Herewith a few things my husband and I like to do – there  is stacks more to do which you will find by reading the Hermanus Info (copy available at the tourism bureau) or by reading the Hermanus Times, a weekly newspaper which comes out every Thursday.

• The Hemel –en-Aarde Valley wine route: There are many excellent wine estates down the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley. A good start is the Wine Village, which has the largest selection of South African wines. Further down the road, you will find many wine estates including Whale haven, Hermanuspietersfontein, Hamilton Russell, Bouchard Finlayson, Newton Johnson, La Vierge, Sumaridge and Creation.

• During Whale Season (July – November) take a walk along the cliff paths which extend from the New Harbour, all the way to Grotto Beach, about 10km. There are many excellent viewing spots along the path, where one can get a close view at these magnificent creatures. On this walk it is easy to see how Hermanus earned its reputation as one of the world’s best land-based whale watching sites in the world.

• Do a boat based whale watching trip from the New Harbour.

• You can also view the whales by plane, on the ‘African Wings’. This is an amazing experience, and you can assist with the daily ‘whale count’.

• If you are feeling brave, why not try shark cage-diving off Gansbaai? There are several operators that have license to do this. You can either go down in the cage, or view from the boat.

• Sea kayaking is a great way to view the coast, and possibly get up close to a whale.

• If fishing is your thing, you have the choice of fly fishing, or chartering a boat for some sea fishing.

• Take a walk down at the new harbour, watch the fishing boats come in and eat some fish and chips. The Gecko Bar is a good place for sundowners.

• African Queen River cruises – a 3 hour cruise from Stanford, with braai (barbeque) facilities on board.

• Bird-watching – a guided tour can be arranged. The Overberg is rich with birdlife.

• Horse-riding: There are several companies that offer horse-riding ranging from beach rides, farm rides, and mountain and Fynbos trails.

• Hermanus has quite a selection of Art galleries and studios.

• Take a tour of an abalone (perlemoen) farm.

• Sample some local beer at the Birkenhead Brewery in Stanford, and then go down to the Klein river cheese farm (or maybe the other way round…)

• Spend a day at the Altira Spa at the Arabella Western Cape Hotel and Spa.

• There are excellent hiking trails in the Fernkloof Nature Reserve. These range from easy to strenuous, and a map can be purchased from the kiosk at the entrance to the reserve.

• Greyton is only a 45minute drive away, and is very picturesque. It has excellent restaurants as well as the famous Von Gassau’s chocolates.

• Take a drive to Betty’s Bay to the Harold Porter Botanical Gardens, and to see the penguins at Stony Point.

• Stop at Kleinmond on the way to enjoy oysters at the Harbour, and browse through the shops.

• Enjoy a game of golf at the Hermanus Golf Course, or the Arabella Golf Course.

• There are many excellent beaches to enjoy and soak up the sun – from quiet and secluded to Grotto beach which has achieved blue flag status and goes on for miles.

• Onrus beach is lovely, and has a lagoon which is shallow for the kids to play.

• On Saturday mornings, Hermanus has 2 excellent farmers markets: The one is know as the boeremark, and is held at Hermanuspietersfontein Winery, just behind the wine village. The second is the Hermanus Country market, held at Montessori School. Follow the scarecrows, from just before the Voelklip circle, and turn up towards the mountain, to the Fernkloof nature reserve. This market comes highly recommended; enjoy a breakfast at the market, and then stock up on tasty goodies for the weekend.