{"id":18079,"date":"2020-02-10T07:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-02-10T06:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/urbanpixxels.com\/?p=18079"},"modified":"2025-07-24T09:27:18","modified_gmt":"2025-07-24T09:27:18","slug":"august-hotel-antwerp","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/urbanpixxels.com\/nl\/august-hotel-antwerp\/","title":{"rendered":"Design Hotel August: a Luxurious Stay in a Former Convent"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-rank-math-toc-block\" id=\"rank-math-toc\"><h2>Table of Contents<\/h2><nav><ul><li><a href=\"#1-minu\">1. Minu<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#2-motiv\">2. Motivatie<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#3-ere-athens\">3. Voor Athene<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#4-foyer-espresso-bar\">4. Foyer Espressobar<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#5-this-is-loco\">5. Dit is Loco<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#6-sakkoulas-cafe\">6. Sakkoulas Caf\u00e9<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#7-nuff-said\">7. Nuff Said<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#8-mokka\">8. Mokka<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#9-dope-roasting\">9. Roosteren van drugs<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#time-for-a-coffee-break-in-athens\">Tijd voor een koffiepauze in Athene<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>I don&#8217;t particularly like celebrating my own birthday. But I do love celebrating other people&#8217;s birthdays! Unfortunately, many of my friends go through the same phase of not wanting to be reminded that they&#8217;re getting older and prefer not to make a big deal out of it. Yeah&#8230;. That&#8217;s all very nice, but when it comes to my oldest and closest friends, I don&#8217;t accept no for an answer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-1 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"681\" height=\"1024\" data-id=\"18092\" src=\"https:\/\/urbanpixxels.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/August-Hotel-Antwerp-Belgium-Design-Hotel-Entrance-Groen-Kwartier-681x1024.jpg\" alt=\"The entrance of design hotel August in Antwerp, Belgium\" class=\"wp-image-18092\" srcset=\"https:\/\/urbanpixxels.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/August-Hotel-Antwerp-Belgium-Design-Hotel-Entrance-Groen-Kwartier-681x1024.jpg 681w, https:\/\/urbanpixxels.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/August-Hotel-Antwerp-Belgium-Design-Hotel-Entrance-Groen-Kwartier-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/urbanpixxels.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/August-Hotel-Antwerp-Belgium-Design-Hotel-Entrance-Groen-Kwartier-768x1155.jpg 768w, https:\/\/urbanpixxels.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/August-Hotel-Antwerp-Belgium-Design-Hotel-Entrance-Groen-Kwartier.jpg 884w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 681px) 100vw, 681px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"681\" height=\"1024\" data-id=\"18090\" src=\"https:\/\/urbanpixxels.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/August-Hotel-Antwerp-Belgium-Design-Hotel-Reception-Desk-Groen-Kwartier-681x1024.jpg\" alt=\"The reception desk at boutique hotel August in Antwerp, Belgium\" class=\"wp-image-18090\" srcset=\"https:\/\/urbanpixxels.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/August-Hotel-Antwerp-Belgium-Design-Hotel-Reception-Desk-Groen-Kwartier-681x1024.jpg 681w, https:\/\/urbanpixxels.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/August-Hotel-Antwerp-Belgium-Design-Hotel-Reception-Desk-Groen-Kwartier-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/urbanpixxels.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/August-Hotel-Antwerp-Belgium-Design-Hotel-Reception-Desk-Groen-Kwartier-768x1155.jpg 768w, https:\/\/urbanpixxels.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/August-Hotel-Antwerp-Belgium-Design-Hotel-Reception-Desk-Groen-Kwartier.jpg 884w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 681px) 100vw, 681px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>And that&#8217;s why we&#8217;re in the car driving to Antwerp. I&#8217;ve only told her this morning what the destination of our surprise trip would be. If your friends are like mine and like to be in control of everything, then keeping them in the dark about the details until the very last moment and seeing them get all nervous about it, is just a nice extra bonus for you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I&#8217;ve arranged for several things to do while we&#8217;re in Antwerp, but the main reason we&#8217;re going here and not another city is because I needed an excuse to stay at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.booking.com\/hotel\/be\/august-antwerpen1.en.html?aid=1230219&amp;no_rooms=1&amp;group_adults=2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"the new August hotel (opens in a new tab)\">the new August hotel<\/a>. That&#8217;s just the kind of friend I am&#8230;.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-2 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"681\" height=\"1024\" data-id=\"18088\" src=\"https:\/\/urbanpixxels.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/August-Hotel-Antwerp-Belgium-Design-Hotel-Breakfast-Croissants-681x1024.jpg\" alt=\"Breakfast croissants at boutique hotel August in Antwerp\" class=\"wp-image-18088\" srcset=\"https:\/\/urbanpixxels.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/August-Hotel-Antwerp-Belgium-Design-Hotel-Breakfast-Croissants-681x1024.jpg 681w, https:\/\/urbanpixxels.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/August-Hotel-Antwerp-Belgium-Design-Hotel-Breakfast-Croissants-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/urbanpixxels.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/August-Hotel-Antwerp-Belgium-Design-Hotel-Breakfast-Croissants-768x1155.jpg 768w, https:\/\/urbanpixxels.