The Turbine Boutique Hotel & Spa

The communal areas are airy, with big windows, beautiful waterside views, and areas with glass floors that highlight the industrial pipes and workings below. Three restaurants offer cuisine to suit your mood. Settle back with your G&T in the bar-side seating, cool off in the pool or head to the on-site spa for a massage.

There's a choice of accommodation – 17 compact but lovely Standard Rooms, six Luxury Rooms, and the Honeymoon and Lagoon Suites. The decor throughout is imaginative and super-comfortable, with good artwork, king-sized beds and en-suite bathrooms. The Luxury Rooms are individually themed, with private balconies and spacious lounge and bar areas. Honeymooning? The Honeymoon Suite's romantic stand-alone bath overlooks the harbour.

Main activities centre on the lagoon. Take a cruise on one of the hotel's two motorised pontoon barges to admire the Knysna Heads, giant rocks that protect the lagoon's entrance from the rough Atlantic. Safely inside the curve of the Heads, you glide peacefully, watching a beautiful sunset. Nose around the canals of Thesen Islands in a kayak, eyes peeled for tiny Knysna seahorses. Whale tours are also available. On land, take a guided forest tour or hire a bike and explore the island and Knysna.