If you haven’t entered any dates, the rate shown is provided directly by the hotel and represents the cheapest double room (including tax) available in the next 60 days.
Prices have been converted from the hotel’s local currency (EUR193.40), via openexchangerates.org, using today’s exchange rate.
The now ubiquitous term ‘urban oasis’ should really be reserved for the likes of the Notary. Look out from your luxuriously-appointed suite across the enchanting grounds which once belonged to 19th-century notary Francois and his family, where wild ducks now bathe in the natural pond-like pool, and swans glide along the canal at the bottom of the garden. Though the bustle of Bruges is mere moments away, the verdant views lull visitors into a countryside state of mind – and the themed, antique-stuffed bedrooms transport you to far-flung corners of Africa and Morocco, with classic European-influences in between. Gone is any sense of rule-bound legality, but the ‘do as you please’ atmosphere of a family home very much remains.
11.30am, but flexible, subject to availability. Earliest check-in, 3.45pm.
Prices
Double rooms from £175.56 (€205), including tax at 6 per cent. Please note the hotel charges an additional local city tax of €4.00 per person per night on check-out.
More details
Rates exclude breakfast, but a six-course, butler-served banquet is available in the Palm Court each morning for €54 a guest. For a lighter start to your day, there’s also a Continental breakfast for €32.
Also
Most suites can be accessed via the hotel’s elevator, but there are no specially adapted rooms for guests with mobility issues.
At the hotel
Library, lounges, private dining room, canal access (with private boat), gardens, sauna, outdoor Jacuzzi, charged laundry service, and free WiFi. In rooms: Sonos sound-system, smart TV, iPad, gourmet minibar, tea-making kit, Nespresso coffee machine, and Atelier Rebul bath products. The Morian, Earl, Cloister, and Hermitage suites have air-conditioning.
Our favourite rooms
No two suites are the same, but each has been exquisitely decorated by the owners and interior designer Pieter Porters to feel like lavish living quarters. Several come with show-stopping bath tubs (the clay tub in the Cloister Suite, and the hand-hammered bronze number in the Morian Suite are particularly dreamy). Expect dramatic drapery above emperor-size beds, ornate chandeliers, gilded mirrors, working fireplaces, and an Aladdin’s cave of art, antiques, and curiosities. As the largest residence, the Hermitage Suite should get special mention for its Speelmansrei Canal views and ginormous bathroom – laden with Carrara marble, bronze detailing, and monochromatic tiles which have been reclaimed from the manor’s original hallway.
Poolside
If you’ve ever wanted to play out some period drama fantasies of emerging from a pond, this is the place to do it. The Notary’s natural swimming pool (open daily between 9am and 8pm) sinks into the sweeping lawn, making an elegantly-curved centrepiece which blends into its blossoming background. Pond plants sprout from the water, ducks often come for a dip, and there’s a gently trickling fountain which tricks your eyes and ears into thinking you’re cooling off in a grand country estate, rather than Bruges’ city centre. Pluck fresh figs and pears from the branches above and enjoy on the luxurious loungers, which are cleverly half-concealed by wild rhubarb so you can bask utterly undisturbed.
Spa
In a separate building from the main house, the bijou spa is a restful, refined space with a sauna, unheated pool, and relaxing room. There’s also an outdoor Jacuzzi across the patio, if you’d like to soak up the gardens from a different angle.
Packing tips
Save room in your suitcase for the chocolate boxes you’ll inevitably be bringing back, and pack a pair of smart flats to navigate the cobblestone streets.
Also
The Notary’s former office has been converted into a library, stocked with leather-bound books by European philosophers, poets, and professors after which the suites are named.
Pet‐friendly
Well-behaved dogs will be greeted by the resident Shiba Inu, Michael, and are welcome to stay in any of the suites for an additional charge of €38 (a night, each pet). See more pet-friendly hotels in Bruges.
Children
Welcome, but you’ll need to keep a close eye on little ones around all the artworks and antiques. Babysitting is available on request (from €16 an hour, with an additional €30 service fee).
Any of the Palm Court tables overlooking the garden, which create the illusion of dining in a glamourous greenhouse.
Dress Code
Something subtly swish – the owners want you to feel at home, after all.
Hotel restaurant
Not so much a restaurant as a series of elegant salons and snacking spots, the manor’s traditional kitchen (with walk-in and never-want-to-leave pantries, plus butler sinks, a sandstone marble island, and oak cabinetry) hosts cooking classes and caters for all sorts of intimate dining experiences. Breakfast is an extravagant six-course affair in the Palm Court, taking its name from the giant palm tree which rubs leaves with glittering chandeliers. Decadent brunches and afternoon tea are served on the weekends (from 11am to 4pm, reservations only) in any of the lounges, in the garden, or even a quiet spot by the canal which runs alongside the hotel. Private dining (choose between the more casual three-course menu or a gastronomic tasting menu) takes place in the Atlas Room, which seats up to 16 guests and boasts a working fireplace. The cuisine changes seasonally, but you can expect posh classics like charcuterie and cheese boards, truffle fries, and steak tartare to be readily available.
