The Turbine Boutique Hotel and Spa located on Thesen Islands, Knysna is arguably one of South Africa’s most unusual hotels.
Before it was the structural wonder it is today, it was a power station.
In the early 1900s Thesen Islands was the hub of a flourishing timber business. Fuelled by wood waste from the saw mills, a power station was built in 1939 to provide power to Knysna and Plettenberg Bay. It was decommissioned in 2001.
In 2007 the defunct power station was bought by hoteliers Geoff Engel and Dandre Lerm Engel who, with hard work and creative genius, transformed an industrial building into an extraordinary hotel. It opened in 2010.
The Turbine now… the original exterior has changed very little, but step indoors and you’re greeted by a striking interior – a fusion of industrial design elements, bold, vibrant furnishings, glass floors displaying machinery in the belly of the building and pipes painted in blue, green and orange. No detail too small – no effort too great – to realise the dream of melding old industrial heritage with modern luxury accommodation.
The 5 star Turbine’s accommodation comprises 26 suites, a honeymoon suite and two self-contained suites adjacent to the hotel and for the ultimate in pampering, there’s the Turbine Spa with treatment rooms, a range of body, facial and beauty treatments, an exotically mosaic tiled Rasul Steam room and an exclusive Spa Massage Pedi Chair. Excellent conference facilities are also available.
There are two restaurants for inhouse guests and the public – the vibey Gastro Pub and the 90-seater Island Café. Food is locally sourced and only fresh, seasonal produce is used. The Island Café is open daily for breakfast, lunch and dinner and it also offers monthly food and wine pairings. The Gastro Pub is open for lunch and dinner with a ‘Happy Hour’ every Friday evening featuring a live music line-up of local musicians.
The Turbine Boutique Hotel and Spa is offering a 20% off RACK for the month of August.