Auberge Burgundy Guest House

The Auberge Burgundy, which is set above the picturesque Old Harbour, in the historic heart of Hermanus (the hub of the famous Whale Route) is a Provencal style guesthouse with fragrant courtyards and stone terraces, with a touch of old world charm. The Auberge Burgundy offers comfortable accommodation and friendly service and is surrounded by restaurants, the craft market, boutiques, art galleries and quaint shopping malls. It has the salt sea air of one of the world’s most magnificent eco-destinations in the world – the cool blue sea of Walker Bay is within 50 m of our front door. Our standard poolside rooms and Penthouse suites have newly been refurbished, with the rest to be done in the months to come.

In 1993 Wessel and Marolene Heunis came to Hermanus and took ownership of the Burgundy Restaurant. With a love for France and French food they successfully ran the restaurant but after a few years the house across the road from the Burgundy was put up for sale, the house of former mayor of Hermanus, Professor Gonin. It was a modest house with a very large overgrown garden but Wessel and Marolene fell in love with the property and saw great potential. They purchased the house and were off on a road trip around Provence. With a collection of photos, some tiles and even broken pieces of plaster they returned with a vision of Auberge Burgundy, a guesthouse to accompany the restaurant who was given the name Burgundy by local winemaker Hamilton Russel, when they owned the restaurant and named Burgundy after the style of wine they produce.The original house of Professor Gonin, who was in fact a professor of French, is now our reception and lounge. The construction of the main house and garden rooms began in 1995 and on 16 December 1996 the Auberge Burgundy opened its doors for business. Two years after the guesthouse was fully operational, the pool area was added – another renovation of what used to be a shop with a flat as well as a jewelers workshop.After years filled with highs and lows, eccentric guests and hilarious stories the Auberge still remains a family-run guesthouse full of character. Wessel and Marolene have both passed on but the guesthouse is a testament to their ever lingering presence in Hermanus, reminiscent of the original tenant, Professor Gonin. The new custodian of this little slice of Provence is Martina, Wessel and Marolene’s daughter. With fresh eyes and a willingness to keep the same look and feel as her parents intended, she and her husband have slowly been renovating the guesthouse and so ensuring our guests will receive the same quality and standard they have enjoyed all of these years.

Rooms