Antwerp’s latest resort haven doubles as a gastronomic vacation spot and wellness retreat

The backstory: The place Botanic Sanctuary Antwerp stands in the present day was as soon as a complete advanced of monastic buildings, together with the Sint-Elisabeth hospital, and a chapel relationship again to the fifteenth century. Since then, the positioning has been renovated and reinvented, and it was, till just a few years in the past, house to the spare, budget-friendly Elzenveld Lodge. Now the historic grounds have been revamped as a buzzy resort, presently in soft-launch mode, with ambitions to be one of many swankiest stays within the Belgian metropolis.

The property's hidden-from-the-city havens include the monastery garden.

The area: The property spans 108 rooms and suites, starting from 270 to over 1,500 sq. toes. They’re set inside 5 separate buildings, which are actually linked collectively by conservatory buildings; the architectural resolution is a nod to the unique hospital’s glass cover, and to the present refined botanical theme. Every room is distinct in design, mixing pure supplies (like stone and wrought iron) with components of the modern (mirrored within the furnishings) and the previous (see the traditional uncovered beams and use of outdated portray methods). Choose rooms include their very own terrace, and spa suites function in-room wellness services (together with a whirlpool, sauna and Technogym bike).

Each of the hotel's 108 guest rooms and suites has a distinct design.

The eating: The resort’s plan to be a gastronomic vacation spot, too, exhibits within the CVs of the cooks — 5 award winners — on the helm of the 4 eating places on-site. Probably the most coveted reservations might be at Hertog Jan, the omakase-style, trust-the-chef set menu idea by Gert De Mangeleer and Joachim Boudens; the duo shuttered their unique three-Michelin-starred location close to Bruges in 2018 and are bringing it again to life right here.

Botanic Sanctuary Antwerp is in soft-launch mode this spring and summer.

The additional facilities: Taking on three tales in a brand new constructing, the Botanic Well being Spa consists of a number of saunas (Finnish, Himalayan salt stone, infrared), a swimming pool, a steam bathtub, an ice fountain, and a conservatory with room to lounge round. There’s additionally an apothecary store, impressed by the previous monastery’s pharmacy, however stocked with trendy magnificence and wellness items, like pure skincare, cosmetics and aromatherapy.

Interiors marry the contemporary with elements of the past (see the ancient exposed beams).

The close by sights: One of many metropolis’s hottest museums, Rubenshuis — the previous house of the painter Sir Peter Paul Rubens — is a few six-minute stroll. Nearly as shut is the Meir, one among Antwerp’s primary procuring avenues, the place main chains occupy 18th- and Nineteenth-century rococo buildings. Fifteen minutes away on foot, you’ll discover Grote Markt, the market sq., and different landmarks of the historic centre.