Garden Route of islands and castles

With no shortage of accommodation options on South Africa’s green coastal corridor, choosing two of the Garden Route’s most luxurious stays was no easy task. Wanted has done the difficult job for you and narrowed it down to an architecturally singular hotel and what may be South Africa’s prettiest new hotel.

The Turbine Hotel & Spa, Knysna

I knew I was in for something special when I first walked into this hotel years ago. Going from an electric past to an eclectic present, a 1920s power station (from when Thesen Island was home to a sawmill) has been transformed into The Turbine Hotel and Spa. As part of the refurbishment, most of the old machinery have been preserved for a touch of steampunk fun and painted in vivid colours, where the effect is one of classy conviviality.

Bursts of colour light up dials while cogs, switchboards, and intriguing power-plant innards are cleverly finished. And none of this comes at the expense of luxury or comfort. The Turbine Hotel has only 26 rooms spread across the spacious property, with my favourite being the luxury suites overlooking the adjacent canal.

For the ultimate indulgence, check if rooms 201 and 101 are available, as they have the most spacious suites with lounges, dreamy bathtubs, and canal views on two sides. Since 2021, chef Greg Coleman has been at the helm in the kitchen, and his culinary prowess has elevated the hotel’s dining experience to five-star status.

The Island Café serves enticing meals, either at al fresco tables on the pool terrace or inside, where tables are arranged around the hotel’s imaginative interior. Don’t leave without sampling some local craft beers and burgers at the Gastro Pub, a more informal affair with indoor and outdoor dining areas. Watch the website for monthly specials and wine-dinner events — I joined one of the latter, where Coleman designs a unique menu for pairing with the month’s selected wines.

It’s not only the unique building design that sets The Turbine apart, but also its enviable location. Accessed via a bridge, Thesen Island is every bit a destination itself, with enough designer stores and swanky cafés to keep you thoroughly occupied. You can even nip into the SanParks office and see some rare Knysna seahorses up close. After exploring, retreat to the hotel’s infinity pool and gaze out over the canal as the sun sets on another day of your lavish island escape. turbinehotel.co.za

The Ivory Haus, Plettenberg Bay

Plettenberg Bay is the proud home of one of South Africa’s newest hotels — and possibly one of its prettiest. The Ivory Haus occupies what Plett visitors knew as “the Grand Café & Rooms”, but now a brand-new experience awaits. Alexia Teubes, one of the owners of the family-run hotel, shared a little of their vision with me: “We set out to blend the charm of the past with a contemporary touch; preserving the rich history while embracing a classic aesthetic.

This hotel was designed by dreamers, for dreamers, giving people an opportunity to retreat and enjoy all that Plettenberg Bay has to offer.” The once pink walls and quirky interiors are now whitewashed and pristine, with a distinctive Cycladic feel — sitting by the pool, I overheard a local visitor walking the grounds and telling her posse that it felt like she was on a remote island in the Mediterranean.

The 11 suites are cleverly spread across the building — at first glance, it hardly seems as though there are more than three or four rooms. Suite No.1 Pool Haus (or the honeymoon suite) is the hero, featuring a bathroom design I’ve not seen elsewhere in the country: two side-by-side Victorian tubs for tandem enjoyment. There are also two private courtyards — one a black-and-white tiled space welcoming you to the suite and the second spilling out from the bedroom with a lap pool, daybed, and outdoor shower.

The four-poster beds have a distinctly regal air, being almost a metre off the ground, with velvet stepping posts guiding you up to the plush bedding. With food and drink every bit as beautiful and enticing as the hotel itself, The Palms Plett is the hotel’s in-house eatery.

The space is shared by the café, with its roadside location under the palms, and the restaurant, which offers indoor and al fresco dining options. The cocktail menu is a highlight: the Old Fashioned comes with bourbon from their own mini casks and a bar-side smoking of the cinnamon. In addition to the café and restaurant, a circular iron staircase takes you from the pool to the Rooftop bar, where the view takes in Plettenberg’s Keurbooms Estuary, ocean, and the distant Tsitsikamma Mountains. theivoryhaus.com