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La Merveilleuse Resort Dinant - A Review (Wallonia - Belgium)

Remember my stay in Mons? If that was a church restored to a hotel, here I am in Dinant, at a convent, restored to a hotel - La Merveilleuse by Infiniti Resorts. To begin with, this is also the site of Maison Leffe, yes, of the beer brand Leffe! The entry immediately leads to the restaurant and the corridor all around it leads to the bar, Leffe Experience and ofcourse the rooms. There is a dedicated Casino and Spa of the hotel as well which are in other buildings.



In 1613, the Capuchin order of Christians settled in the banks of river Meuse in Dinant. They built a monastery pretty close to the current hotel building. In 1793 this grew to include a hospital and later converted to an orphanage and now is a CPAS (Belgian Social Services) building. By late 19th C CE, when the original building became a bit to congested for the growing monastery, they built another one, in a higher altitude, with a spectacular view of Meuse and Dinant town, in Neo-Gothic architecture. This new convent is what, now stands as a hotel, since 2008!


First thing that attracted me was the paintings on the corridor! These were painted when the building was still a convent. There are some new custom printed, life-sized wallpapers in other floors, depicting how the place was, as a convent! The chapel benches are now in the sides of the passages as seating/waiting arrangement. The convent candle stands are now used as decorative lamps with LED lights inside. The chapel itself is now the site of Maison Leffe about which I'll write about in another post. The garden of the convent is now the restaurant (ofcourse, now there's a glass roof).


There are 3 types of rooms here - Standard, Comfort and Luxe. The Standard rooms are really basic! If you're looking for a 'resort experience' you may want to book atleast a Comfort room. The Standard rooms are tiny with a nice bed, bath, cupboard, study table. That said, there is no mini bar or coffee machine. The restaurant and bar are 24hrs which makes it super easy to call and order anytime, but if you carry something that needs to be in fridge (baby food or specialty food?), you have to rely on the reception! Most comfort rooms have a stunning window view of the Citadel. The Luxe room is synonymous with Luxury, with all facilities in place. 
Apart from these there are 2 apart-hotel rooms that can accommodate 6 to 8 people. However this is in a separate building which also houses the wellness.


Breakfast is complimentary. The cheese varieties are divine. There are also several types of mini cereal boxes, perfect for kids. Vegetarians have pretty less options though. The restaurant being 24 hrs, they can always accommodate special food requests. The vegan pizza was pretty good and so were the cheese croquettes! However sadly I couldn't get mashed potatoes here for my little gal but we managed with sauteed mixed vegetables.


The back entrance of the hotel leads to the separate building where the Wellness is located. The usage of the resort is free of cost for the guests of the hotel upto 2 hrs. It has is no separate child area, so make sure your kid doesn't throw a tantrum which causes trouble for other guests! Luckily for us, when we were there, there was only one other couple apart from us! They also provide towels and shoes. There are lockers and changing areas for men & women separately.

 

It was Atyudarini's first time in a swimming pool and she thoroughly enjoyed! There are 2 waterfalls and several bubblers. The water is the right temperature and the dip in this pool just made our winter visit to Dinant, a super memorable one! There are lawn chairs outside to soak in the sun, after soaking in the pool, but being winter, this was closed for the moment! Here's my tip - on your last day in Dinant, request the reception for late check-out and enjoy your sauna time and then check-out! 

To Get There:
Nearest Airport: Brussels South - Charleroi
Nearest Railway Station: Dinant
From Dinant Railway Station: 550m
From Brussels to Dinant: 100km (direct intercity trains are available from Bruxelles-Schuman once every hour. Travel time is about 1:20 hr) 

To Book online: La Merveilleuse Resorts
Room rates begin at €125 for standard rooms.
Breakfast, Maison Leffe experience & beer tasting, 2 hrs wellness are complimentary
Wellness cost for non-guests: €25 pp for public bath & €99 per couple for private bath
Hotel Ph no: +32 82 22 91 91
The back entrance is via parking lot and is accessible (wheel-chair friendly) as well.


P.S: I was invited by Wallonia Tourism to experience the city for review purposes, however the opinions are my own and this post does not to advertise the product/service.

Bhushavali

An ardent traveler by passion. Being an ex - Art History Teacher, my area of interest especially lies in Nature and Heritage. Visited 85 UNESCO World Heritage sites as of June 2022. I've been listed among the Top 7 Women Travel Bloggers of India, Top 50 in UK. I have been interviewed in a couple of TV Shows, Radio Channels and Events as well. Read more about me and read the testimonials of different brands

9 comments:

  1. Amy ChungDecember 21, 2018 at 4:36 AM

    How very beautiful. I don't think I have ever stayed in a converted church or convent but its a great way to preserve something old that is not longer in use for its original intention. Love that they are still very proud of their heritage and had all those old paintings to remind us all of its humble beginnings.

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  2. Kavita FavelleDecember 21, 2018 at 2:41 PM

    What a lovely place La Merveilleuse looks! I have also stayed in a convent turned into a hotel, in another location in Belgium, and thought it a charming idea. This one has some wonderful character features to enjoy, I love those cloisters with their carved brick ceilings. The rooms look utterly gorgeous, both modern and classic at the same time.

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  3. DanielDecember 21, 2018 at 2:56 PM

    The Merveilleuse Resort looks marvelous! A church turned into a resort sounds unusual but definitely an experience I would love to try! I'll definitely keep it in mind next time I'm in Dinant.

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  4. LisaDecember 22, 2018 at 4:08 PM

    This looks like such an interesting hotel, and what a conversion too! I've not been to Dinant when in Belgium, but will keep my eyes peeled for this one. The luxe room sounds right up my street, I do enjoy some luxury when traveling!

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  5. Sinjana GhoshDecember 22, 2018 at 7:39 PM

    What a beautiful resort. I have never heard of Dinant , but it will be on my bucket-list. I also love the the paintings on the walls , they are so beautiful. The outdoor dining arrangement is great.

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  6. UnknownDecember 23, 2018 at 5:31 AM

    Wow, what an interesting place to stay! I would love to go swimming in that pool, the waterfall looks very cool. I also like the paintings on the corridor walls!

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  7. UnknownDecember 24, 2018 at 1:43 PM

    Converting a convent to a lovely hotel is such a great idea. Your stay experience sounds really unique and interesting.The wall paintings and the interiors make the ambiance calm and charming. It's really cool that the hotel also has a pool and the comfort room to get a resort like experience. The rooms too look clean and comfortable. I would definitely booking a stay at this hotel when I visit Dinant.

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  8. Cat LinDecember 25, 2018 at 1:14 AM

    They really did a nice job converting the convent into a hotel! The room looks so clean and modern. I like how they have all the amenities you need onsite, including a restaurant and a wellness center!

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  9. UnknownDecember 26, 2018 at 4:28 AM

    How cool to have the ability to stay in a convent! I've done it once but it was actually still a convent, not something as stylish as this. The architecture is great but you still have the feeling of luxury. What a treat for your little one too!

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