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/August-Hotel-Antwerp-Belgium-Design-Hotel-Breakfast-Croissants.jpg 884w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 681px) 100vw, 681px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"681\" height=\"1024\" data-id=\"18084\" src=\"https:\/\/urbanpixxels.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/August-Hotel-Antwerp-Belgium-Design-Hotel-Old-Convent-Chapel-681x1024.jpg\" alt=\"Chapel turned into a bar at boutique hotel August in Antwerp, Belgium\" class=\"wp-image-18084\" srcset=\"https:\/\/urbanpixxels.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/August-Hotel-Antwerp-Belgium-Design-Hotel-Old-Convent-Chapel-681x1024.jpg 681w, https:\/\/urbanpixxels.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/August-Hotel-Antwerp-Belgium-Design-Hotel-Old-Convent-Chapel-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/urbanpixxels.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/August-Hotel-Antwerp-Belgium-Design-Hotel-Old-Convent-Chapel-768x1155.jpg 768w, https:\/\/urbanpixxels.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/August-Hotel-Antwerp-Belgium-Design-Hotel-Old-Convent-Chapel.jpg 884w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 681px) 100vw, 681px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The fact that I&#8217;m only spending 5 euros for the entire weekend to park my car in front of the hotel (free on Sundays), tells you that the location is not in the city centre. But this area, Het Groen Kwartier (The Green Quarter), is changing fast. The extremely popular two-Michelin star restaurant <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thejaneantwerp.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"The Jane (opens in a new tab)\">The Jane<\/a> is right next door. And so is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pakt-antwerpen.be\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"PAKT (opens in a new tab)\">PAKT<\/a>, a creative and sustainable hub (unfortunately closed on the weekend).  Today it&#8217;s a pedestrian-only neighborhood, but this was once the site of a military hospital.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>From the hotel it&#8217;s about a 25 minute walk to the city centre or 15 minutes with public transport. I would highly recommend getting a bike from the hotel though (\u20ac10\/day). Antwerp is very bike-friendly and since there are more interesting places to visit outside the city centre, this is the best way to move around.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-3 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"681\" height=\"1024\" data-id=\"18082\" src=\"https:\/\/urbanpixxels.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/August-Hotel-Antwerp-Belgium-Design-Hotel-Old-Convent-Groen-Kwartier-Signature-Room-Wooden-Roof-681x1024.jpg\" alt=\"Guest room at August, a design hotel in Antwerp, Belgium with wooden ceilings.\" class=\"wp-image-18082\" srcset=\"https:\/\/urbanpixxels.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/August-Hotel-Antwerp-Belgium-Design-Hotel-Old-Convent-Groen-Kwartier-Signature-Room-Wooden-Roof-681x1024.jpg 681w, https:\/\/urbanpixxels.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/August-Hotel-Antwerp-Belgium-Design-Hotel-Old-Convent-Groen-Kwartier-Signature-Room-Wooden-Roof-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/urbanpixxels.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/August-Hotel-Antwerp-Belgium-Design-Hotel-Old-Convent-Groen-Kwartier-Signature-Room-Wooden-Roof-768x1155.jpg 768w, https:\/\/urbanpixxels.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/August-Hotel-Antwerp-Belgium-Design-Hotel-Old-Convent-Groen-Kwartier-Signature-Room-Wooden-Roof.jpg 884w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 681px) 100vw, 681px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"681\" height=\"1024\" data-id=\"18080\" src=\"https:\/\/urbanpixxels.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/August-Hotel-Antwerp-Belgium-Design-Hotel-Old-Convent-Groen-Kwartier-Signature-Room-Bathroom-681x1024.jpg\" alt=\"Guest room at design hotel August in Antwerp, Belgium.\" class=\"wp-image-18080\" srcset=\"https:\/\/urbanpixxels.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/August-Hotel-Antwerp-Belgium-Design-Hotel-Old-Convent-Groen-Kwartier-Signature-Room-Bathroom-681x1024.jpg 681w, https:\/\/urbanpixxels.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/August-Hotel-Antwerp-Belgium-Design-Hotel-Old-Convent-Groen-Kwartier-Signature-Room-Bathroom-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/urbanpixxels.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/August-Hotel-Antwerp-Belgium-Design-Hotel-Old-Convent-Groen-Kwartier-Signature-Room-Bathroom-768x1155.jpg 768w, https:\/\/urbanpixxels.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/August-Hotel-Antwerp-Belgium-Design-Hotel-Old-Convent-Groen-Kwartier-Signature-Room-Bathroom.jpg 884w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 681px) 100vw, 681px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Just make sure when you plan your weekend that you leave enough time to enjoy the hotel. Because: wow! <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>August opened its doors in April 2019 after a thorough renovation and restoration. This was not only an Augustinian convent, but also five different buildings that the architect combined in its new design. What is now the bar and lounge area with its black painted ceiling was once the nun&#8217;s private chapel.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Walking up the stairs to our room (no worries, there&#8217;s also an elevator), you can smell the brand new carpet. There&#8217;s fresh paint on the walls and all the furniture is modern and super stylish. But because of the construction and history of the building, it immediately feels warm and welcoming. As if it&#8217;s always been like this. