The Turbine Boutique Hotel - Hotel Of The Month - November 2016

The Turbine Boutique Hotel & Spa on Thesen Island (Image Courtesy Of The Turbine)

​Knysna…not as widely known to foreigners as Cape Town, but it should be! Well that’s my opinion anyway. I visited for the first time, whilst we were on our huge 2-week road trip around South Africa (more about this still to follow). Whilst it was my first visit, Sarah has been to Knysna on many occasions, and it is a place filled with happy memories.

The view from our balcony at The Turbine looking over Thesen Island towards the town of Knysna (Image Poperty of BACK IN TOWN)

​The areas natural beauty is undeniable, and with surroundings that include the Tsitsikamma Forest, Storms River Bridge which is well worth driving over and having a look at the incredible landscape, Bloukrans which is home to the highest bungee bridge in the world and of course the Garden Route National Park.

The Knysna Lagoon, such incredible natural beauty (Image Property Of BACK IN TOWN)

​You may have heard of the Garden Route, you may have not. Stretching along the South Eastern Coast from Mossel Bay to Storms River. A whole 200km’s of incredible scenery, dotted with lakes, rivers, waterfalls from the mountains (when there is rainfall) plus some great places to stop along the way such as: Knysna, Oudtshoorn, Plettenberg Bay and Nature's Valley.

The Turbine Hotel in South Africa's Venice (Image Courtesy Of The Turbine)

The easy way to get around Thesen Island (Image Courtesy Of The Turbine)

​And Knysna is where we will be making a stop for this months Hotel Of The Month. The Turbine Boutique Hotel on Thesen Island has a rich history and is positioned in what I like to think of as South Africa’s Venice, except that it doesn’t smell.

The pool area at The Turbine (Image Courtesy Of The Turbine)

The Turbine's machines have been lovingly restored (Image Courtesy Of The Turbine)

​The Turbine Hotel and Spa was an ambitious project that transformed an old power station into a unique 5 star boutique hotel. All the old machinery, which was used in this power station, has been lovingly restored and forms an integral part of the hotels aesthetics. It creates a unique atmosphere and gives an edgy, modern chic feel to the space. Images can never recreate the character that you feel whilst staying at a hotel, small details throughout emphasise the history of this building, but at the same time there is a new calmness that has crept into this place, and with the views, comfortable beds and great service it all combines to ensure a great stay.

Morning coffee spot (Image Property of BACK IN TOWN)

Infinity Pool (Image Courtesy Of The Turbine)

​For us the highlights were our corner room, with such great décor, a wonderful balcony that caught the morning sun (great for drinking your coffee in the morning), the bathroom with an incredible view across the Knysna lagoon, the whole hotel is just fantastic.

Pool, deck and one of the canals around The Turbine (Image Courtesy Of The Turbine)

Bath with a view? Count us in! Image Property of BACK IN TOWN)

​And then of course, our whale watching trip. There is The Turbine Water Club, which is an affiliation of local businesses who provide the best services for guests at The Turbine. We went for a trip across the Knysna lagoon and out through the infamous Knysna Heads. Many ships have been wrecked here, and it takes great skill on the skippers part to navigate through here safely. It’s a great trip to get the adrenaline pumping! And once out, we were delighted to spot a Southern Right Whale playing in the water, as well as a lone seal who was curious about our boat bobbing around on the water.

Whale Tail, this guy would tease us by disappearing and reappearing elsewhere (Image property of BACK IN TOWN)

​There are two ways to tell if you like somewhere. One is if you don’t want to leave when you have to. And the other is whether you can’t wait to return. Knysna and The Turbine Hotel tick both of those boxes for Sarah and myself. We are already planning a return trip to do so many things that we couldn’t fit in this time, and The Turbine is a no-brainer for us. It’s central location makes it a great base to explore the Garden Route further, it’s surrounded by natural beauty, there’s a great vibey atmosphere at the local restaurants and bars, it is a magnificent hotel with brilliant service and friendly staff (and an award winning spa always keeps the Ladies happy!), the list of positives goes on and on. So we’ll definitely be heading back soon, when are you planning your stay too?

The Knysna Heads & Estuary (Image Property of BACK IN TOWN)

Emergency Oyster Delivery (Image Property of BACK IN TOWN)

Rates for The Turbine start at R1,450 per person sharing per night on a Bed & Breakfast Rate.

If you enjoyed this post, please leave a comment below, we'd love to hear from you. And if you are planning a trip to South Africa anytime soon please email us with any/all your questions and enquiries, it would be our pleasure to assist you in arranging a memorable experience like ours.

Disclaimer: Our stay at The Turbine was complimentary, however all views remain our own and we do not trade off complimentary stays for a positive reflection of any kind. We will only give credit where credit is due.

View The Turbine's own webpage on our website to find out more.