April 29, 2021
Would it shock you all that much to learn that a country known for its well-preserved medieval towns has so many terrific hotels in so many terrific old buildings?
Belgium seemingly agrees with us that, whether a piece of aging architecture has always been a hotel or was eventually converted into one, the greatest tribute you can pay is to keep it alive as lodging. It’s a reliable formula, and it gives guests the chance to experience history up close, personal, and overnight.
We love modern design. Put some concrete and glass in the desert and we’re as happy as a Liège waffle without toppings. But what really warms our heart is when the past doesn’t go to waste — especially when we get as many versions of it as Belgium provides. The country’s best hotels live in old farmhouses and old townhouses, old train stations and old post offices, old convents and old colleges. And some, of course, are just old hotels. Same as they’ve always been.
That’s not to say we want to sleep in a museum — at least not in the traditional sense. The contemporary filter through which these hotels view the past is what makes them so exciting, and makes them works of art in their own right. The current owners inherited something timeless and added their own interpretation of how best to interact with it in the 21st century. If that’s not museum-worthy, we don’t know what is.
