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<i>Herpes simplex</i> virus 1 (HSV-1) remains a prominent health concern widespread all over the world. The increasing genital infections by HSV-1 that might facilitate acquisition and transmission of HIV-1, the cumulative evidence that HSV-1 promotes neurodegenerative disorders, and the emergence of drug resistance signify the need for new antiviral agents. In this study, the in vitro anti-herpetic activity of sulfated polysaccharides (SPs) extracted by enzyme or hot water from seaweeds collected in France and Mexico from stranding events, were evaluated. The anti-herpetic activity evaluation of the semi-refined-polysaccharides (sr-SPs) and different ion exchange purified fractions showed a wide range of antiviral activity. Among them, the sr-SPs from the Rhodophyta <i>Halymenia floresii</i> showed stronger activity EC₅₀ 0.68 μg/mL with SI 1470, without cytotoxicity. Further, the antiviral activity of the sr-SPs evaluated at different treatment schemes showed a high EC₅₀ of 0.38 μg/mL during the viral adsorption assays when the polysaccharide and the virus were added simultaneously, whilst the protection on Vero cell during the post-infection assay was effective up to 1 h. The chemical composition, FTIR and ¹H NMR spectroscopic, and molecular weights of the sr-SPs from <i>H. floresii</i> were determined and discussed based on the anti-herpetic activity. The potential utilization of seaweed stranding as a source of antiviral compounds is addressed.