In short… The Botanic Sanctuary is a leafy and light-filled hotel in a former monastery, with an extensive and focused wellness program—perfect for a more relaxed introduction to this northern European city.
The surroundings… The Botanic Sanctuary Antwerp is situated in a former monastery, so it has a bit of a compound format. Rooms are spread across various buildings on the hotel grounds, as well as a beautiful old church located in the garden, which some of the rooms in the monastery building overlook. Antwerp is not a very big city and the hotel is centrally enough located—walking distance to most anything you want to get to—while removed from the bustle of the central square and more touristy areas. Leaving the hotel, you step into a leafy residential enclave with a charming coffee shop, stationary store, and restaurant lining the same street, just five minutes down the road. It’s extremely quiet and almost feels more like a secluded street in a neighborhood like Notting Hill.
The vibe… It’s a very open, bright and airy lobby, with plenty of flowers and botanical elements, like a greenhouse. Once upstairs, the more monastic elements of the building come into focus, with exposed beams and a cozy, almost Scandi feel.
The rooms… The rooms are beautiful with minimal ornamentation, well aligned with the history of the building in their austere but elegant design. Rooms in the main building look onto the inner courtyard of the hotel and its surrounding gardens—true to its namesake, it’s very much a sanctuary in the city.
The wellness… The spa at the Botanic Sanctuary is absolutely beautiful, and is found in a building set into Antwerp’s Botanical Garden, just across from the monastery’s main building. The pool is in a glass ceilinged conservatory with a gym on the top floor, which gets the most beautiful light during the day. The spa is incredibly well equipped and despite not doing a treatment, I was able to fully enjoy all of its amenities. There are two large saunas that look out onto the garden and filled with natural light, much nicer than your usual boxed-in hotel sauna.
The food & drink… Besides the almost over-the-top and delicious breakfast program they have here, we ate at the hotel’s Henry’s Bar and Bistro for dinner one night. The food was refined but not fussy, including various Belgian classics with elegant reinterpretation. They also had a great drinks program at the bar!
Be sure to… Spend a couple of afternoons during your trip to enjoy the spa facilities after a day of walking around and exploring the city—they provide the perfect refuge to relax.
Date of stay… May 13th-15, 2024.
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