Never underestimate the delights of staying the night in a town where it’s easy to walk to restaurants, shops and other attractions. Hermanus is admittedly a fairly small place, but Harbour House is so centrally located that you could shout across the road to diners in one of the town’s top-rated restaurants while glimpsing whales off-shore.

The welcome is a little random, with reception doubling as a wine store and feeling rather casual for a four-star hotel, but service is friendly enough. Rooms manage to offer a comfy, cosy ambiance while still feeling upmarket. Some have ocean views, some have balconies, some have kitchenettes but they’re all bright and modern. If you’re staying in Hermanus during whale season (roughly June-November) then it’s definitely worth investing in an ocean view. Spotting whales from your bed would be a pretty cool travel experience.

My room was like a studio apartment – one I’d be very happy to live in if I was younger and single. The kitchenettes are well-equipped, with microwave, toaster, plenty of crockery, though oddly enough I couldn’t find anything other than a teaspoon to eat with. Few people would be preparing anything more than the odd snack here though, since Hermanus’s restaurants are no more than two minutes’ walk from the hotel. Breakfast is served in an airy space and it’s not unfeasible for you to watch whales as you munch on the homemade granola and brie-topped French toast (both recommended).

If you position yourself just right on the loungers, you can almost picture the infinity pool spilling straight over into the ocean, for only a fairly unbusy road separates the pool, deck and garden from the sea, one of the town’s top whale-watching lookouts and the cliff path, a 12km trail that’s a Hermanus must.