by Tom Walsh
Glamping is becoming an increasingly popular type of holiday for many and a hotel in Brussels has one of the most unique experiences for visitors.
The Vintage Hotel in the Belgian capital has added the Airstream Room, which gives people the opportunity to sleep in a famous caravan designed by pioneering Wally Byam.
It combines old and modern with a variety of high-quality materials, including a large bed and comfortable shower while Wi-Fi, plasma screens and hot and cold air conditioning are all featured within the caravan.
Writing for the Guardian, John Brunton described the glamping experience as sumptuous and likened getting into the Airstream as opening the hatch of an Apollo spacecraft.
Isabelle Henrion, owner of the Vintage Hotel, told the newspaper: “Belgians tend to book for a romantic weekend, often driving up on a classic Vespa, and now we’re even getting businessmen during the week – although I still can’t get used to a pinstripe-suited Eurocrat stepping out of the caravan in the morning to go off to the Council of Europe.”
There is certainly much to commend the Brussels hotel as a caravanning experience with a trendy twist, as it boasts a boutique wine bar on site to satisfy all your Bacchanalian needs.
But the Vintage isn’t the first European hotel to realise the broad appeal of caravanning, as the Huttenpalast indoor caravan park opened in Berlin back in 2011.
