Taste
5X LUXURY WEEKEND ANTWERP
It is one of the most popular cities in Belgium: Antwerp. Just 2,5 hours away by car and 90 minutes by Thalys, this port city is ideally suited for a wonderful weekend away. At Masters we obviously prefer to do this in luxury. A complete overview of five luxury hotels, restaurants, wellness and fashion shops. Text: Susan Poeder, Marcus Polman & Margo Vansynghel
The White Lily
A seventeenth-century building with a tomato-red door houses a hotel that smells like its name, because lilies are in the rooms and in the lobby. Only ten rooms and suites (after all, small scale is the new luxury) with strange wallpaper here and there as a design accent and in the most beautiful suite complete flower mosaics in the bathroom from the illustrious brand Bisazza and bath products from Hermès. Breakfast is à la carte as it should be (buffets are so ordinary) and be sure to choose eggs for your money, because they make them as tasty here as anywhere else.
Also nice to read: Studio Drift's favorite luxury hotels
The jane
In a former chapel of a military hospital, chef Sergio Herman and his companion Nick Bril (together with designer Piet Boon) created a palace that stimulates all the senses, which, four years after opening, is still considered the standard in the field of international restaurant design. Even after several visits and hours of dining, you will always be left wanting here. The kitchen is completely behind glass and stands on the former altar, where High Priest Bril can be seen in action. Booking in time (three months in advance) is the motto. Or try your luck at the Upper Room Bar, on the first floor, with a view over the entire church.
The Brick
There was a collective sigh of relief in Antwerp when The Brick opened: finally a high-end gym that also looked good. The entrepreneurs behind the fitness club, two personal coaches, wanted the interior of the former department store in the trendy Zuidbuurt to be reminiscent of a boutique hotel. Designer furniture and cool wallpaper patterns from Studio Job provide distraction during the Cardio Crush, 'ABS', pilates, crossfight, boxing, aerobics or yoga classes. The fitness center was recently the first to introduce an advanced 360° treadmill and virtual reality glasses for a stimulating running experience.
ShoppingTo
It is no exaggeration to say that the building where luxury boutique Verso is located has been home to prominent and wealthy families for more than five centuries. Today, in the dramatically decorated building, wallets are opened for men's and women's clothing, accessories, shoes and jewelry from luxury brands such as Bottega Veneta, Fendi, Moncler, Sergio Rossi, Saint Laurent and Maison Margiela. If you get hungry from all the shopping, you can go to the Verso Café. The name hardly describes it: the chicly decorated establishment is a hotspot for style-conscious lunchers. The Belgian Prince Laurent was spotted there last year.
Enes
That means celebrating your fifteenth birthday in style: the Antwerp women's fashion store Enes opened a brand new store on the occasion of this anniversary. And what kind. Customers will find chic labels such as Love Stories Intimates, Baum und Pferdgarten and By Malene Birger, and can not only have a drink but even stay the night in one of the three guest rooms. The four-storey house is also furnished with a bathroom stocked with quality cosmetics. And the courtyard, where customers can relax, was designed by Ben Berckmoes, who previously worked with luxury brand Hermès. The eye-catcher is the old but beautiful elm tree, specially transported to Belgium.
