The Turbine Hotel & Spa: I Spent the Night in a Power Station!

If you like quirky or unconventional hotel stays or you're just looking for accommodation in Knysna, the Turbine Hotel and Spa has the power to impress!

 My passion for quirky and offbeat attractions doesn’t end with unusual activities, I appreciate unconventional accommodation options too. Whether it’s a hotel with robot concierges, (the Hotel Sky), a rooftop airstream trailer park (The Grand Daddy Hotel) or an Airbnb where you share a barn with a world-famous pig (and I did!), I love anything out of the ordinary! Needless to say, when I was invited to spend a weekend at the Turbine Hotel & Spa, a boutique hotel in Knysna based in what was once a power station, I was beyond delighted. 

*I was a guest of The Turbine Hotel & Spa but all thoughts and opinions are my own.

First Impressions

From the outside, the Turbine Hotel and Spa looks like an industrial building. Four massive chimneys rise from it (which collectively make for a very convenient landmark to find your way back to your hotel when wandering around the Thesen Islands or beyond). On the left of the entrance is a random piece of machinery. 

As you enter, it feels like you’ve wandered into the reception area of just about any luxury hotel. To the right of you, at first glance, is a brightly coloured carefully styled seating area. After a second look, however, you realise that instead of the expensive rug that you would typically find in a place like this, the concrete you’re standing on gives way to a glass floor that gives you a window into a room full of pipes and wheels and industrial mechanisms below. 

 

As you continue to walk through the hotel, the machinery grows larger and more impressive and the decor somehow manages to perfectly balance it. Despite how absurd it may sound, the result is something that feels simultaneously hip and luxurious. How the creators of the Turbine Hotel preserved a heritage power station in museum quality and also created one of the coolest hotels ever is nothing short of miraculous.

The History of the Turbine Hotel

During dinner at the Island Cafe with the general manager Kate Christie, I learnt that the concept for the hotel wasn’t just a really inspired idea but more a case of necessity being the mother of invention: 

As the power station is a heritage building, by law it is protected. Despite the fact that the building was in a dilapidated and decaying state when the current owners Geoff Engel and Dandre Lerm bought it, they were required to preserve the antique turbines and machinery as a living museum if they wanted to turn the building into a hotel. They cleverly left everything exactly where it was and managed to break up the hotel into different areas and different levels that maximise the striking look of the turbines and simultaneously incorporate it into the decor.

It turns out that the colours of the machinery were not inspired by Google’s branding (as I incorrectly assumed). Instead, they were painted these bright colours to restore them to their original states where each colour communicated what was flowing within them (i.e. red for steam, etc).

Kate also explained that when the building was lying in a poor state, a piece of paper with the plans on it was found crumpled up and lying in a corner. The owners found it, had it enlarged and it now serves as the backdrop for a piece of machinery that stands right in the foyer.

Despite the colour scheme being partially chosen for them and the quirky brightly coloured maximalist aesthetic being somewhat incidental, everything about it looks cohesive and intentional. Now guests dine among turbines while designer furniture and artwork (the hotel also functions as a commercial art gallery) are juxtaposed with industrial piping. 

It’s not all about the machinery though, the food is amazing, the service is fantastic, and if you look out the window at the breathtaking views of the canal and the luxury lifestyle hub surrounding it, you would have no idea that you’re staying in what was until fairly recently an industrial hub. (The power station closed down as recently as 2001.) 

Here are some other reasons to love the Turbine Hotel & Spa

The Food

There are two dining options: The Island Cafe and the Gastro Pub.

At the Island Cafe, you can choose to dine indoors amongst the turbines or outdoors in the pool area with views of the canal. 

An a-la-carte menu is available featuring a diverse range of local dishes and international classics. The Bo-Kaap Seafood Curry was a big hit but whatever my travel companion was eating photographed better: 

The art extends off the walls and onto plates.

Also, is this not the most Instagrammable breakfast you’ve seen in a while?

It's like breakfast and high tea had a baby!

The Gastro Pub is a more laid-back setting. Instead of what you may expect in the form of pub grub though, they serve surprisingly impressive gourmet finger food. The chicken lollipops were my favourite. 

The cheesecake could be ordered in either location and it was great. I may have earned myself a bit of a reputation among the staff for the number of times I ordered it and inspired other group members to do the same. #sorrynotsorry 

The Cocktails

I tend to be the type of person who finds something I love on the menu and orders the same thing repeatedly (like, the cheesecake). When I really enjoyed the strawberry daiquiri on the first day, I was tempted to just keep ordering that throughout my stay. However, looking at the creations that came out of that bar gave me FOMO and I found myself being uncharacteristically adventurous. 

This one was a Black Mountain G&T:

The Spa 

I hope this doesn’t come as a shock but there is a spa at the Turbine Hotel & Spa. I was treated to a back and neck massage and it was heavenly. You know when you’re so relaxed that you start drifting off to sleep and your inner voice starts shouting at you to wake up and take it all in? That’s exactly how I felt! Also, they have these warm sock things that they put on your feet while they’re giving you the massage. They’re like electric blankets for your lower limbs and they will change your life!

The Art

The hotel acts as a gallery with works of art available for purchase displayed in the public areas, interspersed with photographs of what the building once looked like to remind you of the “before” so you can continue to be impressed by the “after”.

The Thesen Islands

The hotel is located on the Thesen Islands, surrounded by shops and restaurants and a seahorse aquarium that I never made it to. (That’s it, I need to go back!) Boat tours like those of Ocean Sailing Charters that take you through the Knysna heads are also a short walk away (more on this to follow soon). It’s also within walking distance of the Knysna Waterfront if you haven’t already reached your step count for the day in the Knysna Forest (and I had). 

The Room

My room was so comfortable. I’ve also never experienced a better-equipped coffee station in any hotel room. As someone whose kettle never has the chance to get cold, I appreciate that they thought of everything and even included a knife and a lemon if you want super fresh lemon slices with your tea. I’m sure coffee lovers would appreciate the pod coffee machine too. 

I also liked that they incorporated random bits of machinery in the room and photographs of the power station in its original state in case you forgot where you were staying. 

Another reminder that you’re staying in a repurposed industrial building. I’m pretty sure these are intentionally placed in the rooms for you to perch your travel mascot on.

I found the “Standard room” to be quite exceptional and the price surprisingly affordable. This would go for R2230 per person per night (min 2 people or R3120 if solo) in the off-peak season, ranging to R2970 per person (min 2 or R4100 if solo) in the peak season. (Mid 2024 rates and subject to change.)

The Views 

I loved the view from my room.

‘Nuf said!

Make sure you request a balcony room if you want a similar view of the canal.

The Infinity Pool 

 I think I need to return in the warmer months for a dip in this baby …and for more of that cheesecake …and another massage, or even just the spa socks.

The Bragging Rights

If you stay here, you earn the right to tell people that you once spent the night in a power station!  …unless, that’s not the type of thing you would brag about (you know, like if you’re a normal person). 

If however, you’re like me and you love the unconventional, the quirky and the generally exceptional, there’s nowhere else to stay when you’re in Knysna.

To find out more or to book your stay, click here.

For more hotel accommodation inspiration, click here. 

_________

Related post: 

Hiking in the Knysna Forest in search of the Legendary Elephants 

_________