The Dominican and Brussels

The Dominican (part of the UK/Netherlands Carlton hotels chain) was once a Dominican abbey and home to the famous neo-classicist painter Jacques-Louis David; now it’s an exquisite 4-star design hotel nestled in the heart of Brussels and I couldn’t have picked a better place to stay for my first visit to Belgium.

The architecture of the hotel’s exterior and entrace embraces the rich history of the building, but once you’ve entered, the interior wows you with cutting-edge comfort and understated opulence. The interior is a contemporary interpretation of the old abbey’s cloister and features the designs of prize-winning Amsterdam agency, FGStijl.

The Dominican’s Grand Lounge is a marvellous meeting place for guests and visitors – I particularly enjoyed my daily breakfast there, with its panoramic view of the courtyard, and I would have sat on its terrace if the weather had been warmer.

The night lounge has a mystic atmosphere to it – you can have a drink there any time of day and get your creative juices flowing enjoying a nightcap next to its cosy fireplace.

A gym is an essential at any good hotel… but so far, a boxing room isn’t really considered a necessity. Well, The Dominican has one! I have been practicing kick-boxing for a while, so you can imagine my excitement upon this discovery.

The hotel has Gregorian monk-chanting music playing inside its lifts and all the way to your rooms too, which is so soothing that you feel like you’re siting in a sanctuary. However – and this brings up my only dislike of the hotel – is that I couldn’t work out how to turn off the music in my room! In the end, I just unplugged every cable in there (or I could have just called reception…).

Each room comes with espresso machines (shouldn’t every hotel room be equipped with those by now?!), high ceilings, a working desk, spacious bathrooms, surround-sound speakers and luxurious amenities. So The Dominican definitely met all my luxe hotel expectations.

What else?

It’s important for me to stay in a safe neighbourhood when I travel abroad since I usually travel by myself – and The Dominican ticks that box easily. The hotel is not only located in a safe and clean area, but it’s also ridiculously convenient. It’a a block away from the Grande-Place de Bruxelles, Theare Royale de la Monnaie and Brussels’ Central Station, and only a 10-minute walk to the city centre, which is full of splendid restaurants, pubs and shops.

I think Brussels is quite a good destination for solo travellers as it’s easy to get around, even by foot. However, it’s hard to enjoy Brussels on your own when you enjoy eating as much as I do. All those waffles, chocolate, mussels and beer… and no one to share them with!