October 31, 2007

Europe | Belgium | Brussels

Brussels Sprouting

By Nicole Cotroneo

An ancient friars' abbey reinvents itself for the 21st century.

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Poor Brussels gets no respect — indelibly tied as it is to the governing Eurocrats headquartered there, and often passed over for “more romantic” continental capitals like Paris. But things are looking up for Belgium’s first city. With the Eurostar’s Highspeed 1 just two weeks away — shaving 20 minutes’ travel grind from London to Brussels — the country’s first design hotel is about to be unveiled.

Opening November 1, the Dominican has been converted from the cloisters of a 15th-century Dominican abbey. You’ll find it tucked into the historic district, just off the Grand-Place (pictured), near Rocco Forte’s Hotel Amigo, the boutique property that set the bar for Brussels’ designer digs. The Dominican’s 150 individually-styled rooms encircle a central courtyard garden. And the interior architecture is the handiwork of FG Stijl, the Dutch duo behind both Vienna’s hip new Do & Co and Amsterdam’s revamped Dylan. So why not hit all three cities now while Europalia is in full swing — a cultural orgy starring 27 countries, including Belgium, Holland and Austria.