Hotel de Orangerie, located in the heart of Bruges and walking distance from the shops and historical sites, is a renovated 15th-century convent. Situated in a charming cityscape on the banks of the picturesque Dijver canal. Like a true oasis of elegance, Hotel de Orangerie is overflowing with engravings, old paintings, tapestries, silk curtains and antiques, all of which lend it a beautiful, nostalgic charm.
The combination of antique furniture and the contemporary, pastel-tinted interior lends the hotel a cosy yet fresh and modern allure. Hence it deserves it's place on list of 'Small Luxury Hotels Of The World' (SLH).
Enjoy a breakfast or an English Afternoon Tea basking in the sun on the terrace overlooking the water, warm and cosy in the oak dining room or relaxing in a chair by the fireplace.
View the sites from on-board a canal boat or in a horse-drawn carriage before taking a seat at one of the many gourmet restaurants that Bruges has to offer.
HISTORY
The origins of this luxurious hotel stretch all the way back to 1580, when the Carthusians settled here. During the centuries that followed, the nuns of the Carthusian Order enlarged their humble quarters into a sizeable cloister.
In 1783, the cloister was abolished. The convent buildings soon fell into disrepair. The governing body of the church tried for some time to breathe new life into the buildings by bringing together several sisters here in 1790. Six years later, the curtain finally fell when the French shut down the convent.
In the 19th century, the Zusters van Liefde (Sisters of Love) from Ghent occupied the old Carthusian convent. After that, the historical complex was used as a carriage house, as a private home and later as a tearoom. It was only in the second half of the 1980's that is was converted into a hotel.
Each and every room boasts the most modern comforts, including air conditioning, Wi-Fi and flatscreen television.
Each of hotel's 20 rooms is unique in its size and decoration.
Surprisingly enough, Afternoon Tea, that most English of rituals, is a relatively new tradition. Although the custom of drinking tea in China dates back to the third millennium before Christ and was popularized in England in the 1660's by King Charles II and his wife, the Portuguese Infanta Catherine de Braganza, the concept of Afternoon Tea only arose in the middle of the 19th century.
Afternoon Tea was introduced by Anna, the seventh Duchess of Bedford, in 1840. The Duchess always seemed to get hungry around 4 o'clock. In her household, the evening meal was served quite late, at 8 o'clock to be exact.
So many hours between lunch and the evening meal would make anyone hungry. So the Duchess starting asking that a tray with tea, bread, butter (by this time, the Earl of Sandwich had already come up with the idea of placing a filling between two slices of bread) and cake be brought to her room in the late afternoon.
This became a habit, and soon enough she started inviting friends to join her in this ritual. This tea break became a hip, social event. In the 1880's, the upper class ladies stepped out in long dresses, gloves and hats for Afternoon Tea, which was served in the salon, or sitting room, between 4 and 5 o'clock.
The traditional Afternoon Tea includes a selection of fine breads and scones served with clotted cream and jam. Cakes and pastries are also served. Tea is carefully poured from silver teapots into delicate porcelain teacups.
Your wonderful day in the historical and cultural heart of Bruges would not be complete without a delicious Afternoon Tea. Either on the terrace with a view of the canal, watching the swans swim by majestically, or in the stately dining room decorated with portraits from the 17th and 18th centuries, enjoying your afternoon Tea with luscious scones is sure to be an unforgettable experience.
14.00h - 17.00h
Enjoy an extensive, Continental breakfast in hotel's opulent breakfast room or on the spacious terrace overlooking the canals. Between 8:00 and 10:30, hotel's team treats you to a wide assortment of warm and cold dishes.
An assortment of Belgian specialties, cold and hot dishes: fine meats, cheeses, salmon, yogurt, various breads and butter cakes, Marmelades, fruit salad, fresh fruit, eggs are also served according to your wishes.
Everyone is welcome to join for breakfast. Your breakfast doesn't have to be combined with an overnight in the hotel.
During breakfast coffee, various teas and fresh fruit juice is served.
08.00h - 10.30h
On hotel's spacious terrace, right next to ‘De Dyver’, one of the most beautiful and well-known canals in Bruges, you can bask in the sun while enjoying the splendour and glory of the historical city centre.
With an invigorating coffee, Afternoon Tea or an aperitif of your choosing.
Like a true oasis of elegance, Hotel de Orangerie is overflowing with engravings, old paintings, tapestries, silk curtains and antiques, all of which lend it a beautiful, nostalgic charm. The combination of antique furniture and the contemporary, pastel-tinted interior lends the hotel a cosy yet fresh and modern allure. A requirement to be part of the Small Luxury Hotels.
Catch your breath in hotel's ravishingly beautiful salon with its fireplace hearth and a view of the ‘Dijver’ canal. Enjoy this relaxed and homey atmosphere, and choose from a wide selection of drinks, served to you with the greatest of care.
A wonder on a human scale, yet always remaining somewhat inscrutable. Glorious because of its history and crowned by Unesco as a World Heritage Site.
Mediaeval mysterious, unabashedly exuberant and a centuries-old metropole. Bruges is a gourmet Mecca and is on the map with an impressive list of first-class restaurants.
There are several restaurants in the city with a Michelin star and more than 30 restaurants with Bib Gourmand and GaultMillau listings.
The gourmet scene in Bruges is constantly evolving.
Towering 83m above the square like a gigantic medieval rocket is the fabulous 13th-century belfort.
Burg Square is the Administrative Center of Bruges.
Bruges’ most celebrated art gallery boasts an astonishingly rich collection whose strengths are in superb Flemish Primitive and Renaissance works, depicting the conspicuous wealth of the city with glitteringly realistic artistry.
The Markt of Bruges is located in the heart of the city and covers an area of about 1 hectare.
13th-century church sports an enormous tower that’s currently ‘wrapped’ for extensive renovation. It’s best known for Michelangelo’s serenely contemplative 1504 Madonna and Child statue.
ROMANTIK HOTEL DE ORANGERIE
Kartuizerinnenstraat 10 8000 BruggeBelgium