Villa Copis

Known for its wineries, orchards, and hiking trails, Borgloon receives plenty of day trippers from Brussels and Maastricht. There are just a few lodgings in town, including the elegant Villa Copis, a hotel that singlehandedly makes a longer stay worthwhile. This stately Flemish-style mansion, built in 1929, was the home of a prominent fruit-growing family for three generations before it was converted into a boutique hotel. Many of its fine original features remain inside and out. Decorative woodwork, crystal chandeliers, hand-painted murals, and marble-framed fireplaces — no longer in use, but charming nonetheless — grace the ground-level common spaces, with large windows looking out to the surrounding gardens with their quiet paths and picturesque gazebo.

Rooms are more modern with pale parquet flooring and a sleek white and gray color palette, though they also feature quaint period details like antique writing desks and ornamental lamps. Those on the uppermost level have exposed brick walls painted white, vaulting wood-beamed ceilings, high arched windows, and freestanding tubs. A lovely breakfast buffet showcases regional products from cheese and charcuterie to homemade jams and pastries. It’s served late on weekends, a concession to the leisurely way of life in the Belgian countryside, and the village and surrounding landscapes await exploration on foot or bicycle.