Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles Presents
2011 Style to Inspire Trip: The Best of Belgium
If cutting-edge fashion, one-of-a-kind shops, timeless design and divine food inspire you, then the first-ever Style to Inspire Trip from Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles is your passport to paradise. The magazine’s trip to Belgium offers the best of the new, while surrounded by the timeless beauty of Europe. Join Editorial Director Clinton Smith as we comb Brussels and Antwerp for the best of the new, as well as uncover one-of-a-kind treasures.
We look forward to you joining us! Questions? Email Clinton Smith at csmith@nci.com.
BRUSSELS, BELGIUM | OCTOBER 13 – 18, 2011
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2011
5:55 PM Depart Atlanta on Delta Airlines Flight 80 in economy class. Nonstop service to Brussels, Belgium. Dinner and breakfast served on board.
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2011
8:15 AM. Arrive at Brussels Zaventem International Airport. Meet your professional, English-speaking guide and continue on an orientation tour of Brussels.
The orientation tour includes a visit on foot to the Grand Place and its Corporation Houses. The Grand Place is Brussels’ top tourist attraction because of the Gothic magnificence of Brussels’ Town Hall and the Baroque exuberance of the late seventeenth-century guildhouses surrounding the square.
Traveling along by bus, you will discover the Royal Square, the Sablon area, the Palace of Justice, the Royal Palace of Brussels (the King’s work palace), the European Union Buildings, the Atomium (one of the symbols of Belgium, a remnant of the 1958 World exposition in Brussels), the Chinese Pavillion, the Japanese Tower, the Royal Palace of Laeken (residence of the King), several religious buildings such as the Saint Michael and Saint Gudula Cathedrals, the Jubilee Arch, etc.
This morning tour will terminate at approximately 12 NOON at the Hotel The Dominican.
Check-in. Afternoon at leisure.
About The Dominican ****
The Dominican is a deluxe design hotel, poised to become a destination for elegance in the city centre. Its stylish rooms and private courtyard and bustling Grand Lounge combine to ensure indulgent hospitality. In the Grand Lounge, located adjacent to an intimate inner courtyard, breakfast, lunch and dinner are served.
The Lounge Bar is a combination of contemporary café and stylish lounge, making this the perfect destination for a relaxing break. A delectable selection of food and drinks are available to enjoy at any moment of the day.
For a relaxing experience or an energy boost you can visit the health club with gym, sauna, steam bath and massage.
Stay and experience one of the 150 stylishly designed deluxe rooms, executive rooms or one of The Dominican’s 3 exclusive suites. All rooms are equipped with all modern amenities. WI-FI (complimentary), safe, mini-bar, video on demand, flat screen TV, room service, ironing facilities. The bathrooms are relaxing areas with rain shower or bath, hairdryer and toiletries.
Award winning architects have created an eclectic mix of design in both the interior and exterior –resulting in an array of new styles and experiences. High ceilings and cloisters incorporated into the design of the hotel are reminiscent of the Dominican abbey located here in the 15th century. Sweeping archways and the retained façade are just some of the reminders of the former glory of this city’s central address.
The result is dramatic intimacy, most apparent in the hotel’s public spaces. The restaurant and bar, as well as the private meeting rooms, boast soaring ceilings and attention to detail.Rue Léopold 9, 1000 Brussels, Belgium, Tel: +32 2 203 0808, www.carlton.nl/dominican
6 PM. Gather in the bar for a welcome drink (1 drink per person included in package price).
6:30 PM. Enjoy dinner in the hotel’s Grand Lounge, overlooking the courtyard. (A three-course dinner, excluding drinks, is included in the package price.)
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2011
A sumptuous buffet breakfast is available in the Grand Lounge.
10.00-13.00 hrs. Morning walk :
Walking tour which will lead you through the famous clothes and accessories stores like Delvaux, Kaat Tilley, Elvis Pompillo
Walking tour which will lead you through the home decoration stores and where you can observe the beautiful furniture of Brussels in different buildings
1 PM. Lunch in restaurant BelgaQueen
Two-course lunch, excluding drinks
Antoine Pinto’s desire to create getaway spaces that offer a gastronomic trip throughout Belgium is the foundation of the Belga Queen brasserie adventure.
In a landmark building dating from the 18th century (previously housing the Hôtel de la Poste and then the Crédit du Nord bank) Antoine Pinto created an establishment breaking away from the traditional brasserie, elbow-to-elbow style. Contemporary architecture and gastronomy meet each other in an amazing way.
At Belga Queen the Belgian cuisine is adapted to today’s taste, lightened and given a very national touch through the addition of beer to numerous dishes. Original, high-quality products are chosen with care from Belgian artisans who still have respect for the soil. The wines come from Belgian producers and the Ponti coffee is from a selection of ‘pure Arabica’ coffee beans from various continents and roasted locally. All these characteristics make the brasserie Belga Queen the ambassador of “made in Belgium”. A brasserie where, for a meal shared with friends and family, all your senses are stimulated: taste, touch, hearing, sight and smell. Restaurant Belga Queen, Rue Fossé aux Loups 32, 1000 Brussels, Tel: +32 2217 2187, www.belgaqueen.be
Afternoon and evening free for independent activities.
