August Antwerp celebrates its 5th anniversary with a new à la carte menu and a new skincare product line for the wellness
5 years of modern haven
August Antwerp is celebrating its 5th anniversary with some novelties: the return to an elegant à la carte menu in the restaurant, the bar offering complete culinary experiences 7 days a week, and the partnership with local natural skincare brand Maiwe for the Spa.
Created with a deep respect for its heritage, august opened in 2019 as a modern-day sanctuary, echoing the sacred soul of historical Belgian architecture whilst intertwining contemporary modernism. August consists of 5 different buildings, seamlessly blended together under the guidance of legendary Belgian architect Vincent Van Duysen in his first-ever hotel project.
More than just a place to stay, august has proven in the past 5 years to be a destination, an urban oasis for international guests and Antwerp locals alike. Like a modern meditative haven, the architecture encourages to slow down. The atmosphere and history are palpable, mysterious and melancholic, contemporary and warm. The resident nuns once cared for sick or injured men at this military estate, today guests are pampered here in one of the 44 guest rooms, the restaurant, the bar, the spa or the two gardens.
The secluded gardens by Wirtz International Landscape Architects connect the different functions of the charming property while offering guests some much-needed tranquility in the city.
The novelties
- The restaurant: a new contemporary, elegant à la carte menu
August returns to an à la carte menu curated and envisioned by head chef Gerd Govaerts. Govaerts previously worked at the Michelin star restaurant Dôme in Antwerp together with Chef Julien Burlat and at Hotel Le Chalet Zannier in Megève (France), before starting in august in 2023 under the supervision of Pieter Starmans.
Now as head chef, Govaerts has developed a contemporary, creative and elegant menu where ingredients and techniques from all over the world are combined, while still remaining true to the august style. Classic signature dishes such as Côte à L'Os, Young turbot BBQ and Dame Blanche are combined with innovative and fresh dishes such as Razor clam and cockle soup 'Vadouvan'. The menu allows guests to compose their own ideal restaurant experience, not forced to a fixed menu.
- The bar: open 7/7 for small bites, elegant cocktails and full-course delights
The august bar occupies the soaring, sun-filled chapel, possibly the hotel’s most spectacular space. A new and elaborate menu will give guests - both hotel guests and local visitors - the opportunity to enjoy an apéritif, lunch or dinner in a more relaxed and vibrant environment. Open 7 days a week, the august bar serves small bites like Oysters and Pata Negra, but also offers plated dinner experiences, with the possibility to order dishes like Holstein beef tataki, Pulled Beef Bun, Dry Aged beetroot and North Sea Crab Salad. And of course one can order some elegant drinks to be enjoyed in the high-ceilinged chapel.
- The wellness: a new collaboration with local skincare brand Maiwe
August also announces the collaboration with local skincare brand Maiwe for the wellness. Created by Belgian bio-engineer Maayke Ruyffelaere, Maiwe develops innovative skincare formulas using pure wild harvested rosehip oil sourced from the heart of the Andes forest in Chile. Maiwe developed an exclusive line of body products for august and its sister Hotel Julien. The dedicated wellness area invites guests to warm up in the sauna, hammam or on the hot stone. Cool down again with a fresh ice scrub, in the outdoor shower on the adjacent 'Cour Anglaise' or in the outdoor swimming pond. August wellness has a separate entrance and is also open to non-hotel guests. The august qualified massage therapists offers a wide variety of facial and body treatments as well as innovative rituals, using the new products by Maiwe.
Images (here)
Looking back to 5 years august with founder and owner Mouche Van Hool
The story of august begins with Mouche Van Hool, the owner of Hotel Julien, the boutique hotel in Antwerp set in one of those beautifully-boned residences in the city center. Together with her husband Laurent De Scheemaecker, Van Hool was on the lookout for a new location, when in 2014 a friend called Mouche about this former cloister in the Green Quarter that was being sold as a hotel project. Soon after, the august project was born.
With august, Mouche Van Hool returns to her basic definition of a destination.
“The public areas are places for encounters. The bar in the chapel is definitely the eye-catcher and you will enjoy a refined culinary experience under the restaurant’s black steel and glass roof. The location is a destination in itself. Interaction between locals and hotel guests is something that appeals to me when I travel, and I aspired to that with august. A place that offers space for encounters, but also feels like an embrace. And that is exactly what the architects created, a refuge that I seek myself when I am travelling."
— Mouche Van Hool
Ten years after the purchase, Mouche can say that encapsulating august in the Green Quarter has contributed to a new fully-fledged urban district. “I hope people experience august as a relaxed and informal place, where almost anything is possible. For instance, the walled gardens are a wonderful place for wedding receptions, there is a garden pavilion that can be rented for smaller events and the meeting rooms are very popular. Business guests can catch up in the bar afterwards and even stay overnight.”
Architecture & Interior: Vincent Van Duysen
The fact that august became an instant classic is partly thanks to architect Vincent Van Duysen. His permanent search for beauty is something he has in common with Mouche. August was the Antwerp local’s first hotel.
"I refused all previous hotel projects because I didn’t want to go down the corporate road. I felt flattered by Mouche. There was a fantastic synergy between us. I felt we could achieve something exceptional, which exuded intimacy, in relation to the surroundings and in Antwerp, still the place I call home. Everything you see is custom-made, from the cabinets to the lamps. It is an homage to real craftsmanship.
We wanted to make august unique, not for it to serve as a benchmark. Five years later, it appears we made the right choices, both in visual and tactile terms. august feels like a modern meditative haven to me. We retained much out of respect and we demonstrated that architecture serves history."
— Vincent Van Duysen
More information
August is situated in the old Military domain in Antwerp. August is accessible by car & public transport, with a train station close by.
Jules Bordetstraat 5,
2018 Antwerp
+32 3 500 80 80
welcome@august-antwerp.com
Press contact
Club Paradis
Albane Paret
albane@clubparadis.be
+32 (0)476 57 37 82