Inflight Magazine of Brussels Airlines

In bed

Text Guy Dittrich,
Concha Caina

Château de la Poste BRUSSELS
25 Ronchinne, Maillen, tel.
411405, www.chateaudelaposte.be

“We wanted to create an alternative weekend escape to the North Sea coast,” explains owner Jean-Michel André of the recently opened Château de la Poste, a modern reinterpretation of the country house hotel about 45 minutes from Brussels. The château was built for Princess Clémentine of the Belgian royal family and occupies a prime position at the top of a wooded valley, with stunning views across the rolling hills of southern Belgium.

The vast terrace, with its central brasero fire-dish and gas heaters, has the feel of a ski resort and the enormous Grand Soleil 46ft boat. The price includes a gorgeous breakfast of cannoli (a Sicilian pastry roll stuffed with sweet ricotta), salami, Parma ham, Italian cheeses, juices, pastries and cappuccino. The boat is moored in the bay by Piazza Marina, just a few minutes’ walk away from the historical centre of Palermo.

If you prefer sleeping on terra firma, a stay in any of the charming rooms of BB22 near Piazza San Domenico will satisfy your needs. Here you can enjoy breakfast in the roof terrace while chatting with other guests and Vito or Rossana, the helpful staff. All rooms are tastefully decorated, striking a fine balance between elegance and contemporary details, with chandeliers and designer lamps, plasma TVs and fluffy towels. and the enormous fireplaces in the lounge will be particularly appealing come winter. A chichi Brussels party crowd sets the tone, while any kids in tow can be entertained by the numerous activities available within the grounds, such as tennis and mountain biking; a games room and cinema cater for those inevitable rainy days.

The all-new interiors reflect a contemporary design aesthetic, with modern furnishings and lighting, cowhide rugs and tongue-in-cheek plywood deer head ‘trophies’ on the tiled walls creating a subtle ‘austeri-chic’ style that’s well-distanced from the usual country house chintz. The large guest rooms in the main house each have en-suite bathrooms lined in bottle-green Metro tiles and most come with bathtubs. The hotel’s Clémentine restaurant, meanwhile, serves top-notch fare with a homely Italian bias to the menu. Double rooms with breakfast from €110. GD

BB22 PALERMO
22 Largo Cavalieri di Malta,
, www.bb22.it

‘Bed and Boat’ is the new summery offering from the beautiful BB22 bed and breakfast in Palermo. For €80, you can book a cabin for two on a magnificent Grand Soleil 46ft boat. The price includes a gorgeous breakfast of cannoli (a Sicilian pastry roll stuffed with sweet ricotta), salami, Parma ham, Italian cheeses, juices, pastries and cappuccino. The boat is moored in the bay by Piazza Marina, just a few minutes’ walk away from the historical centre of Palermo.

If you prefer sleeping on terra firma, a stay in any of the charming rooms of BB22 near Piazza San Domenico will satisfy your needs. Here you can enjoy breakfast in the roof terrace while chatting with other guests and Vito or Rossana, the helpful staff. All rooms are tastefully decorated, striking a fine balance between elegance and contemporary details, with chandeliers and designer lamps, plasma TVs and fluffy towels.

In the early evening, you can still have the taste of the sea by booking an aperitivo tour around the gulf of Palermo, also organised by BB22. The trip lasts two and half hours and ends with guests enjoying prosecco wine, snacks and hopefully a lovely sunset.

If you’re feeling more adventurous, you can ask for tailored tours to the island of Ustica, a

paradise for diving, to Zingaro national park or to San Vito Lo Capo, a town well known for its long and sandy beach. Be aware, though, that you need a minimum of six people to do these tours. Prices are available on request.

A standard room at BB22 costs from €110, while the aperitivo excursion costs €45 per person, for a minimum of four people. CC

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