Travel & Hotspots
WEEKEND AWAY?
Renske is trying to choose between these 6 hotels
Here comes next level news: we are going away for the weekend!
No, not us.
My boyfriend and I are going away for the weekend. Well, wow, it just shows how important it is to communicate clearly. Before you know it, the biggest misunderstandings arise.
Okay, where were we? Oh yes, the weekend away! Well, just in case you're feeling jealous: actually, I can't even recommend going away for the weekend with me. Because you know what it is? There is quite a bit of pressure on a weekend away for me. A weekend away must meet a rather frightening number of conditions. The hotel must be 1. perfect, 2. original, 3. unique, 4. luxurious, 5. beneficial, 6. gastronomic, and 7. Instagram-worthy. And it must not be 8. too far from Amsterdam, but also 9. not right in the city, because I already live in the city and I secretly find that super busy. So it should preferably be 10. in a forest. Oh, and it must be 11. available in December, because what is in the vat does indeed sour.
Well, after a long search, crying, drinking wine, rolling my eyes, and praying, I managed to put together a top 5. With locations in the Netherlands, Belgium, and one in England. That's what I say: a remarkable mix, but nonetheless good work! Maybe you can benefit from it too? I will let you know where I eventually ended up sleeping.
So I stumbled upon this heritage accommodation in Flemish country style, located in the Ardennes. Wow, ten points for the cool, gray undertone in the styling, the dark wood on the floors, the classic castle fireplace, and then that veranda. Man, that veranda should be banned. But luckily, it isn't, you can just go on it.
2. Hotel Gaia
Hallelujah for this very special, slightly magical hotel on estate Rande, near the floodplains of the IJssel. It stands out because of the unique artistic, colorful styling: the rooms are truly unique one by one and kaboom, there is also nice wellness. PLUS you can enjoy a nice bourgeois walk and I love a nice bourgeois walk. Nothing wrong with that!
Just twenty minutes drive from Amsterdam, you will find this gem – an incredibly cool hotel + restaurant, in the former train station of Abcoude. PERFECTLY furnished: truly every little stone, every corner, every vase, and every chair can be hatseflats on Instagram. The atmosphere is also said to be impeccable. I think maybe I want to go here?
A wonderfully luxurious little castle near Zeist. Recently added to the fine hotel selection of QL. I have studied the pictures very well and yaassss, I see things people. I see things. I see castle-like things, I see tower rooms, I see a fantastic wooded environment, I see a nice restaurant, I see good green tiled walls that will pop on Insta, I see dinner plates that I want to steal, I even see someone in a wedding dress, in short: a castle to my heart!
This is a fantastic hotel half an hour's drive by metro from the center of London. Here you combine a delightful English country house atmosphere with a city feel (the Gucci store for my belt is still just half an hour from the hotel). This is luxury, this is the spot for deliciously quaint – but extremely hip – dinners, this is the spot for spotting famous people, this is the spot for incredibly luxurious hotel rooms, this is – okay, I’ll stop, it’s just next level.
Oh, and rambambam! Another very honorable mention for Parc Broekhuizen. Opens for accommodation only in January, so I’m missing out again, because of course I can’t wait until January with my weekend away, but for everyone who is going away next year: this is a hit. We are talking about the most fun, really mega coolest hotel of this moment. This is allure with a creative, ultra-cool twist. Think: top styling, unique location in the middle of nature, a good restaurant (Voltaire) and a wonderfully rich building. In short: never go home again!
