quarters concept," says interior designer Carol Cornwall. "My focus was to achieve a level of sophistication and align it with a beach resort without being too typically beachy."

Also unique to Quarters is its all-female managerial team, ensuring attention to detail and service sophistication within a stylish, relaxed ambiance.

"I've taken this female element into consideration while keeping the decor very contemporary," adds Carol who has worked on hotels in Africa and Spain. "While I've used clean, square-line furniture in dark brown mahogany wood along with stainless steel accents, there is a play on textures throughout, from stone to natural fabrics such as silk, velvets and linens in the bed-rooms."

It all defines the Quarters' belief in the "luxury of sleep" and built-in bedroom cabinets are finished in high gloss pearl grey while Caesar stone has been used throughout the open-plan bathrooms (the vanities resembling clean, thick slabs of floating stone) with light rustic-finish travertine to clad the feature walls.

As far as accommodation is concerned, apart from nine standard rooms there are also nine suites (which include kitchens and lounges together with balconies), all of which are sea-facing.

Downstairs, the windows of the hotel's Harbour Square Kitchen & Bar present indoor-outdoor bistro-style dining in a relaxed, chic environment – where teak tables sit upon black & white checker floors - over-looking the azure sweep of Walker Bay.

Indeed, with its distinctive white exterior, peaked roofline and cruise-liner railings, Quarters Hermanus is set to become an iconic hotel on the beautiful Cape whale route.

Quarters Hermanus is the first Quarters Hotel in the Cape and joins two other current Quarters Hotels – Florida Road and Avondale in Durban – while a new Quarters hotel will open in Johannesburg with one other in Durban later in 2009. www.quarters.co.za