The Marine Hotel Reimagines Coastal Luxury With Colour and Charm

The Marine has occupied its enviable position above Walker Bay since 1902, and it is difficult to imagine Hermanus without it. An institution in the truest sense, it is warm, timeless and blessed with what must be some of the best ocean views in town. Now, following an extensive refurbishment of its ground-floor public spaces, there is a new energy running through this much-loved hotel.

Dawn Dickerson and Carmel Naudé of HotCocoa Interiors and Design were tasked with reimagining the reception, cocktail bar, Pavilion Restaurant and connecting spaces, while leaving the historic structure intact. Importantly, it still feels like The Marine. The elegance and familiarity remain, but the interiors are fresher, more playful and full of the decorative details for which HotCocoa is known.

Olive and sage greens run throughout, alongside aged brass, timber, terracotta and natural textures. Original arches have been highlighted rather than hidden and the existing terracotta floors retained. In the entrance hall, olive-green panelling and plants sit alongside hand-painted botanical murals, while hand-painted velvet chairs bring another layer of colour and character.

The once-dark 86-metre-long passages have received particular attention. Murals by Tiziana Giardini and Felixa Rossi depict indigenous proteas, pincushions, aloes, birds and the endemic ‘Pride of Hermanus’ Erica. Inspired by the fynbos-covered mountains surrounding Hermanus, they turn what could have remained purely functional corridors into spaces worth slowing down for.

Things become more playful at the Pavilion Restaurant. The original black-and-white chequered floor remains, now paired with curved olive velvet banquettes, timber tables and an installation of 50 ribbed-glass pendant lights overhead. Greenery fills the room, while botanical motifs appear on the upholstered dining chairs. It is fresh, fun and recognisably HotCocoa.

The cocktail bar has been completely redone with a grit-blasted granite counter, handmade tiles, verdigris tones, aged brass and sage-green velvet stools. The best feature, however, was already there: the enormous arched windows overlooking Walker Bay. Sit here as the light changes over the ocean and little else is required. One forgets the sheer scale of the hotel.

From the main entrance, The Marine gives little indication of just how far it stretches, with lounges, corridors, terraces and courtyards beyond its façade. The newly landscaped pool courtyard is perhaps the biggest surprise. Palms, bougainvillea, hibiscus, bamboo and towering strelitzias surround loungers and canopied daybeds, transporting you somewhere closer to a Moroccan oasis than the centre of Hermanus. There is also a fully equipped gym – alas, I am not one to work out on holiday, but the thought was nice.

The guest rooms are slowly being upgraded, but I found myself spending very little time in mine. And really, why would you? The public spaces are delicious, the setting even more so. There is the muchloved Sun Lounge overlooking Walker Bay, the Pavilion and bar, the pool courtyard and, just beyond the front door, Hermanus’s famous cliff path.

More than 120 years on, The Marine remains very much itself. HotCocoa hasn’t tried to erase that history, but has brought colour, wit and a welcome sense of fun to it. The views remain extraordinary, the atmosphere as warm as ever – only now there is much more to look at inside, too.

Credits

Text by Catherine Mo

Images: Supplied