It’s easy to understand why this hotel boasts the awards it receives time and time again. It is an extraordinary property that extends far beyond ones imagination. You are wrapped in luxurious comforts whilst the surrounding immaculately kept gardens and natural surrounds are something that requires time, effort and forethought. On this very few properties can boast what Pezula has. The reservations agents are well trained and efficient. This is noted from the time of check in to the time you leave they had everything well prepared for our arrival and stay. To experience and appreciate Pezula you must take the hike and canoe along the pristine Noetzie River to the beach where you can picnic at the beach or the castle. Noetzie beach is remarkable. Our experience at Pezula was relaxing, amazing and one for the memory jar pensive. With this remarkable hotel come minor flaws that can easily be overlooked , I say this because one should savior the experience and not the nit grittiness that we all get caught up in, but should it be so that a hotel of the caliber lacks in class of services and other vital issues that are pertaining to the region.? Firstly Knysna went through a dreadful drought last year but nowhere were there signs in the room of water conservation odd I would think for a hotel that prides itself on eco friendliness. There the lack of personal attention and service was prevalent excepting a few employees like the restaurant manger and the castle waiters. Although the waiters were friendly they were ill trained. The hotel was quite but service both at breakfast and dinner was slow. The waiters did not know their dishes , they served the ensembles of one dish with the other, when we finished off one dish they laid the fork and knives in a haphazard manner and did not clean the table after every course. This type of service was prevalent even to the extent of management. When we parked our car in the parking lot , the only one available for residents and guest we noticed golf ball marks on our windscreen and a dent in the windscreen , our car was parked far from the golf range, the reception and manager was oblivious to our cause and said it’s the owners responsibility? Surely Pezula can afford to have covered parking or shaded awnings for their guest cars? The Spa was a welcome experience although the indoor pool got a bit unventilated and it felt claustrophobic. For a world renowned hotel the hair dressing salon was substandard and they made a mess of my wife’s hair so I would caution using the salon for hair. Overall Pezula is remarkable.

We stayed at the resort for 2 nights at the end of our holiday in Dec 2011.

I stayed at the resort previously and wanted to return for some luxury after staying in a 4* family orientated hotel in Plettenberg Bay. I last visited when Pezula had just opened in 2004 or thereabouts and have visited the spa once since. At those times I was blown away and loved Pezula. Sadly, this time I’ve left feeling less than enamored.

Service: No consistency. In some cases the service was good, in other cases, poor.
When we arrived we asked when our room would be ready. If the room was only going to be ready at normal check in time we wanted to go to the beach. Because we were staying for a short while we really would have preferred to go to the beach that day instead of spending hours in reception, waiting, waiting and waiting! Also there is only an hourly shuttle to and from the beach and we have a 1,5 year old so we needed to plan this carefully. We were emphatically told that our room would definitely be ready in an hour. It took over 2 hours! And we had to keep checking as to what was happening because it appeared that the check in staff were avoiding us. When we were eventually taken to our room we met a surly army of cleaning ladies carrying rubbish etc out of our more than 10K a night room. Not a great start.

Room: We stayed in the Presidential Suite. The only difference between this room and the normal rooms is the size. It has a lounge and a kitchen. Other than that there is nothing unique about the room in terms of look and feel or positioning. No butler service. We chose it because we have a baby and needed space and a place to wash bottles etc. The room wasn’t clean. The coffee machine hadn’t been emptied for ages and my used coffee cups etc would still be dirty the next morning. Not exactly 5* service in the presidential suite.
Some of the furniture also looks tired. Having been there shortly after it opened we could see the difference.
Outside our room we looked onto a small pond that was empty with a large green broken pipe serving as the “water feature”. (Suite 24) Not acceptable when you’re paying big bucks. Rather don’t fill the room.


Food: The menu didn’t work for us. We didn’t like the food at all. The room service selection was small and the cost was high. Breakfast in your room is not an option given that your choices are continental, continental or continental + you get charged a whopping R 125 per tray. A bit crazy if you ask me and also absurd when you book the presidential suite with the view to dining in your room. On our second night we went for dinner in Knysna which is close enough.

Golf: excellent. A lovely scenic course.

Spa: I visited the spa last year and loved the treatments. It was one of the reasons I had decided to stay at Pezula instead of somewhere new. Firstly, the spa kept getting our booking times wrong and they didn’t know who was having what treatment. After our treatments started on day 1 our therapists were swapped because of timing issues and all the confusion. They seemed confused and disorganized both times we went. This messed things up a bit and soured the experience. When you’re paying over R 1000 for a treatment it’s not acceptable.
The locker rooms leave a lot to be desired. There just isn’t enough space for more than two people in the locker area at once and the lockers are tiny.
The gowns are sandpapery and threadbare. My belt was frayed and didn’t match the gown. Maybe not a huge thing, but is it okay when they charge like a wounded buffalo? I personally thought my treatments were amazing (as always) but the rest of the experience wasn’t professional or acceptable. It definitely wasn’t as good as previous visits. The girls at reception need better training or booking software and they need to update certain things e.g. the gowns.

Beach: Great service at the beach. The beach is beautiful and special. The castle was lovely. The castle is perhaps a more unique and romantic place to stay at Pezula if you aren’t into golf.

The New Years eve party was well done and the entertainment was great.

The hotel has great potential. It is also conveniently located. I really do hope that things can improve.

Facilities are good, spa is good. Unfortunately it is one of those spas where one here's doors banging when one is in the treatment room, you ask a question and almost always the staff need to ask the manager. Manager is decent but staff need better training. That is true for all staff At the hotel, general level of training is poor.


We used the fireplace in our room and 24 hours later the ashes had still not been removed from our room despite 2 calls to the management.


We ordered room service it took 3 separate people to get the order right. Our bathroom flooded, we called someone to fix it before we went to breakfast. Nothing had happened by late Afternoon. We called again and complained about the general level of service and 3 people came to fix it.


The food is good and so is the golf.


The service leaves a lot to be desired, pity because it spoils what would otherwise be a good experience.

From the views, to the luxurious bathroom, the wood fire place, the soft lighting, comfy bed and to the walk-in closet..... Decadent, to say the least....and very cozy. Breakfast buffet...excellent. Service and hospitality...can't be beat (well, our stay at Shamwari-Riverdene a few days earlier was at least as good)..... We stayed here for lodging only---so we did not golf or use the spa facilities, except for the outside pool..... The pool was simple, yet elegant.... Our young kids loved it.... Resort location was great... Wonderful views in every direction.

There was a fairly well equipped kids play-room. Nice to have as it gave us a bit of quiet time for a change.....

Pezula is also reasonably close to numerous attractions---10 minutes from Knysna Waterfront, 15 minutes to Knysna Head and beach, 25 minutes to Noetsie beach (you DON'T have to use the shuttle, you can drive yourselves) and 45 minutes to Monkeyland/Birds of Eden....

Can't complain about much, but here are a few minor annoyances..... Far too many light switches in the bungalow. In the 5 days we were there, i could not figure out which switch operated which light..... Kitchenette was under equipped for our style of travelling: Wish there was a microwave... And it would have been nice to have a freezer section within the fridge... In the beginning, not having our car readily available was a pain, but i learned and managed to work around that, so it was no big deal...... Also, in their adverts, they imply the resort is on the beach.... This is not so (see above) and is a bit misleading, unless you stay in one of the luxurious homes or castles down by the beach....

Overall, Pezula is great, therefore, i would recommend staying there....