Knysna’s Turbine Hotel & Spa is a five-star establishment, but not the kind you’d associate with plump cushions and carefully orchestrated décor. Instead, it’s modelled around a disused power station — and not just the shell of the building, like some other, similar hotels. Here, the inner pipes and workings that once fuelled power are fully integrated into the living space.
It speaks to old Thesen Island — a throwback to the early years of the now-upmarket mixed-use area, back when it was an industrial site for timber processing.
With the demise of the industry, the authorities decided to turn the island into a tourist hub, and initial plans were to turn the power station into a museum. Now, as a heritage building, it’s a living museum — as the elements of its time as sawmill and power station make clear.
There’s the old clock-in card machine, restored documents and old photos. The original wood boiler and four restored electricity generators contribute to the hotel’s aesthetic. And the exposed pipes are painted in their original power-station colours: green for lagoon water, red for steam and blue for cold water.
There is a playfulness in the décor, with upmarket finishes and bold colours that soften the industrial backdrop of bare bricks and whitewashed walls. The public spaces have unmatched chairs — some are turquoise, others red or mustard, others made of patterned fabric — and interesting sculptures (a turquoise seahorse, for one) and paintings that evoke aspects of Knsyna and other coastal towns. As for the 26 rooms — they’re well kitted out and appealing, with different décor for “nautical” or “forest” rooms.
There’s more to the hotel than just the novelty of the power station paraphernalia. You’ll want, for example, to check out the spa — it offers a real pamper experience, with well-trained therapists. And you’ll want to spend as much time as possible in the infinity swimming pool, with its wooden deck and deep blue umbrellas.
Looking out over the pool and beyond — to the canals and houses — is the formal (but not exactly formal) Island Café. It’s one of two restaurants in the hotel, the other being the Gastro Pub, which looks out to Thesen Island. There, you’ll find local craft beers, and a cheerful menu. The prawn and seafood curry is one of the flagship dishes at Island Café — and the cocktails and mocktails are popular too, along with the cheesecake.
All told, it’s a package that attracts overseas visitors and locals, with some visiting four or five times a year from as nearby as Mossel Bay, says general manager Kate Christie.
On to Knysna
There’s more to the area, too. From the hotel it’s a short walk over a bridge to the “real Knysna”. If Thesen Island, with its multimillion-rand homes, gives the air of a Martha’s Vineyard-cum-golf estate, Knysna is a more gritty return to reality. In the former, you’ll find upmarket businesses and retailers; just before the bridge there’s Harbour Town (open to the public), with a branch of Investec, Currency Assist, Tapas & Oysters, a business for charter tours and a Weylandts, along with several fairly high-end clothing boutiques. Just over the bridge, in Knysna, you’ll find three charity shops in quick succession. Round the corner there’s Easy Yun Finance and a Lewis.
Knysna Fine Art is a particularly appealing find — a spacious and light gallery owned by Trent Read, the eldest son of the late Everard Read. Everard was at one point a doyen of South African art; Trent himself is a fifth-generation art dealer. As it turns out, the gallery has a working relationship with the Turbine; much of the art on the walls of the hotel is from the gallery, and is available for purchase.
You could meander through the town, visiting home stores and markets, and getting a real sense of the place. But the region is also a great place for nature lovers: you could take a 3km or 9km hike in the Knysna Forest. The trees are dense and well-marked, and a well-kept path means you’ll struggle to get lost as you pass beautiful plants, mushrooms and trees, and even a stream, dam and waterfall. “It’s very secluded, great for a skinny dip if you can handle the cold,” said a friend who ventured off on the 9km hike.
Then there are the sanctuaries for birds, monkeys, wolves, snakes and elephants, and the Keurbooms River Nature Reserve.
Other outdoor activities include tours and horse riding, and, for the adrenaline junkies, ziplining, skydiving, parachuting, kayaking and sandboarding.
There’s also the lagoon itself. A highlight of the trip was a sundowner boat experience on the luxury catamaran Bella Luna, offered through Ocean Sailing Charters. It took us through the Knysna Heads and, bar an overly buoyant moment, the trip was spectacular.
* The writer was a guest of the Turbine Hotel & Spa
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