Botanic Sanctuary Antwerp
Flemish replenishment
Antwerp's not-so-secret garden
A Belgian stay of Rubenesque proportions, Botanic Sanctuary Antwerp may have been a humble monastery for spiritual healing in the 13th century, but now it’s an avowed hedonist. It has everything. And, that’s no hyperbole – you want dinosaur skeletons? You got it. A spa with curatives of all kinds from herbal saunas to skin peels, to acupuncture to measuring your electromagnetic fields? No problemo. A quartet of restaurants, each with its own award-winning chef? Yup. A butler, an apothecary peddling traditional lotions and perfumes, a 15th-century church for parties, secret whisky club, even work meetings where you can bond by making a music video or learning how to graffiti – it’s got ‘em all. And, wabi-sabi rooms for when you’ve exhausted all the above, some with mini spas. In a city of diamonds, this sanctuary’s brilliance shines.
Facilities
Zimmer
108, including 34 suites, some with spa facilities.
Checkout
11am, but flexible, subject to availability. Earliest check-in, 3pm.
Weitere Details
Some rates include a generous buffet breakfast with local treats (hello, waffles), smoothie shots, cheeses and charcuterie, pastries and even champagne (à la carte available too). If breakfast isn't included in your rates, you can enjoy it for €45.
Also
There are six Comfort and Deluxe rooms suitable for guests with mobility issues.
Fitness Center
Kostenfreies WLAN
Wäscheservice
Pool
Restaurant
Zimmerservice
Spa
At the Hotel
Spa with various saunas, steam room, ice fountain, Kneipp walk, whirlpool and experience showers; state-of-the-art gym; beauty salon; gallery and natural-history museum filled with art and curios; apothecary and ‘Beautique’; botanic gardens; whisky tasting room; wine cellar; 15th-century chapel; charged laundry and dry-cleaning services; charged bike hire; free high-speed WiFi. In rooms: Smart TV and Bluetooth soundbar, free high-speed WiFi, iPad loaded with hotel services and city guide, Segafredo coffee-making kit, local Café Couture tea and kettle, umbrella, bathrobes and slippers, Saint Charles bath products, B’eau Botanic water, air-conditioning. The spa suites have a wellness area with a whirlpool, sauna, treatment table and Technogym stationary bike with classes to stream; a wine-climate cabinet and air-purification system; Evidens de Beauté products; and two free laundry and dry-cleaning items a room, each day, valet parking and shoeshine service on request.
Our Favourite Rooms
Wabi-sabi, the Japanese design principle accepting of aesthetic imperfections, is the inspiration behind the design used in rooms and suites here. Having said that, none of the rooms or suites seems to have any visible flaws – rather there are scuffed-plaster walls in restful hues, aged wooden beams, monochromatic marbles and gently rumpled soft linens (from De Witte Lietaer), contrasted with modern artworks and simple, Scandi-esque furnishings of the sort Antwerp excels in. Of the rooms, we like the Deluxe with a terrace for its serene private outdoor space. Of the upper categories, the Spa & Healthness Suite or Diamond Spa Suite will do very nicely, thank you. Each has a wellness area with a Jacuzzi, sauna, treatment table and Peloton, plus a special air-purifying system; and when you’ve reached peak health, there’s a climate-controlled wine cabinet to raid.
Poolside
The 18-metre pool is a very peaceful part of the sprawling spa complex, set in a building that resembles a chic barn with vaulted ceilings and lots of light. Take a few soothing laps pre- or post-treatment then sip an infused water on one of the surrounding loungers.
Spa
The spa here is so incredible that there’s a small chance you could turn up DOA and leave feeling peachy. Well, the therapists aren’t quite that good, but in the 1,000-square-metre space, where all aspects of health outside-in are considered, there’s a solution to many ills. The sanctum builds on monastic design with sustainable spaces designed by star spa-chitect Heinz Schletterer, and encompasses three saunas (two clothing-optional), a thermal circuit, ice fountain, Kneipp walk, experience showers with botanical infusions, a Jacuzzi, steam room, herb and vitamin bar, beauty salon, pool, health-conscious bistro and relaxation room with cocoons. And, in 10 treatment rooms (two for couples), magic happens using age-old phytotherapy, herbalism and naturopathy handed down from the monks; combined traditional Chinese and European practices (acupuncture, tui na, osteopathy); Evidens de Beauté facials that lift, detox, nurture and add radiance; Jetpeel’s needle-free skin-smoothing; Skin Vitals’ deep cleanses, peels and microdermabrasion; massages and flotation; the 3 Cure Method’s custom rituals according to your morphological typology; electromagnetic-wave monitoring; blood analysis; contouring and lymphatic drainage; and purifying wraps and herbal scrubs, plus Chrono Repair Homme’s pampering for men. The club gym is equally thorough, filled with Technogym’s most expensive and effective toys (Omnia 3 pull-up bar, Ercolina Rehabilitation cable-training station…) compatible with the Mywellness app, an InBody scanning system and personal trainers. And, just in case, there are Pilates, yoga and mindfulness sessions and a house nutritionist.