Hotel bar
Again, there’s no formal bar area – just take your pick from the sink-into sofas and armchairs, and settle in for a glass of sparkling wine, locally brewed beers, or a zesty G&T.
Last orders
Light bites are available in any of the salons throughout the day (between 9am and 11pm).
Room service
There’s a small dining table in every suite if you’d like to order up using your in-suite iPad.
A five-minute scenic stroll from Bruges’ striking mediaeval Belfry, the Notary puts the city’s historic centre at your feet.
Planes
Ostend-Bruges is the closest airport (around 35 minutes away by car), but you’ll have better luck with direct flights from the UK to Brussels International (a 90-minute drive away).
Trains
Bruges station is 10 minutes’ drive from the hotel, and is well-connected to Brussels, Antwerp, and Ghent if you’re taking the Eurostar. If you’re taking the Eurotunnel, Bruges is just a 90-minute drive away.
Automobiles
Bruges is small enough to be seen on foot, but if you’re road-tripping you can store your wheels with the hotel’s valet parking service (for €50 a day).
Worth getting out of bed for
One of the savviest ways to start a city break is to get your bearings from a vantage point, and the nearby Belfry is the perfect place to do just that. The mediaeval bell tower’s 366 steps might leave you breathless – but so will the panoramic views and melodious chiming. The Notary stands just 600 metres from the Basilica of the Holy Blood, a jewel-studded church which supposedly houses a few drops of Christ’s blood brought back during the 12th-century Crusades. Also within five minutes’ walking distance is Bruges’ Markt, a colourful square lined with food-and-flower stalls (which transforms into a winter wonderland with an ice-rink and festive pop-ups between November and January).
Art lovers shouldn’t miss the Groeninge Museum or Sint-Janshospitaal, an astonishingly well-preserved hospital which now houses works by Flemish artist Hans Memling. For a romantic stroll, meander over to Minnewater Park and share a picnic on the banks of the Lake of Love and its charming bridge. Give your legs a break by boarding one of the many boat tours which glide up and down the city’s canals – the captains are some of the most knowledgeable guides you’ll find, and Bruges is best seen from the water. And of course, you’ll want to peruse the city’s many chocolate shops for sweet treats – Chocolatier Dumon, the Chocolate Lineand Neuhaus are must-visits.
Local restaurants
For an elevated yet unpretentious take on Flemish cuisine, Bruut (10 minutes’ walk from the Notary) is helmed by adventurous chef Bruno Timperman who isn’t afraid to push the boat out when it comes to flavour combinations. The seasonally-changing six- and nine-course menu showcases local ingredients from small, artisan producers, which are expertly paired with natural wines. Save Michelin-starred Zet’ Joe by Geert Van Hecke for a special occasion (the seafood and sauces are to-die-for), or try industrial-chic Cantine Copine for a less formal, yet equally stylish meal.
Local cafés
Refreshing iced-lattes in the summer, rich hot chocolates come winter: Li O Lait is a cosy café in a historic red-brick building which was once home to the Belgian painter, Roger Gobron. Don’t leave without trying one (or two) of the home-baked, Brooklyn-inspired bagels stuffed with cream cheese, speck, salmon, and egg.
Local bars
Bruges’ bar scene unquestionably revolves around beer – and with over 300 Belgian beers to pore (and pour) over, ’t Brugs Beertje has a pintje to suit every taste. The tasting paddles at Le Trappiste are also an excellent way to try new (and often unusual) brews.
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 sumptuously-styled family home in Bruges and unpacked their chocolate truffles and Flemish tapestries, a full account of their chic city break will be with you. In the meantime, to whet your wanderlust, here's a quick peek inside the Notary in Belgium…
What do you get when a doctor, an aerospace engineer, and a former florist take over a legal professional’s private manor? The Notary is a beautifully bedecked home-from-home with an old soul, which has been given new life by Dr Marnik Minelli, Thomas Ulenaers, and their interior designer Pieter Porters (of Belgian-based House of Porters). This meeting of minds at the home of a 19th-century notary who lived and worked at 54 Moerstraat, has transformed the upstairs bedrooms into a set of individually designed suites of the lived-in luxury ilk, and the ground-floor offices into courtly salons to take high tea in, or simply curl up with one of the library’s books by the several fireplaces.
Symmetry-obsessed, antiques-collecting masters of illusion, the owners have an unparalleled eye for detail – concealing minibars beneath tablecloths, TVs behind tapestries, and blending doors into walls using clever painting and positioning tricks. Great care has been taken to curate the entire property, but the bathrooms tip the wow-factor scales for us. The perfectly-sculpted clay bath tub in the Cloister Suite belongs in a museum, and its rustic twin sinks are reclaimed horses’ drinking troughs from a 17th-century French stableyard. Then there’s the Moroccan-inspired Morian Suite, with its working fireplace just steps from a hand-hammered bronze tub, and a monsoon shower large enough to host a Berber banquet within its burnt-orange walls. You’ll be particularly grateful for a long soak (in your work-of-art tub or garden-fronting Jacuzzi) after exploring Bruges’ cobblestone streets and canal-crossing bridges, which are on the Notary’s historic doorstep should you fancy a saunter.
