Candlewood Lodge

Where do I begin? My husband and I stayed at Candlewood Lodge for our honeymoon on 17-21 October 2024, by recommendation from our parents who also stayed there in 2017 and were absolutely delighted with the experience. Our expectations were high, but Matthias and the lovely Candlewood team exceeded our expectations beyond words! You cannot experience Knysna without staying at Candlewood. Every single detail is designed to make your stay as pleasant and memorable as possible. The staff and owners cater to your needs in every single way and truly care. We stayed at the Seahorse private cottage with spectacular view of Knysna, beautiful interior and a private terrace overlooking the pool area. Matthias cares for every detail of your stay. A beautiful book in the room welcomed us to Knysna with tips, recommendations and many other helpful suggestions and ideas. The staff were always attentive, friendly and kind. When we wanted to go to the beach, they immediately prepared a beach bag for us with towels, snacks and umbrella. When we wanted to stay for dinner at the lodge (even though it was Sunday), they arranged for the chef to come and cook an excellent three course meal. They even played our favorite music and artists durinf breakfast! We were spoiled every minute of the day. The breakfast and food in itself deserves its own praise. The breakfast is the best we have ever had during our travels around the world, even better than five star luxury hotels as the Candlewood breakfast is not only incredibly tasty but also presented in the most beautiful manner. A new menu is offered every day and the quality is absolutely excellent. Matthias and the staff make everything from scratch and what is not made from scratch is handpicked with the outmost care. When leaving the lodge, we truly were sad to say goodbye to the entire team. After only a few days, we felt like family but had also been spoiled to an extent that our expectations for the remainder of our honeymoon is unreasonably high…… To anyone visiting Knysna: PLEASE stay at Candlewood Lodge. I cannot recommend it enough.

This is one of the best and most professionally managed B&B’s I have ever stayed in. It should actually be a 6 star hotel. Matthias and his team are welcoming, efficient and friendly. The rooms are modern and well appointed, and very clean. It is only a 5 minute drive to the famous ‘The Heads’ viewpoint. The breakfast is amazing, as the pictures hopefully show. Even the Wi-Fi works perfectly! Highly recommended.

I echo what is said in other 5 star reviews - warm welcome from Mattias, Faith and the rest of the staff are very pleasant and helpful. nice and spacious rooms, great view, delicious breakfast. We were lucky to be there on a night when dinner was being served. If you are in Knysna when Candlewood is serving dinner, DO NOT MISS IT. It was easily the best meal of our 3+ week trip to South Africa.