Packing Tips
Dripping with diamonds and home to a prestigious fashion school and houses, in readiness for Antwerp tip your jewellery box into your suitcase and build your wardrobe with pieces by the ‘Antwerp six’ (Martin Margiela, Dries Van Noten, Ann Demeulemeester, Walter Van Beirendonck, Dirk Bikkembergs, Marina Yee and Dirk Van Saene). But, leave some room, because the hotel has two shops: Beautique (at St Joris Port) sells candles, bathrobes and other mementoes. And the Saint Charles Apothecary has existed since monastic times, when medicines for the Sint Elisabeth hospital were made from the garden’s botanics, has been restored to its charming vintage state and has all-natural remedies, lotions and fragrances made to time-old recipes sold in attractive amber- and violet-glass bottles.
Also
A butler can tend to you, hold a wedding of party in the exquisite 15th-century chapel onsite or arrange a business meeting where you’ll team-build over music-video making, African drumming, graffiti or etiiquette classes, falconry and laughter yoga.
Kinder
Kinderen are most welcome. Most rooms fit a baby cot or extra bed (€50 a night for each bed or cot) and some have two bedrooms; the hotel has kit for all eventualities, activity backpacks and babysitters on call.
Galerie
Food & Drink
Top Table
Henry's is probably the most romantic of the eateries due to its floral tableaux. But a seat at Hertog Jan’s table is a coveted prize and puts you front and centre for engaging food shenanigans.
Kleiderordnung
Get out of the habit and into something beautifully structured.
Hotel Restaurant
The hotel’s dining offerings reflect Antwerp’s culinary excellence — most likely because they’ve nabbed some of Belgium’s top chefs to helm their four eateries. Henry’s Bistro, named for the 19th-century director of the city’s botanical garden, is the baby of Johan Aarts, who dreams up elevated international dishes and plates them in the garden-facing conservatory. Bar Bulot (helmed by culinary whizz kids Gert De Mangeleer and Joachim Boudens) started life as a French brasserie pop-up in Bruges, before becoming a destination restaurant. This outpost offers the same simple elegant Flemish and French dishes, with seafood, shellfish and perfectly marinated meats as standouts.
Hertog Jan is a more exclusive experience altogether, offering a three-hour omakase menu that must be booked in advance (note, allergies and intolerances can’t be catered for) that’s compiled with pickings from its own greenhouse, herb and flower beds, and hives. And Fine Fleur, which has been dressed in modern yet historically sympathetic style by Dennis T’Jampers, is a Michelin-awarded eatery with a focus on farm-to-fork fare, overseen by Jacob Jan Boerma and Thomas Diepersloot.
But wait, there’s more – each Sunday, a decadent brunch with champagne, lobster, oysters and more is served in the vaulted monastery from noon to 3pm. And between 12.30pm and 5pm (Wednesday to Sunday), high tea is hosted in the old kitchens, with an assortment of hand-made pastries and all sorts of herbal infusions. When the restaurants are closed, a four-course meal can be arranged in the hotel's private dining room.
Hotel Bar
Attached to its namesake bistro, Henry’s Bar has scored drinks aficionado Jurgen Lijcops to craft its creative cocktails, and serves top wines from the cellar under towering potted plants and dainty tabletop flowers. Inside, there’s also a touch of Don Draper in the marble bar, rich wood accents, velvet seating and general clubby feel.
Last Orders
Henry’s Bistro opens for lunch noon–3pm and dinner 6pm–10pm. Bar Bulot serves from noon–midnight, Tuesday to Saturday (from 6.30pm on Mondays). Fine Fleur opens Wednesday–Saturday, with lunch from noon–1.30pm and dinner 6.30pm–8pm.
Room Service
Available round the clock; order in-room to feel as though Belgium’s most celebrated chefs are cooking exclusively for you.