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2011
A sumptuous buffet breakfast is available in the Grand Lounge of the hotel.
9 AM. Meet in the hotel lobby for your trip to Antwerp.
Antwerp awaits you!
After a short one-hour drive, we reach Antwerp, the “place to be” for fashion. The city is home to many fashion designers and even has its own Fashion Museum (since 2002).
And of course, Antwerp is known for Rubens, one of Europe’s most famous painters who lived here during the first part of the 17th century. There’s even a statue of him here.
Upon arrival in Antwerp, your first stop is the Modemuseum (Fashion Museum) for a guided tour (duration 1 hour), followed by a ‘fashion walk’ (1.5 hours walking tour) in the neighborhoods surrounding the museum. Enjoy your guide’s talk about the most important fashion designers in Antwerp.
Then, continue to the private home of Mrs. Germaine Remmers. Her residence is a beautiful five-story historic home in the heart of the city, and houses a nice contemporary art collection. Mrs. Remmers will host a buffet lunch consisting of Belgian specialties, including drinks.
After lunch, enjoy free time in the Kloosterstraat, where you will find more than 70 antique- and home-decoration shops, before returning to Brussels late in the afternoon.
Dinner and rest of evening on your own.
MONDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2011
A sumptuous buffet breakfast is available in the Grand Lounge
10AM -12.30PM Chocolate workshop at a real family managed chocolate manufacturer in the centre of Brussels. Duration: 2 hours, tasting included.
12.30 PM-2 PM. Lunch on Own
2PM-5PM. Afternoon drive to Gravenwezel to visit the castle of Axel Vervoordt, regarded as one of the most original collectors and dealers of our time
7PM Transfer to the restaurant
7.30PM Farewell dinner in Restaurant Cospaia (3-course dinner, excluding drinks)
Brussels, as European Gastronomic Capital, has what is it entitled to: COSPAIA, a bar-restaurant of international stature. The concept is unique and mysterious.
For Cospaia Jan Tindemans united a passionate designer with a top-chef in this exclusive location on the fabled Boulevard de la Toison d’Or.
The myth starts immediately with the location of Cospaia on the Boulevard de la Toison d’Or. Many habitants and visitors of Brussels will surely remember some of the famous eateries that used to occupy this location. The entire neighborhood breathes luxury and coziness.
Exclusive boutiques and first class hotels are in the immediate vicinity, as well as Brussels’ financial heart, the embassies and the European quarter—all within walking distance. It is a dream location for a ‘new style’ restaurant with international ambition. Cospaia will easily fit in that exclusive list of addresses next to Café Costes in Paris, Bank in London, Vau in Berlin and Arts in Barcelona.
Restaurant Cospaia, Rue Capitaine Crespel 1, 1050 Brussels Tel: +32 2513 0303, www.cospaia.be
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2011
A sumptuous buffet breakfast is available in the Grand Lounge
7.30 AM. Your guide and private motorcoach will take you to Brussels Zaventem Airport for your flight home
10.10 AM. Depart on DL 81 from Brussels, nonstop service to Atlanta.
2:10 PM. Arrive in Atlanta
***
Pricing
Per person in a double or twin bedded room: US $3,495.00
The single supplement is: US $500.00
The above-mentioned price includes:
Roundtrip air, economy class, per Delta Airlines between Atlanta and Brussels
4 nights hotel accommodation based on double occupancy in the deluxe hotel The Dominican
Daily buffet breakfast
1 welcome drink
1 lunch and 2 dinners, excluding drinks
1 private home hosted lunch including drinks
All transfers and excursions as mentioned by private coach with English speaking guide
All local taxes
All airport taxes and fuel surcharges as know on February 15, 2011
Please note:
Drinks with meals are excluded, unless otherwise mentioned
All meals not mentioned are not included in the package price
Tips to drivers, guides and restaurants are not included in the package price
All items of a personal nature such as laundry, telephone, mini-bar use etc. are not included.
All tax and fuel surcharge increases not known on February 15, 2011 are not included.
This proposal is based on an exchange rate of 1 Euro = US$ 1.38. In case of exchange rate fluctuations an exchange rate surcharge may apply.
Wolfert, the undisputed queen of Mediterranean cooking (particularly the cuisine of Morocco), will be signing her recently published book at the Emory Barnes & Noble on Saturday Dec. 3, starting at 1 p.m. The Food of Morocco, four years in the making, is a culmination of Wolfert’s years of experience and love for the traditional food of the country. The pages are filled lustrous recipes, and dazzling color pictures ranging from prepared meals to the vibrant sights of the ever-majestic Morocco. Just one of the recipes included in the book that might spark the southern taste-buds: stone-ground corn grits couscous with shellfish, carmelized onions, and glazed turnips. Yes, please!
