You don’t always have to travel far for a little getaway. This time, we stayed in our own city for a mother-daughter date at Van der Valk Hotel Park Lane Antwerp. We were invited for an overnight stay including dinner and breakfast, and it was the perfect way to relax after a busy week.

One of the things we really enjoyed was the wellness area. The hotel has an indoor swimming pool, sauna and fitness area, and everything was very clean and well maintained. We took some time to relax before getting ready for our evening.

Before dinner, I definitely recommend stopping at Bar Eleanor. It’s a nice place to start your evening with an aperitif, cocktail or glass of wine together with some bites. They offer different oysters, including Fine de Claire, Gillardeau, Umami and Zeeuwse Creuses, paired with champagnes such as Deutz, Pommery and Ruinart. You don’t necessarily have to stay at the hotel to enjoy the bar, so it’s also a nice address to remember for drinks in Antwerp.

After our aperitif, we continued to C’est Moi, the restaurant of the hotel. We enjoyed a relaxed dinner together and ended our evening with our absolute recommendation: the Crêpe Suzette. A classic dessert and a lovely way to finish dinner. You don’t have to stay at the hotel to stop by Bar Eleanor and C’est Moi are also open to outside guests for drinks, bites or dinner.

What made this stay especially nice was simply having some quality time together. After a busy week, we could enjoy dinner, have a drink and stay the night without having to think about driving home afterwards. The next morning, we took our time for breakfast before heading back into the city.

For us, Park Lane was a  little escape without actually leaving Antwerp. I would recommend it for a mother-daughter date, a business trip or for tourists visiting Antwerp.

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