Antwerp, Belgium

August Antwerp

Price per night from$185.41

Price information

If you haven’t entered any dates, the rate shown is provided directly by the hotel and represents the cheapest double room (inclusive of taxes and fees) available in the next 60 days.

Prices have been converted from the hotel’s local currency (EUR167.19), via openexchangerates.org, using today’s exchange rate.

August Antwerp Photos

Style

Calming mod convent

Setting

Earth-kind quarter

Explore

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Among this Belgian city’s bustling bars and independent eateries you’ll find August Antwerp – a cloistered hideaway elegantly converted from a former Augustinian convent. Thoughtfully modernised interiors retain the understated spirit of the nuns' old sleeping quarters, with further serenity to be found across three additional buildings, housing a spa, ensconcing bar-lounge and lauded restaurant. And if you decide to dip in the swimming pond, we’d like to think it’s with the sisters’ blessing…

Smith Extra

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A plate of cookies on arrival; GoldSmiths also get a non-alcoholic welcome drink at the bar

Facilities

Photos August Antwerp facilities

Need to know

Rooms

44, including two suites.

Check–Out

Noon; but flexible for €25 an hour. Check-in is at 3pm, also flexible, on request and subject to availability.

More details

Rates don’t include breakfast, but there’s a buffet available each morning for €29 each (€25 if booked in advance).

Also

Two of the hotel’s Signature rooms have been adapted for wheelchair users, and all floors and rooms (except the August Suite) are accessible by a lift.

Please note

Throughout the year, it closes for lunch and dinner on Mondays and Sundays.

At the hotel

Garden pavilion, library, choir room, charged laundry service, boutique and free WiFi throughout. In rooms: TV, wireless speaker, minibar, Nespresso coffee machine, tea-making kit, free glass-bottled water and Le Labo bath products.

Our favourite rooms

Architecturally, every room impresses and nods to the buildings’ past: some are set under the centuries-old eaves while others glow with natural light and lofty ceilings. If you’re looking for some sought-after outdoor space, check in to the Authentic Plus, or splurge for the sprawling August Suite.

Poolside

There isn’t a pool as such, but the freshwater pond is fitted with a natural reed filtration bed that keeps its water fresh and swimmable.

Spa

The hotel’s restorative private-use spa is lined with all-natural Bamford products, fragranced with aromatic essential oils and expertly applied by masseurs across the two treatment rooms. You’ll also find a sauna, steam room, outdoor shower and hammam with ice scrub that’ll have you feeling refreshed and raring to go in no time.

Packing tips

A bottle opener for cracking craft beers along the Scheldt River’s banks come summer.

Also

August Antwerp is the sister to Hotel Julien, an equally striking townhouse stay set 15 minutes closer to the Scheldt River.

Children

Little Smiths are welcome, though there aren’t any special facilities to keep them entertained onsite.

Food and Drink

Photos August Antwerp food and drink

Top Table

Secure one of the coveted spots up in the chapel’s altar that watches over the bar.

Dress Code

Decadent and dashing to do this grand setting justice.

Hotel restaurant

The kitchen here is helmed by head chef Pieter Starmans, whose devotion to fresh, seasonal fare is delivered in polished plates, with a dining space in the chapel’s converted corridors that’s equally awe-prompting.

Hotel bar

The main bar is set in the old chapel, now an atmospheric space primed for convivial, cosy evenings with a cocktail (or three) and plenty of small plates to pick from. The adjoining alfresco area is open year-round, warmed with heaters during winter and (hopefully) sun, come summer.

Last orders

Breakfast is served 7am to 10.30am daily. The restaurant opens from Tuesday to Saturday with lunch available from noon to 4pm, and dinner from 6pm to midnight. The bar is open till 11pm (midnight, Tuesday to Thursday and 1am on Friday and Saturday).

Room service

There’s a separate menu available round-the-clock.

Location

Photos August Antwerp location
Address
August Antwerp
Jules Bordetstraat 5
Antwerp
2018
Belgium

August Antwerp rests in a converted convent, at the edge of the Belgian city’s pedestrian-only Green Quarter.

