For lovers only

Valentine’s Day is coming but Paris isn’t the only destination for a short romantic getaway. Our writers round up some of the best hotels for an amorous weekend in and around Belgium

Domaine de la Carrauterie, Sautin

Lounging in the jacuzzi before dashing hand-in-hand through the spring rain for a massage, dressing for a Michelin-starred dinner and spending a night under the stars in a horse-drawn caravan: your idea of a romantic getaway? Then may we recommend Domaine de la Carrauterie, in Sautin. It’s part homely B&B, part modern spa, and the warmth of the welcome on arrival echoes throughout your stay.

A series of cabins house high-tech saunas, massage, aromatherapy, and the promise of imminent calm. To go from one to the next you step out into the open, and the feeling is of passing from one world to another; especially true at this time of year when rain beats against the roof while you stay warm within, before that blast of cold air reinvigorates the senses.

Guests sip spiced tea in a Mongolian yurt, gentle music a soothing counterpoint to the wind and rain outside, while the jacuzzi sits beneath a wooden canopy but is otherwise open to the elements; steam gently rises off the water while the wind rustles the trees.

There are four bedrooms, but for a stay with a difference, there’s a renovated gypsy caravan and a treetop cabin. Dinner isn’t served, but there are plenty of restaurants nearby, including the Michelin-starred Hostellerie Le Prieuré Saint-Géry. Rooms are priced between €80-€350 ; treatments start from €10. Sally Tipper.

Domaine de la Carrauterie, 11b Rue de la Station, Sautin, tel 060.45.53.52, www.carrauterie.be

Hotel Villa Select, De Panne

If a romantic walk along the beach, an afternoon in the spa and a gastronomic dinner for two sounds tempting, then be sure to check in to Hotel Villa Select in the Belgian coastal town of De Panne.

Situated directly on the seafront in the centre of town, this four-star hotel could not have a better location. The views across the beach and out to sea from both the dining area and the front guest rooms are quite literally breathtaking.

With a vista like that, who couldn’t be tempted to go for a stroll along the beach? Head south and within a few minutes you’ll have left the town behind and just have the sea, sand dunes - and of course each other - for company.

In case the muscles are feeling a bit tired after all that outdoor exertion, Hotel Villa Select has a 10-metre swimming pool, sauna and steam room waiting for you. There are also loungers around the pool where you can relax with a book, handy if aqua wellness is more for your partner than for you.

As far as evening dining options go, there are two excellent ones right on your doorstep. You could eat in the hotel restaurant, where every evening the chef draws up a menu of regional specialties. Or for something really special, you could step across the street where you’ll find Hostellerie Le Fox, a two-star Michelin restaurant. Rooms start at €80 including breakfast. Anna Jenkinson.

7 Walckierstraat, De Panne, 058.42.99.00, www.hotelvillaselect.be

Villa Augustus, The Netherlands

If sleeping in a 19th century water tower tucked away in the suburbs of the Dordrecht is not your idea of a romantic getaway, think again. A funky combination of industrial chic, coolly luxurious design and spectacular views of a watery Dutch landscape makes the Villa Augustus a real treat.

The chunky six-story brick tower looms out of the surrounding flatlands like a neo-gothic fortress. Built in the 1880s, it was converted in 2003 and now has 20 rooms with another 17 in low-rise out buildings located in the vast gardens, which are perfect for strolling hand-in-hand.

All the rooms are beautifully furnished, but for a real romantic treat try the intimate Giardino Segreto summer house or the penthouse Lantern room where the all-round panorama stretches as far as Rotterdam.

And since the way to the heart is through the stomach, be sure to try the restaurant in the renovated 1940s pump house, a huge, light-filled space with an open kitchen serving wonderfully seasonal, locally sourced food (much of it from the hotel garden).

Dordrecht itself is a pretty, riverside town dating back to the 13th century, but for some real romantic solitude head into the neighbouring Biesbosch National Park, 90 sq km of forest and marshland. The Villa Augustus can organise cruises along the myriad of creeks that cut through the wilderness. Rooms start from €125. Paul Ames.

7 Oranjelaan, 3311 DH Dordrecht, The Netherlands, 00 31 78 639 31 11, www.villa-augustus.nl

Pullman Quellenhof Hotel, Germany

Just 90 minutes drive from Brussels, Aachen is Germany’s most westerly city and it’s hot springs have attracted spa lovers since Roman times. The tradition is preserved at the Quellenhof, a grand old hotel of Belle Epoque vintage that offers some first-class pampering in its a huge, modern spa wing created when the hotel was restored and reopened in the early 2000s.

In its heyday between the wars, the Quellenhof boasted Europe’s biggest indoor thermal pool (pictured). These days the scale is more intimate. It’s all very Zen with warm, natural materials, oblique lighting and loads of opportunities to soak in hot tubs, massage away your cares and get naked in a range of co-ed saunas and steam baths. 

The Quellenhof’s rooms are elegant, spacious and comfy; there’s an old-fashioned, high ceilinged bar where you can kick back with a cocktail or schnapps; and an immense, light-filled restaurant that opens onto the park next door.

If you can prise yourselves out of the hotel, Aachen is full of historical sites including the UNESCO listed cathedral which dates back to the 8th century and other remnants of the city’s golden age as Charlemagne’s capital. Sadly the city’s other major contribution to world culture is no longer with us: the Scotch-Club, which opened in 1959, is believed to be the world’s first discotheque, but the glitter balls stopped turning there back in 1990s. Rooms start from €117. Paul Ames. 

Pullman Quellenhof Hotel, Monheimsalle 52, 52062 Aachen, Germany, 00 49 241 91320,  www.accorhotels.com