Planes
Antwerp International is very close to the hotel, just a 20-minute drive away (transfers are from €70 one-way), and Brussels is just 45-minutes (transfers from €110), so it’s easy to twin your city break – or even triple and quadruple it, as Ghent is just an hour away and Bruges two, with another international airport. If you want to double up your countries, fly into Eindhoven in the Netherlands (an hour’s drive) or Amsterdam Schiphol, a two-hour drive away, where the hotel will pick you up from €325. The city has a reputation for fashion and design, so if you want to arrive in a Porsche, the hotel can set it up.
Trains
Antwerp Central Station is a 15-minute drive from the hotel. Direct trains arrive here from major cities in Belgium and Paris and Amsterdam in just a couple hours. Alternatively, ride the Eurostar to Brussels.
Automobiles
Belgium is very road-trippable – Antwerp is at most a three-hour drive from Calais along a route which hits all the mediaeval sweet spots along the way. Once you’re in Antwerp, park up at the hotel (the hotel has plenty of spaces and a valet for €55 a night) and go it on foot. The city has drastically cut down on cars to become a Low-Emission Zone. You’ll need to register your vehicle and pay for a pass before driving into the centre.
Worth Getting Out of Bed For
Antwerp’s name either means ‘at the wharf’; or ‘to throw a hand’ derived from a legend about a giant named Antigoon who took hands as a toll for crossing the Scheldt River, until one day a young soldier called Brabo cut the giant’s hand off and saved the day (guess which story we prefer)… There’s even a statue commemorating the legend surrounded by step-gabled houses in the Grote Markt, so it must be true. This is actually Belgium’s second city, but it comes first in all the ways that count, as a crucible of fashion-designer legends, rabble of highly contrasted architectural styles, peddler of the sparkliest jewels, nightlife impresario and home of 16th-century Renaissance painter Pieter Paul Rubens – he’s kind of a big deal around here and largely the reason why Antwerp is one of Flanders’ five cities of art. Get acquainted at his former home, an as-it-was palazetto with masterpieces by yours truly and other luminaries, and the Royal Museum of Fine Art, whose collection fast-forwards to the 20th century. Once he’s Rube-d off on you, head to the Museum Mayer van den Bergh to see works by Antwerp’s other painterly sons (Pieter Brueghel the Elder, Jan Mabuse), and then photography museum FOMU and Galerie Gabriel Van de Weghe (4 Mechelsesteenweg), to see which Antwerpanaars and Antwerpses are currently beating a path to creative glory. Then, try not to bankrupt yourself on a serious shopping mission. Onsite and close to the hotel you’ll find very high-end jewellers and watch-makers, such as Carigi, Van Esser, Karolin Van Loon and Salima Thakker; and fine horologists at Heritage and Tensen. For cutting-edge wearables, start at Graanmarkt 13, a longstanding champion of indie brands, where each floor tells a different story. Pick up artfully ‘schlubby’ styles by Sofie d’Hoore and cashmere maxi-dresses (ideal for WFH-ers), KASSL Edition trenches and Pierre Culot ceramics. Then scope out the lewks at Vier skatewear (Raf Simon’s favourite), Arte for sleek tailoring, Renaissance for the very on-trend, and gorgeous Dries Van Noten store Modepaleis, a restored 19th-century department store. Or use Mode Museum’s guided walks as your stylist. For furnishings to make a room pop, try Espoo and St Vincents, both curated to a tee. By this point you’ll likely be broke, but you can enjoy Antwerp’s architecture for free. Roam about to see the spectacular stained glasses of Central Station, the Gothic cathedral, the curious old-new mix of Zaha Hadid’s Port House, the Lego-like Mas and the Baroque splendour of the City Hall, and get your Insta snap on Vlaeykensgang, which is lined with 16th-century townhouses. Then go underground for a surprisingly fascinating tour of De Ruien, Antwerp’s historic sewer system (wellies provided). When you come back into the light, enjoy the fresh air at Stadspark, wandering picturesque Rivierenhof, where gigs are held throughout the year, marvelling at Zurenborg’s bombastic houses and papping the panoramic skyline from the Left Bank of the Scheldt. And then Rubens pops up again in August with a namesake market where citizens dress in traditional costume and you could find a piece of art, street eats and stranger finds – a suit of armour perhaps? A more modern market and rooftop farm can be found at communal hub PAKT. Back at the hotel, there’s plenty to do with the enormous spa, shops, whisky tasting and gardens, and Granada Gallery which exhibits fossils, gems, meteorites and other treasures from the hotel’s own mines and sites.
Earn or Redeem Points with World of Hyatt
This Mr & Mrs Smith hotel participates in the World of Hyatt loyalty program. As a member, you can earn and redeem points and enjoy exclusive benefits for qualifying nights. .
