One of the best known landmarks in Plettenberg Bay on the Garden Route is the Beacon Isle Hotel. Beacon Island is at the mouth of the Piesang River and has a history that goes back to 1771. In that year the first navigational beacon was erected on the island. The original was a square block of stinkwood, inscribed with the latitude and longitude of Plettenberg Bay, and erected to enable mariners to check their location and chronometers. It also gave Beacon Island its name.