Kanonkop Waterside House

Waterside House is a rare gem on Thesen Island built in the colonial maritime architectural style. Walk through the front door into pure peace and tranquillity. The downstairs floor decorated in harmonious watercolours consists of two en-suite bedrooms and an open plan kitchen, dining room and lounge. One bedroom is a double and the second bedroom is a twin. Both rooms have a shower and toilet en-suite. Leading off the kitchen (which is fully equipped with every modern appliance) and dining area, is a spacious sun deck with an outside lounge and jetty down to the canal. Here is the perfect place for sundowners and a braai (barbecue) in true South African style. There is a second deck off the lounge which is the perfect place to curl up and read a book while listening to the water lapping on the sides of the jetty.

Upstairs is a beautiful main bedroom, study and full en-suite bathroom which has a private sun deck leading off it for those much-needed quiet moments. The second upstairs bedroom has an en-suite shower and toilet and its own sun deck.

Waterside house has full satellite DSTV for those guests who would like to catch up on the news, sport or would just like to relax in front of a movie. Wi-Fi is available throughout the house.

If you wish Kanonkop House will host your entire stay with personal housekeeping and a cook to prepare your breakfasts (the most important meal of the day), as well as a full concierge available 24 hours a day.

Thesen Island is linked by a causeway and bridge to the mainland of Knysna. It is within an easy 10 minutes’ walk to the scenic waterfront and town centre of Knysna. The main harbour town of Thesen Island is a mere 5-minute stroll from Waterside House. Here you will find an array of trendy restaurants and bars, an award-winning bakery and quaint boutiques.

About Knysna

Knysna is a natural paradise of lush, indigenous forests, tranquil lakes and golden beaches. She nestles on the banks of a breathtakingly pretty lagoon, now a protected marine reserve that is home to the extraordinary sea horse and over 200 species of fish.

Beaches, lakes, mountains and rivers provide endless opportunity for leisure and outdoor adventure. Within the town, craft shops, flea-markets and cosy cafés beckon with small-town charm and hospitality. The area around Knysna is a veritable Garden of Eden. This is home of the only forest elephant in South Africa, the rare Pansy Shell, the brilliantly coloured and elusive Knysna Loerie, a plethora of waterfowl and forest birds, dolphins and visiting whales.

The indigenous forests in Knysna constitute the largest complex of closed-canopy forest in southern Africa, whilst the remarkable richness of the Fynbos vegetation contributes over 8000 plant species to the Cape floral kingdom. Exploring the Knysna forests, along demarcated walks, with the occasional call of the Loerie, provides a complete escape into a former time when many elephants trod these paths. Today a mere three elephants are reputed to still roam the forest.

A visit to Knysna would be incomplete without a trip to the heads - a striking geological feature made up of a pair of huge, brightly coloured cliffs lying at the mouth of the lagoon, flanking a channel of potentially treacherous water that flows into Knysna’s lagoon.