August

Something of a sequel to Antwerp’s stylish Hotel Julien, August is a hotel with a little bit more ambition. It’s the first hotel project by the well-known Belgian architect and designer Vincent Van Duysen, who transformed this old Augustinian convent into a different kind of refuge, one whose sense of privacy and tranquility is only accentuated by its setting in the city’s verdant Green Quarter.

With 44 rooms, it’s twice the size of the Julien, though it’s still far from large. And the atmosphere couldn’t be busy if it tried — there’s still something of the hush of the cloister about the place. No two rooms are quite alike, though they all blend historical architectural details and contemporary fixtures and furniture to delightfully novel effect. And while there’s nothing ostentatious about it, it’s fair to say that August is luxurious, if subtly so.

Convents are fertile material for hotels not just because of the living quarters, but because of the substantial common spaces as well. August features no fewer than three lovely walled gardens, as well as a spa, a library, and an outdoor pool. The August Bar occupies the soaring, sun-filled chapel, possibly the hotel’s most spectacular space, while the restaurant is overseen by chef Nick Bril, who won a Michelin star at the Jane, the restaurant that put August’s neighborhood on the map.