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The hotel has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.booking.com\/hotel\/be\/august-antwerpen1.en.html?aid=1230219&amp;no_rooms=1&amp;group_adults=2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"44 guest rooms (opens in a new tab)\">44 guest rooms<\/a> and ours is on the second (top) floor with a gorgeous high wooden ceiling. There are different room categories to choose from (we&#8217;re staying in one of the Signature rooms), but even within each category no two rooms are alike.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-4 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"681\" height=\"1024\" data-id=\"18094\" src=\"https:\/\/urbanpixxels.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/August-Hotel-Antwerp-Belgium-Design-Hotel-Restaurant-Breakfast-681x1024.jpg\" alt=\"The restaurant of design hotel August in Antwerp during breakfast\" class=\"wp-image-18094\" srcset=\"https:\/\/urbanpixxels.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/August-Hotel-Antwerp-Belgium-Design-Hotel-Restaurant-Breakfast-681x1024.jpg 681w, https:\/\/urbanpixxels.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/August-Hotel-Antwerp-Belgium-Design-Hotel-Restaurant-Breakfast-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/urbanpixxels.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/August-Hotel-Antwerp-Belgium-Design-Hotel-Restaurant-Breakfast-768x1155.jpg 768w, https:\/\/urbanpixxels.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/August-Hotel-Antwerp-Belgium-Design-Hotel-Restaurant-Breakfast.jpg 884w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 681px) 100vw, 681px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"681\" height=\"1024\" data-id=\"18086\" src=\"https:\/\/urbanpixxels.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/August-Hotel-Antwerp-Belgium-Design-Hotel-Convent-Chapel-681x1024.jpg\" alt=\"The bar and lobby of design hotel August in a former convent in Antwerp\" class=\"wp-image-18086\" srcset=\"https:\/\/urbanpixxels.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/August-Hotel-Antwerp-Belgium-Design-Hotel-Convent-Chapel-681x1024.jpg 681w, https:\/\/urbanpixxels.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/August-Hotel-Antwerp-Belgium-Design-Hotel-Convent-Chapel-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/urbanpixxels.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/August-Hotel-Antwerp-Belgium-Design-Hotel-Convent-Chapel-768x1155.jpg 768w, https:\/\/urbanpixxels.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/August-Hotel-Antwerp-Belgium-Design-Hotel-Convent-Chapel.jpg 884w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 681px) 100vw, 681px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Breakfast in the morning can make or break a hotel experience for me. At August breakfast is included \u00e1nd fantastic. You can tell that a successful chef, Nick Bril of The Jane, is responsible for the breakfast, lunch and dinner menu. Seriously, take your time to enjoy it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There are three different breakfast buffet &#8216;stations&#8217;: healthy stuff (yoghurt, fresh fruit, etc), savory (cheeses, meat, smoked salmon), and croissants and other pastries (and delicious bread). Everything is fresh and local, like coming from the PAKT rooftop garden next door. And eggs any way you like them will be served at your table. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After going back several times for more just because we really don&#8217;t want to leave, it is time to check out. Time to jump on our rented bikes to explore more of Antwerp on this beautiful sunny day. Unfortunately birthday weekends can&#8217;t last forever, but I&#8217;m sure I will find another reason to come back to August soon. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:33px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"735\" height=\"1102\" src=\"https:\/\/urbanpixxels.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/09-18079-post\/August-Hotel-Review-Antwerp-Belgium-Design-Hotel-Convent-Chapel.jpg\" alt=\"August hotel in Antwerp review design hotel\" class=\"wp-image-18116\" style=\"width:500px\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:68px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I don&#8217;t particularly like celebrating my own birthday. But I do love celebrating other people&#8217;s birthdays! Unfortunately, many of my friends go through the same phase of not wanting to be reminded that they&#8217;re getting older and prefer not to make a big deal out of it. Yeah&#8230;. That&#8217;s all very nice, but when it [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":18084,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[137,144,154,229,235],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18079","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-antwerpen","category-belgie","category-stedentrip-nl","category-europa","category-hotels"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/urbanpixxels.com\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18079","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/urbanpixxels.com\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/urbanpixxels.com\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/urbanpixxels.com\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/urbanpixxels.com\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18079"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/urbanpixxels.com\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18079\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/urbanpixxels.com\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/18084"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/urbanpixxels.com\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18079"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/urbanpixxels.com\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18079"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/urbanpixxels.com\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18079"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}