The Turbine Boutique Hotel and Spa

4 Natasha Vermeulen - a month ago

Interesting and charming, and the location is stunning. We had a very pleasant stay. The hotel owners preserved the original features from when the building used to be a power station in a beautiful and artistic way. The staff were very pleasant and accommodating.

We were a party of 5 people, divided across 3 rooms. All the rooms were lovely. Our room was on the top floor, and had a balcony overlooking the pool area and canals, it was great!

The breakfast was great in terms of variety, but a little bleak in terms of presentation. The coffee machines in the room are a cool feature, but they are temperamental and don't work consistently. All of us had similar experiences with the coffee machines in our rooms. Luckily, room service was available as a backup.

5 Marlize Bruwer - 3 weeks ago

We went on a motorbike trip from Jeffrey's Bay to Knysna, and stayed in room 103, on the first floor overlooking the swimming pool.. It was lovely to relax in the bath while enjoying the complimentary water served with a slice of lime, and watching TV at the same time.. The room was so beautifully decorated. We will definitely come again... ♡

5 Ted Eliakis - 2 months ago

Very nice rooms. Place use to be a generating plant. Converted into an awesome hotel. Rooms real nice clean. Great setup. Friendly staff. Highly recommend you stay here. Walking distance to everything on Thesen Island.

2 MJ Wolmarans - 4 months ago

A special Mothersday treat lunch turned out to be the single most disappointing and mediocre dining experience of my life. Eating fish and chips from a brown bag next to a dustbin in Milan rates higher.

We entered the Turbine to find our names on the booking list, but no table was prepared. The, what seemed to be 2 managers, (except being in each others way) did not know how to deal with the situation and we were uncomfortably standing around trying to hide the embarrassment. Specially, because only one other table was occupied and for the life of me I could not understand why we couldn't sit down while the confused managers sort out there self initiated dilemma. Absolutely, no damage control skills there. We were shafted to a sitting area just to be called back after a minute. The one manager admitted the confusion was his fault. If the origin of the confusion was identified one would think the hotel would some how try to make up for it. Instead we were plastered at a table with a flower and knifes and forks. A 4 year old playing house house will set a table better. No side plates, glasses, napkins....nothing.
Notice I give 2 stars to this experience. The one star is for the soup and the other for the dessert. It was tasty, and delicious. But for the rest .... Even when we paid and were busy with the mobile bank machine it got snatched away. Believe it or not the Turbine was a easy choice since I go there frequently for breakfast and has written a review on them before, because they open at 07:00 it is specially convenient for my schedule. However, for any other dining experience I will only consider them after all my other options are depleted.

(Please don't send me a apologetic letter....use that time to find a trainer for your staff)

3 Mimi Myoli - 2 months ago

While the initial interaction regarding a group spa booking was a bit frustrating with Turbine not wanting to commit to a special advertised on their website, the actual treatments were amazing. That was the group consensus, everyone rated the masseuses highly. As a person who frequents spas, I am very critical when it comes to the treatments. I particularly enjoyed Joyce’s work.

I would like to add though that the reception staff customer service was not the best. We happened to be a few minutes late and were literally reprimanded like we were minors. That was not appreciated.

5 Grant - 2 months ago

The best place to stay in Knysna if you want to be central for the vibe (atmosphere) near the harbour. Excellent contemporary design with quirky features of the historic turbines. Staff are very friendly and helpful. And highly recommend the sports massage at the spa ????

1 Sandra Kneubuhler - 4 months ago

I booked a treatment at the spa for my husband at 14:30. He waited in the reception area - no offer of a sauna or tranquility services. At 15:05 he was advised that they were running a few minutes late (by this point they were already running 45 minutes late) and they couldn’t advise when they would be able to accommodate my husband. At 15:12 he gave up and left. At 15:22 they called to see where he was. By this point they were 52 minutes late. The attitude on the phone was abysmal. Won’t recommend to anyone