It’s already been around for 15 years, but the Turbine Hotel & Spa remains the poster child of industrial chic, is as cool as ever. Currency spent a cracking weekend exploring it, and the area.
The vibe
Knysna is one of the Garden Route’s prettiest and most dynamic towns, and tucked into the canals of its American East-Coast-like Thesen Islands, the Turbine Hotel & Spa is a striking reminder that sustainability and style can coexist.
Few hotels manage to hold onto their history quite as resolutely as this. Once the power station that lit up the Garden Route town, it now pulsates with travellers drawn to its industrial-chic design, impeccable service, and waterfront charm. Every exposed brick and weathered bolt tells a story.
This former power station has been reborn as a cool boutique escape — its profusion of exposed pipes and towering turbines now part of the décor rather than the machinery of industry.
It’s an ingenious blend of old and new and a very comfy spot to spend a weekend (or break a trip down the Western Cape coast) before enjoying the other good stuff that the area has to offer.
The Backstory
Long before it became a boutique hotel, the original building that houses the Turbine was quite literally the region’s powerhouse. Constructed in the early 1940s, the Thesen Island Power Station supplied electricity to Knysna and the surrounding areas. For decades, its turbines, boilers, and control panels kept the Garden Route going. They were a symbol of innovation at the time and a cornerstone of the island’s once-thriving timber industry.
The power station was decommissioned in 2001 and the building fell quiet. Thesen Island itself began to change too — from a thriving industrial hub into a forgotten corner of Knysna’s waterfront. For years, the structure squatted over the lagoon, its potential hidden behind rusting iron and cracked concrete.
When developers began transforming Thesen Islands into the polished marina it is today, they saw the old power station as a landmark to be celebrated. The vision was ambitious: convert the derelict plant into a luxury hotel without erasing its history.
Painstaking restoration followed. Original turbines were cleaned and preserved, brick walls were left exposed, and old machinery was woven into the décor. The result is a great example of adaptive re-use, an industrial space reborn with warmth, texture, chutzpah, and determination.
Turbine Today
Since it opened in 2010, the hotel has become one of Knysna’s most distinctive destinations. Guests now dine beside huge engines and sip cocktails under the watchful gaze of old pressure gauges. Original water-holding tanks are still in use and are stored beneath the building. Each tank holds up to 75,000 litres of water — useful when there’s a water crisis.
The spot is also known for its two standout restaurants: the Gastro Pub, serving inventive tapas-style dishes (don’t miss the lamb tails!), and the newly revamped Island Café, where the seafood curry should be first on your list.
The Turbine Spa offers an equally indulgent menu that ranges from body massages to facial treatments and an exotic mosaic-tiled Rasul steam room, which is the ideal place to bliss out post-pampering.
Getting Out…
Who goes to Knysna and misses a sunset sail? Ocean Sailing Charters offers a range of sailing experiences aboard their catamarans, and we can highly recommend the sunset cruise with captain’s braai (two to two-and-a-half hours). During this jaunt you’ll enjoy sundowners as you slip through the iconic Knysna Heads, and then savour a fab fillet braai. It’s a marvellous way to spend an evening.
For the more adventurous sojourner, the Featherbed nature reserve is a stone’s throw from the hotel. It’s reached by ferry, captained by an enigmatic skipper who regales guests with curious facts about the area. Interestingly, the Knysna estuary (not to be confused with a lagoon) is one of South Africa’s most iconic and ecologically significant waterways. It’s the point where the Knysna lagoon meets the Indian ccean, creating a unique mix of fresh and saltwater that supports a rich diversity of flora and fauna.
The estuary is a tableau of nature’s contrasts: forests and rolling hills frame the waters; kingfishers flash brilliant blue; herons stalk the shallows and the cliffs of Featherbed nature reserve rise impressively from the water. Here, you’re able to take trails that wind through ancient forests, fynbos, and coves that reveal new vistas of the lagoon or the mighty Indian Ocean.
To hike from the guided outlook post at the top of the nature reserve is to dive into a realm of milkwood trees and ancient sea caves, with stops to explore the flora, birdlife, and history of the reserve. The trail culminates at the water’s edge and, in our case, finished off with a fantastic buffet laid out beneath the milkwoods at the Food Forest Restaurant.
Missed our other grand travel stories? Find them here.
Top image: supplied
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