The Turbine Boutique Hotel & Spa

Exposed brick, steel beams, and the original turbines still stand where the machinery once ran, kept in place as the hotel's centrepiece rather than stripped out. The building was built in 1939 as Knysna's power station, supplying electricity to the town and Plettenberg Bay until its final day of service on 26 June 2001. It sits on Thesen Island, in the Knysna estuary, with canals running past the property and the Knysna Heads visible in the distance. Twenty-six rooms are spread across six wings, from Standard Rooms with exposed brickwork to the Honeymoon Suite, set in the former engineer's quarters with pool and canal views. Luxury Rooms run to roughly 35 to 45 square metres, with a king bed, separate lounge, and a bath and shower; two of the six keep a private balcony over the canal. You can hear the water from some rooms and watch boats move along the canal from the Island Café, a 90-seat restaurant with tables set between the original turbines. A second restaurant, the Gastro Pub, serves pub food and craft beer. The spa runs treatment rooms with canal views and a steam room on request. Check-in runs from 2pm, check-out at 11am.