Bayhouse

Bollard Bay is the main beach on the island and offers plenty to do for young and old. When the tide is high you can swim, fish, canoe or sail. At low tide, pump for prawns to use as bait or walk across the sand as far as The Heads.

The lounge opens onto an entertainment patio with a plunge pool, a Weber Gas Grill, a conventional wood-burning braai (barbeque), a gas heater and wooden table with benches and umbrella.

The garden has a fire-pit where guests can enjoy cosy fireside evenings with family and friends, while watching the sunset and hearing the water lapping up against the seawall.

There is air-conditioning throughout the house, gas fireplaces in the upstairs and downstairs living areas and underfloor heating in the tiled areas.

Our Value-Added Services include:
Brochures / leaflets of various area activities
Catering for large groups on request
Complimentary housekeeping once a week to change bed-linen, vacuum and polish. Further services available at a nominal fee
Complimentary tea & coffee on arrival
Dinner prepared & ready for late arrivals, on request at a nominal fee
Grocery shopping on request before arrival
List of recommended restaurants in the area & copies of their menus
Use of private jetty at Leisure Isle Boat Club, if available, on request at a nominal fee

BEDROOMS All six bedrooms are bright, airy and simply furnished in keeping with a beach-house theme. Beds are beautifully dressed with crisp white 100% cotton percale linen, non-allergic pillows and electric blankets. Extra blankets are supplied as well as thick, luxurious white bath sheets, hand towels and facecloths.

Downstairs: Two-bedroom family suite: This suite is ideal for two couples or a family of four. It consists of a double bedroom with en-suite bathroom with bath, a queen-size bed and double doors opening onto a private courtyard, a twin bedroom with separate entrance and adjacent bathroom with shower and a sunny, north-facing private lounge

Upstairs: Main bedroom en-suite: The main bedroom upstairs is extremely spacious. The king-size bed faces large windows through which there are exquisite panoramic views of the Knysna Lagoon & Heads. The room is air-conditioned and the en-suite bathroom has a bath and shower

Children’s bedroom: This spacious, air-conditioned prettily decorated room off the family lounge is ideal for children and has lagoon views, a queen-size bed and a chest of drawers stocked with toys and books. Loft suite: The loft suite sleeps four people and is suitable for a couple with two children, or four teenagers/children. It can be accessed from inside the house through the upstairs living room, but also has its own separate entrance from the garden. The mezzanine level has a double bed and is air-conditioned, while the lower level has a second bedroom with two single beds and an adjoining bathroom with a shower.

Knysna is a town in the heart of South Africa's beautiful Garden Route just East of Cape Town. Knysna lies nestled in between the Outeniqua Mountains and the Indian Ocean. Knysna has twice been voted South Africa’s favorite town, and with good reason. It’s a friendly, welcoming town with lots of attractions and activities.

1. Enjoy the Beach
If the tide is in, there’s very safe swimming at Bollard Beach towards the ‘top’ end of Leisure Island. It’s also got a sandy beach ideal for sand castles. At the ‘bottom’ end of the island, there’s a grassy, shady picnic site with BBQ facilities and toilets. If you want a very long romantic walk along the beach, you can walk all the way from Brenton-on-Sea to Buffalo Bay (about five miles). Don’t ignore any warning signs on the beaches as very strong currents do occur.

2. Seek Solace in a Forest
Knysna is surrounded by patches of state forest in which there are paths of varying lengths. Pick up a map at Knysna Tourism and a permit at the forest If you’re a mountain-biker, there are various routes to explore in the state forests. At Millwood, there’s the 19km Homtini Cycle Route which starts at the Krisjan-se-Nek picnic site. In Diepwalle, there’s the 24km Petrus-se-brand Cycle Route which ends at the Garden-of-Eden.

3. Take a Township Tour
Soweto outside Johannesburg is the township that’s known internationally, but like many a South African town, Knysna also has a township which has realized that tours are one way to generate some income. You can take a township tour and visit one of the largest Rastafarian communities in South Africa.

4. Bird and Tree Watch
Tree spotting has a distinct advantage over birding, what you’re trying to identify stays put. Start by stopping at any ‘Big Tree’ sign you see, then progress to a walk in the woods, tree guide in hand. The variety of habitats at Knysna makes for good birding year round. Look out for waders and sea birds at Woodbourne Marsh (alongside George Rex Drive) and alongside the causeway to Leisure Island, and for fish eagles upriver of the N2 bridge over the lagoon.

5. Dive the Lagoon
Knysna Lagoon is home to the world’s only estuarine seahorse species, but they’re so tiny you’re unlikely to spot one diving. Rather concentrate on the wreck of the wreck of the Paquita, in the Knysna Heads

6. Stare Into the Eyes of an Elephant
Once your kids hand feed an elephant at the Knysna Elephant Park (off the N2 between Knysna and Plettenberg Bay) they’ll all want to ‘work with animals’ when they grow up. Remember to wear old clothes as you’ll get covered in elephant spit.

7. Enjoy the View from the Western Head
If you’d wondered why the both heads of the Knysna Lagoon aren’t covered with houses, it’s because the Western head is a private nature reserve, called Featherbed. The tour starts with a 25-minute boat trip across the lagoon, then you’re driven up to the scenic lookout point where you choose between driving down again or do the 2, 2 kilometer walk through the milkwood forest and along the lagoon’s edge back for a multi-course buffet lunch.

8. Picnic in a Secluded Cove
The road over Knysna’s Eastern Head and down the other side is extremely steep in places, but it’s the only way to get to a beautiful sheltered cove called Coney Glen. There’s a shady, grassed picnic site where you can BBQ, rock pools to snorkel in, and a sandy beach to sit with your camera to try to get that ultimate wave photo when the tide’s coming in.

9. Catch a Steam Train
If you’ve a passion for steam trains, then a return trip on the Outeniqua Choo-Tjoe between Knysna and George will be on top of your list. If you’re not, it’s still worth considering the trip (though perhaps only one way) as the views are spectacular. Book online.

10. Go Fishing
The fishing is excellent in Knysna but first you need to buy yourself a fishing permit at the Knysna Post Office (corner Main and Montagu streets). Try fishing from the jetty in the Knysna Lagoon or in the surf off the rocks at Brenton-on-Sea or Buffalo Bay. If you want some beer to help, Knysna’s local brewery, Mitchell’s, offers tastings of its beers (08h00 to 17h00 weekdays and 09h00 to 13h00 Saturdays).