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Hermanus - Luxuary Accommodation |
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Spacious
rooms flow one into the other from the slender dining room
to the wide glamorous terrace. A heavenly place perched on
the cliffs overlooking the azure Indian Ocean, white tipped
waves and whales that frolic. Birkenhead House is named after
a British troop ship that sank in Walker Bay in 1852. Bracing
air and stunning views from your suite are the very essence
of what a breathtaking sea view should be.
The Birkenhead troop ship that went down in the surf in front
of the present site of the hotel, sailed to South Africa to
aid the British fleet and had picked up women and children
passengers who had embarked in Simonstown. All the women and
children survived the shipwreck. It is said that the expression
“women and children first" originated from this
incident. 450 men lost their lives. A lone horse managed to
swim ashore and galloped all the way back to Cape Town. This
rider-less horse alerted the authorities to the plight of
the Birkenhead and her passengers.
The first Birkenhead hotel was renowned in the 50’s
and 60’s for wonderful Sunday lunches and jazz band
soirées. Later in the 80’s or 90’s parts
of the hotel were destroyed by fire. Property values had soared
and it was decided to sell the property, rather than rebuild.
Liz and Phil Biden bought it 14 years ago and built a holiday
home for their family. Eventually it was decided to convert
it into a small boutique hotel to join their two superb properties,
Royal Malewane in Hoedspruit and La Residence in Franschhoek.
Birkenhead House opened in January 2003. The
staff continuously strive to provide their guests with an
unforgettable experience of a truly superior nature. This
commitment to excellence has resulted in Birkenhead House
receiving international acclaim in the form of the following
prestigious awards:
UK Condé Nast Traveller 2003 Hotlist – One of
50 new Hotels of the World
USA Condé Nast Traveller 2003 Hotlist – 80 Best
New Hotels in the World
Contact
Birken Head
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