The location is Het Groen Kwartier: a beautiful part of Antwerp, just outside the city center. This former military site (the former Military Hospital) has been transformed into a modern, green urban district. In half an hour on foot, you are in the heart of the bustling city.

Anyway, you walk in, and then what? The beautiful lounge welcomes you for an aperitif. The sofas are supple, and you’d love to wrap up the cushions and take them home. Beautiful and soft. A serene atmosphere prevails, which means that I will temper my characteristic booming laugh a bit. But even that is nice and quiet every now and then.

With a hotel where you alternate your room with the spa, the bar, and the restaurant, there is actually no need to leave. Of course, Antwerp has plenty to offer, but August as a destination purely and simply is certainly an option as well.

The rooms are pure luxury, with beautiful linen from By Mölle (take a look at that and then try to click away from the site with an empty basket – exactly). The style is beautifully applied to the old elements of the building. Done with panache. Each room has something unique, but always with the same quiet luxury.

In the bathroom, you will find the delightful products from Le Labo, to be precise Le Labo Hinoki in the Sesame flavor. Here, a shower becomes primarily a greedy lathering with this fragrant soap, until the moment you no longer smell of Le Labo, but *are* Le Labo.

The next morning, we settle down at exactly the same spot again for a generous à la carte breakfast. The pancakes are very good, with the emphasis on very.

At twelve o'clock, it is time to leave the room. The suitcases are carefully repacked, and we lie on the soft bed one last time. We chat for a moment with the cheerful intern at the reception, after which we head home feeling satisfied.

August Hotel Antwerp