Hotel Julien

Mouche Van Hool joined up adjacent 18th- and 19th-century townhouses to create this now-popular hotel in ever so central Antwerp, just east of the cathedral and within effortless reach of nearly everything. The two buildings are linked by a stylish bar/lounge with some of the old detail intact, while the 21 rooms are coolly warm and elegant in their sense of modern design, with the hotel's love of fine art and photography apparent throughout. The Carrara marble bathroom is stocked with "caring Aesop products", and there's a Nespresso coffee machine. Other defining features include a spa and a rooftop terrace overlooking the the historic city centre. Opened 2008.