Hotel Julien

Style

Terrace-topped townhouse retreat

Setting

Coveted central co-ords

In the heart of Antwerp’s Old Town, Hotel Julien quiets the city’s bordering bustle with calming interiors, lounge spaces and a secluded spa. Fill your days with visits to the city’s on-your-doorstep spots, loved by locals and expertly suggested by staff. And once dusk starts to draw over this diamond city, take your tipples up to the rooftop and raise a glass to your cosseting, convivial basecamp.

Facilities

Rooms

21, including one suite.

Checkout

Noon; but flexible for an additional charge. Check-in is at 3pm, but flexible subject to availability.

More Details

Rates usually include breakfast, but if not, there’s à la carte options available each morning for €32 (if booked in advance).

Also

All rooms – except three – can be accessed by a lift, and some have been adapted with widened doorframes and spacious bathrooms for wheelchair users.

Free Internet Access

Laundry

Room Service

Spa

At the Hotel

Lounge, courtyard, rooftop terrace, charged laundry service and free WiFi throughout. In rooms: TV, radio, minibar, Nespresso coffee machine, tea-making kit, free glass-bottled water, bathrobes, slippers and Aesop bath products.

Our Favourite Rooms

The Dreamer and Experience rooms are set under original beamed ceilings in the eaves and make for sequestered slumbers. If you’d like your own city lookout, opt for the Experience Terrace, which has a well-appointed outdoor space that admires Antwerp’s Old Town.

Spa

You’ll find the secluded spa behind a subtly marked door, underneath the original 16th-century arches of what was once this house's cellar. The small space (which operates from 9am to 10pm) is only open by reservation, which means you’ll have private access to the sauna, hammam and hot stone seat. You can also book a massage or a facial in the spa’s treatment room.

Packing Tips

Chuck in some trouser clips so you can cycle round the city with ease.

Also

Hotel Julien is the sister stay to Smith-approved August Antwerp, set at the edge of the city’s developed Green Quarter.

Children

Welcome, but the hotel doesn’t have any facilities onsite to keep them entertained.

Gallery

Food & Drink

Top Table

Take to the rooftop as evening falls for twinkling views of the cathedral.

Dress Code

Your finest imitation of the flâneur.

Hotel Restaurant

There’s no formal restaurant, but you’ll find delectable breakfast spreads with oven-warm baked goods (including pastries from the city’s Michelin-starred Dome restaurant), fresh fruit, yoghurt, granola and just-squeezed juices laid out daily in the lounge. Light bites are also available throughout the day.

Hotel Bar

Restored wood interiors add a warm, familial feel to the laidback bar, where classic cocktails, punchy spirits, vintage wines and locally brewed beers (the De Koninck is crafted down the road) make up lengthy drinks lists. When the city’s sun starts to appear, beeline to the rooftop terrace for cathedral-admiring aperitifs.

Last Orders

Breakfast is available from 7am to 10.30am (8am to 11am on weekends).

Room Service

Light bites can be brought to your door for an additional €8.

Planes

Most European hubs have routes straight to Antwerp’s international airport, which is a 25-minute drive away. Alternatively, you can touch down in Brussels, just under 40 minutes away by car (depending on traffic).

Trains

There are daily routes to Brussels, Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Paris, Bruges, Luxembourg and London from Antwerp-Centraal, which is a 20-minute walk (or 15-minute drive) from the hotel.

Automobiles

This city is extremely walkable, so a car won’t be necessary. If you’re venturing further afield and decide to pick up a set of wheels just be sure it’s compliant with the city’s low emissions law. There isn’t any parking onsite, but there should be plenty of spots down nearby Handelsbeurs, Meir and Groenplaats.

Worth Getting Out of Bed For

You’re wandering distance away from Antwerp’s big names at Hotel Julien – and Cogels Osylei makes for a scenic introduction to the city’s art nouveau architecture and historic townhouses. Shoppers should take to Steenhouwersvest, Nationalestraat, Schuttershofstraat, Huidevettersstraat and Kammenstraat for independent boutiques; the De Wilde Zee neighbourhood for bigger brands and Graanmarkt 13 for a one-stop shop. Culture and art buffs have most of the city’s museums within easy reach, namely Museum aan de Stroom, MoMu and FoMu. And if you’re here for the cuisine, be sure to stop by Vogeltjesmarkt on the weekend for rows of scent-tantalising food stalls.

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. .