Manufacture de Malmedy

Top choice in The Ardennes


The kind of place James Bond might stop at for a romatic interlude, this vaguely Scandinavian-styled lodge attatched to a rural recording studio is the region's most contemporary accommodation. Rooms are well designed but small, encouraging use of the ample public spaces, including a mini-cinema operated from iPads that are provided instead of in-room TVs.

The swimming pool is open to guests until 7.30pm, after which you can book it for a four-person wellness evening (€75 extra including one treatment, fruit, juices and a bottle of bubbles). Or you can simply rent the whole lodge for a few thousand euros while you're recording your next album. It's around 2km southeast of central Malmédy towards Baugnez.