Cast off everyday stress and give yourselves over to relaxation and exploration as a couple, in a place where nature has full reign. That’s what awaits you on a long weekend at the heart of the village of Godewaersvelde at the Monts et Merveilles B&B. Perched up high, with fields where the valleys dip down, the landscapes of this Flanders village alone and even its very name will transport you to another world.
It’s at the foot of the 164m Mont des Cats, known for its monastery-produced cheese and its beer, that you’ll find your B&B. Its name inspired by the 16th-century expression ‘conter monts et merveilles’ meaning to ‘promise the world’, it does indeed have everything you’ll need for the perfect couple’s break: luxurious linens in guest rooms, generous sharing platters of local produce (if you don’t want to go out for dinner), beautifully chilled local beer (you will even take part in an on-site beer training course), traditional games on the sunny verandah, intimate garden rooms to hide away in dotted around the grand brick house, walking trails right nearby, and a hot tub in the garden.
Relax! Virginie will take care of everything, even booking you a table for dinner in the much-coveted Auberge du Vert Mont un Boeschepe. Its chef Florent Ladeyn (a one-time participant on Top Chef) is known for his ‘wild, creative’ cooking – good and simple with just a hint of madness. Note: It’s advisable to book well in advance. More laidback, the typically Flemish estaminet Het Blauwershof a few metres from the B&B steeps you in Northern French hospitality with dishes such as Potjevleesch – ‘little pot of meat’.
The next day, kitted out in walking boots and backpacks, discover the local countryside. Take time to really soak in these valleys and the changing colours of the northern skies. The 11km Sentier des Fraudeurs takes you from the B&B to the top of the Mont des Cats with its abbey, its chapel hidden away in the woods, and its colourful, flower-bedecked Flemish houses. One of the loveliest views in the region extends all around to a distance of around 150km. A quirky, memorable thing to do as a couple is travel from hill to hill on the Mont Noir chairlift, 17m above ground. You can also tour the famous Audomarois marshes of Saint-Omer (famous for their cauliflowers) by flat-bottomed barge, follow towpaths between marshes and forests by eco-friendly, silent e-bike, or explore the region by classic 2CV. This is a different kind of trip that will put the wind in your hair and make you smile – with everything less than 20 minutes from Virginie’s B&B!
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