This article first appeared in My Travelogue by Bhushavali
First of all, Durbuy being the smallest city in the world, is an over-night stay at Durbuy even worth it? The answer is a very big yes! While Durbuy is the smallest city in the world, which can be visited quickly as a day trip from Brussels, you'd need to dedicate a day for Durbuy Adventures and another to visit the little towns & villages near Durbuy. So a 1 or 2 night stay in Durbuy would make the trip complete.
DURBUY HOTELS
Durbuy is filled with very many hotels in the comfort to luxury range and ofcourse there's also the concept of Glamping at Durbuy Adventures. Our stay in Durbuy was at Hotel Au Vieux, which is a part of the Maison Caerdinael Hotels.
Exhausted Mommy & Energetic Baby!
HOTEL LE VIEUX DURBUY REVIEW
HISTORY OF HOTEL LE VIEUX DURBUY - BEST DURBUY HOTEL
Hotel Le Vieux is one of the 4 hotels under La Maison Caerdinael, which is run by one of the oldest hotelier families in the city, currently in its 4th generation. Infact Durbuy's 5-star luxury Hotel Les Sanglier Les Ardennes belonged to them before they sold it to Marc Coucke, the Belgian billionaire businessman.
The first ever hotel, was a little inn opened by Lea Caerdinael, several decades ago in mid 1900s. Today her grandson Frédéric Caerdinael and his wife Caroline, create a beautiful balance of the old world beauty and the modern facilities in all of their hotels. Their 3 new properties Hotel Victoria, Restaurant Le 7 by Juliette (7 is pronounced in French as se(p)t to rhyme with Juliette!) and Louise Gallery have been named after their 3 daughters, the 4th generation.
LA MAISON CAERDINAEL - CHECK-IN, KEYS ETC
La Maison Caerdinael has 3 hotels within Durbuy. The main hotel is Le Victoria Hotel which houses the reception and breakfast buffet for the guests of all the 3 hotels as well as its restaurant Le Victoria. Being a 3 star hotel, the reception is not 24x7, however the staff at the restaurant can help with check-in for late-arrivals.
ROOMS OF HOTEL LE VIEUX DURBUY - BEST FAMILY HOTEL IN DURBUY
The hotel we stayed was Hotel Le Vieux Durbuy. This is a renovated historic hotel but complete with all its beautiful vintage charm. The rooms have wooden ceiling, wooden flooring, wooden cabinets and vintage decor. The room has a convertible sofa that can be opened as a bed for kids. It is a stark contrast between the main room and the bathroom. The moment you get into the toilet is feels so modern with clean tiles and modern plumbing, complete with bathtub as well as shower. There are toiletries & hair-drier as well. Hotel Au Vieux Durbuy has all the basic amenities like TV, Wifi etc. There is no mini-bar or coffee machine though. The staircase is wooden as well and the decor in the lobby area is vintage as well including wooden trunks, carpets of the yesteryears, candelabra, some small machinery & equipment used decades ago.
This whole building is so charming and the entire place can be privatized for an event or for a group of friends with their families visiting Durbuy together.
HOTEL VICTORIA DURBUY - BEST OF DURBUY HOTELS
The Guest House is the other hotel with just 2 rooms in it with facilities very similar to Hotel Au Vieux. The main hotel, Hotel Le Victoria Durbuy has 13 rooms in 2 levels. This is a bit more sophisticated than Hotel Au Vieux & The Guest House. The facilities in Le Victoria Durbuy include Mini bar, coffee machine etc as well. The best room here is ofcourse the Panoramic Terrace Suite located in the attic with its large, splendid balcony that looks over the entire old town and the mighty Belgian Ardennes. The other rooms here include luxury, deluxe and junior suite.
BREAKFAST BUFFET AT HOTEL LE VIEUX DURBUY
Breakfast buffet of all 3 hotels happens at La Victoria. I expected the breakfast buffet to bein La Victoria restaurant, but no, this is inside the hotel behind the reception. The breakfast buffet was simple and filling, and as usual without many options for vegetarians except bread. The setting is cozy and feels private. The decor is intimate with moss & greenery & animal heads, giving it a very forest-y feel!
VICTORIA RESTAURANT - BEST PLACES TO EAT IN DURBUY
Victoria Restaurant is one of the best places for a nice sit-down dinner. It is recommended to book your tables in advance. The outdoor seating arrangement was nice with the handmade wicker basket type lampshades and some nice heaters to make the place warm even if starts getting colder as the sun goes down. Even the furniture are woven wicker chairs and wooden tables.
As usual, like most European restaurants. the menu didn't have many vegetarian options. The existing ones were also starters. So while we had those, the chef tried his hand in making something new for us.
Our starters were crackers with guacamole and hummus. I tried a new flavour of gin & tonic for the first time - Rose flavoured gin with hibiscus flavoured Schweppes tonic! I have never even considered something hibiscus flavoured would exist, that too as a cocktail mixer! It was amusing but the taste was incredibly refreshing. It was served with a few dried rose petals in it, making the taste all the more yummy and revitalizing after our long day. Also when in Durbuy, tasting the Durboyse beer is necessary! It comes in brown (Durboyse brune - 6.5%), blonde (Durboyse blonde - 6.5%) and triple (Durboyse Triple - 8%). We tasted Durboyse Brune which is the perfect beer for any coffee lover like me.
Finally our main course arrived and it was a vegetarian Sorghum dish. The base was Sorghum (Jowar) topped with asparagus, chicory, cherry tomatoes and yellow capsicum complete with a generous serving of cheese! The whole dish was mild and very filling, so much that we skipped dessert!
HOW TO REACH HOTEL LE VIEUX DURBUY
Location (On Google Maps): Hotel Le Vieux Durbuy
Hotel Le Vieux Durbuy is located in the heart of the city located just 1 min walk away from Le Victoria and 2 mins walk away from Durbuy Tourist Office.
Nearest railway station: Barvaux
To book online: Maison Caerdinael
Hotel phone no: +32 8621 2300
Room rates begin at €120
Breakfast isn't included in room rates can be added while booking the rooms at €15 pp.
MY COMPLETE DURBUY TRAVELOGUE
Top 10 things to do in Durbuy incl. Durbuy anticline, Durbuy old town, daytrip to Hotton etc
P.S: I was invited by Wallonia Tourism to experience the region & the activities for review purposes, however the opinions are my own and this post does not to advertise the product/service.
