The Turbine Boutique Hotel and Spa

This is a stylishly and little quirky converted power station , and turbine museum, with great large rooms and views of the bay or the inlet based on an old timber processing island. This is a perfect location if you plan whale watching or sunset cruises as the meeting points are just a 2 minute walk. Beds are huge and comfortable. The staff across all areas could not do enough for you and the genuinely happy level of service is impressive. Lots of restaurants on the island but the hotel main restaurant had a really varied menu and the food was also very good. Free and easy parking makes this the ideal place to stay in Knysna. If you are in Knysna make time for the Elephant Sanctuary-25 minute drive but well worth it.

We’ve stayed at the Turbine three years in a row because our first two visits were warm and welcoming. Unfortunately, our latest stay felt like a marked step down—especially at the front desk. We weren’t recognised as returning guests, and after our reservation email went unanswered, we had to confirm the booking ourselves a week before arrival.||||The room showed wear and tear: the in-room info folder was shabby and missing a room-service menu. When we tried to order toasted sandwiches and chips mid-morning, we were told the fryer only switches on at noon—out of step with what a 5-star hotel promises.||||With a late flight, we asked for a late checkout and were offered only 11:15 (15 minutes past standard) because a “very big and important” group was due—no option to pay for a later checkout either. It left us wondering why our comfort as returning guests felt less important. ||||We left feeling undervalued. Unless service standards and maintenance improve, we’ll be taking our business elsewhere.||||Date of stay: September 2025

Breakfast meeting! Keep seeing all the people I know. A month ago I had such a delicious lunch. Roast chicken with salad. And my friend had grilled fish with vegetables. I’m so glad to see there are lovely restaurants that cater for people who look after their health too. Fun times 🚤 🤩 🦄

We only visited the hotel to see the museum exhibits of the old power station. The hotel is uniquely structured around the redundant machinery. A very interesting place to visit and if you want to have coffee at a table in between huge machines it is the place to go.

Excellent accommodation and service. We really were impressed by the size of the bedroom and loved the nightly turn down service. It maybe because of the lack of guests, but the quality of the dinner was certainly not up to scratch. Overall we enjoyed our stay immensely.

The hotel is very well situated near the island's restaurants, motorcycle museum, and cafes. The staff are exceptional, as are the restaurant and attached pub. The overall turbine theme is both fascinating and stylish, giving each room a unique feel.

A wonderful experience. Absolutely unique hotel right on the water. Stunning g. Jew of Knysna and Marina So well decorated. Beautiful pool area for relaxing.

I had a delightful stay with a beautiful room overlooking the lagoon. I was able to have my early morning coffee on the little balcony and see starfish in the lagoon below. Rooms were clean and well serviced. Bed was comfortable with on demand entertainment. We had a great family dinner celebration in the restaurant, food and service was excellent.