One Marine Drive Boutique Hotel by the Living Journey Collection

The hotel was modern and nice but the beds was way to hard. Another thing there was no refridgerator in the room which is a minus!

On our way to Cape Town, we spent a few days in Hermanus. We stayed overnight at the small and fine boutique hotel One Marine Drive, which is located directly on the sea. The hotel is very lovingly decorated, the staff is very friendly and attentive and the room facilities meet an international 5-star standard. You can feel and see, that management is paying attention to detail. We are already looking forward to our next stay.

The best hotel we stayed in during our trip to South Africa. Beautifully decorated. Amazing views. Fantastic, friendly and helpful staff. Especially Gilbert and Sindisa. Private secure parking. Very safe to walk into Hermanus. Amazing bar Ficks across the road. Coastal path directly opposite hotel. Highly recommend and would definitely return.

We stayed in One Marine Drive as a couple for 9 days and enjoyed every moment of it! The hotel is located close to our favourite coastal walk where we enjoyed beautiful weather and beautiful views every day. The rooms were spacious and well-equipped and the common areas equally spacious and welcoming. But the absolute cherry on the cake of our joy was the friendliness and helpfulness of every staff member that we met. From Gilbert, the main host with Pinky on his side, through people like Amanda, Maria and Dewald who looked after us at breakfast and every member of staff who had to clean the rooms or open the gate or do each one of all the tasks that made our stay special - every one had this on common: their friendliness which made us feel welcome every day!

We chose this hotel due to the description, size and sea view. I liked 1 Marine Drive for: Size Proximity to CBD - walking distance to restaurants Size of room Modern bathroom View of ocean Friendliness of most staff Free cake and coffee in the afternoon Off street parking I disliked 1 Marine Drive for: Dirty tiled passages (remained like that for days even with one of the alleged owners supervising staff on one of the days) Dirty carpets in room Dirty upholstery of chairs in room Broken window handle in room meaning that the window could not close Mould in shower Proximity of neighbour’s chimney which allowed smoke into the room for about 5 hours Quality of breakfast Sullen and sloppy receptionist (male) - should not be customer facing Swimming pool (one side) unusable One could have overlooked some of the above depending on the price. However, this is not a cheap establishment. (Photos of most of the above available on request)

I booked one night to celebrate an anniversary with my boyfriend after having such a wonderful experience at the hotel a few years ago and have to say that we were really disappointed. The hotel has undergone a recent renovation/expansion which has really affected the charm and layout of the hotel and the quality of service. A few things to point out: - We arrived at 2 pm and weren’t allowed into our room. No one asked us if we wanted to get changed and enjoy the pool or enjoy a cup of coffee or glass of wine in the bar. We just sat in the breakfast room and then asked if we wanted to pay for a spa treatment while we waited. I had to ask find someone to see if the room was ready and then ask people for help with our bags when we were finally let into the room. - We got into our room2:45 pm and the bottle of champagne I had ordered was not there. When I asked where it was, the woman told me I had ordered a turn down service at night, which I hadn’t. I then asked her to cancel the champagne and that we would just go out to have a drink instead. - Due to our late checkin, we were late to the pool and by then, most of the loungers were taken and then sun was tucked behind the giant corridor that has been built connecting the old building to the new one. We had to ask staff for new towels - no one was there to assist or to clean up the pool area. The new pool that is being built was in the sun but still under construction and so we weren’t able to use it. - My partner and I had a lovely dinner at Ficks Pool and then came back to a turn-down service was lovely but not what we had ordered and also had drank enough champagne at that point. - Breakfast the next day was also disappointing. The woman take our order gave my boyfriend used milk from another table for his tea. We had no cutlery or menus. Someone from the spa took our breakfast order and giggled the whole time. The chef then walked out of the kitchen to confirm our order and then delivered our food, but forgot a few key items, like the sausage and toast we had ordered. After having such an amazing experience a few years ago, it was really disappointing to see the downhill turn the service has taken along with the hotel amenities as part of its efforts to expand. I really hope it’s just a matter of growing pains because it is such a special spot but they have a long way to go before we’d go back especially for that price. w

Came to Hermanus to see whales- and One Marine Drive did not disappoint! My room was on the first floor with wonderful views over the ocean. I watched whales from the balcony in the morning. The room was spacious - with plenty of light. Fantastically comfortable bed- and the best Wi-Fi connection since coming to South Africa Breakfast was great- loved the Smoked Salmon crostini. However One Marine Drive’s crowning glory is the attentiveness of the team who work here- many thanks to Gilbert, Pinky and Lee.