Fantastic boutique hotel with great staff, the following sentiments come to mind; flexible and accommodating check-in with a smile/ nothing is too much trouble (we arrived from Oudtshoorn at 13:00pm and left again at 14:30 arriving back at 17:00 to be still offered lunch - wonderful service!), soft sheets, heated floors, wake-up call greeted with tea/ coffee, generous bathroom with free-standing bath, hot water bottles in the bed, our room (#9) was bright and airy with a modern yet luxurious feel, well stocked mini bar with food and drink, friendly engaging staff - very genuine and really helpful, lovely lounge area overlooking the sea to watch the whales (100 - 200m off shore), binoculars provided, all-inclusive without cutting corners, ultimate luxury without being stuffy, great food with a wonderful chef who was more than happy to come and talk through his cuisine, friendly servers always on hand, late check-out at no cost with lunch provided FOC, ideally positioned hotel with immediate access to the beach, walks etc. I don't think I could find a bad word to say about The Birkenhead if I tried! Special mentions go to the reception team (I just wish I could remember their names - sorry?!), to Shane the `friendly' GM who made a point of engaging with us (invited one of the young guest from another party to surf outside the front of the hotel with him) and Ricardo who was a great host and guest relations champion. It would be really nice if the hotel responds with their names as I feel so guilty not being able to specifically remember the young blond lady/ host who greeted us on arrival and showed us around the hotel. We were about a month early for the whales and understanding if we came in Sept/ Oct we'd have had an abundance in the bay (we must have seen 6 - 8 over the 2 day stay). We definitely plan to return for more whale watching at such a wonderful hotel. We've stayed at some great boutique hotels during our stay in SA (including Eagles Crag at Shamwari Game Reserve, Tsala Treetop Hotel in Plettenburg Bay, View Boutique Hotel at Wilderness, The Rosenhoff in Outdshoorn and The Dock House at Cape Town) and have to say that The Birkenhead offered the most all round experience of friendliness, opulence, atmosphere, views and relaxation. We would highly recommend this as a hotel to be at the top of your list when visiting SA. Room #9 was spot-on! Thanks to all the staff at The Birkenhead for a very special experience.