Planes

Antwerp’s international airport is a 15-minute drive away, and has direct routes between Europe’s biggest cities. If you’re hoping to make a stop in the capital, Brussels Airport is 45 minutes away by car (an hour, if the traffic’s bad). Private transfers can be arranged from both airports, for an additional charge.

Trains

Antwerp Berchem is less than 10 minutes from the hotel by car (or a 15-minute walk) and has frequent daily links to Brussels, Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Paris.

Automobiles

You won’t need a car in Antwerp, as the city is very walkable and has good public transport links. If you do decide to pick up a set of wheels, just make sure it’s low emissions-compliment and be aware that the Green Quarter is a car-free zone, so once you’ve arrived at the hotel (there’s free onsite parking for €30 a night), you’ll need to explore this eight-hectare zone on foot or by bike.

Other

There’s a comprehensive network of cycling trails in Antwerp, and plenty of places to pick up rentals if you’d rather see the city on two wheels.

Worth getting out of bed for

Antwerp is wonderfully walkable, meaning you can enjoy the city’s highlights without being more than an amble (or cycle) away from the hotel. Start local, and pop into Pakt – a once derelict industrial space that’s been converted into the creative hub that stands today. Forward-thinking businesses occupy the middle floors, but downstairs you’ll find plenty of indie dining spots and craft breweries, and up on the rooftop there’s a meditative garden where local farmers Bram and Sjarel grow ingredients for neighbourhood restaurants. The adjacent Zurenborg district is worth a pass through for its stately mansions, art nouveau architecture and central Dageraadplaats square. 

Shoppers should head to five-floor concept store Graanmarkt 13, storied for its impressive stature and boutique brands. The Meir is your go-to for big names, but if you’re after second-hand steals, the quieter Gierstraat and Nationalestraat are lined with vintage spots. When the weather warms, grab a bike and cycle over to the south bank of the Scheldt River, where the city’s locals congregate on summer evenings.

Local restaurants

Less than a minute from the hotel's doors, the Jane has won two Michelin stars for its seafood-focused plates. Dishes come accompanied with veg straight from the Pakt’s rooftop gardens, and are served under the the striking ceilings of the old military hospital’s chapel. For more fine dining, Bistrot du Nord stuns with old-school interiors and sensuous French plates. And if you’re after something relaxed that doesn’t compromise on taste, stop off at long-loved Bar Pêche, where offerings change with the seasons and dishes come packed with fresh flavour.

Local cafés

On the ground floor of the Pakt building, just behind the hotel, Caffenation roasts speciality blends with water that’s harvested from the onsite gardens.

Local bars

The family-run De Koninck brewery has been making the city’s beloved bolleke pale ale since 1833, and alongside its all-welcome bar, you can also go for tours and tastings year-round. Sip with the locals at Bobby, where chilled wines, craft beers and classic cocktails are poured in a creatively cool setting.

Reviews

Photos August Antwerp reviews

Anonymous review

By Mr & Mrs Smith

Every hotel featured is visited personally by members of our team, given the Smith seal of approval, and then anonymously reviewed. As soon as our reviewers have returned from this architectural abode in Belgium and unpacked their diamonds and rosary, a full account of their city break will be with you. In the meantime, to whet your wanderlust, here's a quick peek inside August Antwerp…

No, August Antwerp isn’t named for Belgium’s sun-soaked month (though it’s still a good time to visit) – its moniker is instead an ode to the Augustinian convent that once occupied this serene spot of land in Antwerp’s budding Green Quarter. Perfectly pared-back rooms are the masterstroke of architect Vincent Van Duysen, who carefully restored each space to reflect the quiet solitude of the nun’s sleeping quarters. 

You’ll soon learn that relaxing is habitual around here, with a calming outdoor swimming pond in the cloister and its adjoined soothing spa, an easy stroke away. And after you’ve whiled the day away wandering the river’s south bank and Antwerp’s Baroque streets, dinner at the hotel’s restaurant brings more halcyon contemplation. Top things off with a nightcap under the convent’s sky-high ceilings, and you’ll be feeling quite sure this stay has been sent from some sort of heaven

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