Enjoy The Art of Simple Luxury
In Amigo we trust.
An impeccable standard of excellence
During 2LUXURY2‘s trip to the Capital of Europe, we had the privilege to stay in the heart of Brussels at the famous Rocco Forte Hotel Amigo – the best luxury hotel in Belgium, the embodiment of timeless style and royal services, and a perfect base from which to explore the city. The 5-star hotel has often been recommended to us, and we were excited to have had the occasion to spend some wonderful days. Fortunately, Brussels welcomed us with excellent sunny weather.
Located steps away to the absolutely picturesque Brussels’ Grand Place, the sophisticated Rocco Forte Amigo Hotel is a member of prestigious Leading Hotels of the World and a welcoming host to personalities from around the world, from politicians to artists and movie stars. Despite being popular with dignitaries, don’t let that discourage you – the hotel is very welcoming.
What a sublime pleasure to enjoy a coffee on the Amigo‘s terrace in the very center of European culture, to enjoy the spectacular architecture and to watch the “river” of beautiful people visiting the city. Brussels combines with success art, gourmet and entertainment, offering almost 90 museums, dozens of art galleries, 1800 trendy restaurants, bars, 450 varieties of Belgian beer, stunning architecture and fascinating walks.
The Amigo’s legendary property renowned for its exquisite service has an interesting history dating back to 1522 when the original building was bought by the city council and transformed in prison. An erroneous translation of the Flemish word for prison sealed the street name. Built on the occasion of the 1958 Universal Exhibition, the Amigo Hotel was inaugurated by the Belgian Blaton family in 1957. In 2000, Amigo becomes an integral part of the Rocco Forte international luxury hotel chain. Amigo won the World Travel Awards Best Hotel in Belgium Award for several consecutive years.
The simple luxury personality of the hotel is the artwork of Olga Polizzi, eldest daughter of the late Lord Forte (one of the world’s best-known hoteliers) and director of design for the Rocco Forte Collection, a luxury hospitality chain with 13 hotels and resorts spreading to Eastern Europe and The Middle East. The Rocco Forte Hotels’ future expansion plans include openings in Jeddah (2013), Marrakesh (2014), Cairo and Luxor, both scheduled for 2014. As a tradition, all the Rocco Forte’s locations are true symbols in each city, and why not, a great way to discover the world this way.
To give some figures, we can say that Amigo offers 173 very contemporary chic rooms, including 19 luxury suites. We were eager to discover the famous themed suites: “Suite Blaton“, “The Magritte Suite” and the “Delvaux Suite”.
The 110 sq m Magritte Suite has a selection of Magritte’s works, a long library and two bathrooms decorated with Tintin figurines. The Delvaux Leather Touch Suite is furnished with Delvaux textures. The guests are treated with Pierre Marcolini truffles, Delvaux Kits for Kids, a special breakfast buffet, 1/2 bottle of Laurent-Perrier Champagne and many others gifts. The highest level of comfort in heart of Brussels can be found on the top floor (6th) of the Amigo hotel in the spacious Armand Blaton Suite (180 sq m) that has an extensive (60 square metres) private terrace with views over the town hall.
It is interesting to check also the special offers like: “A Tintin Family Affair”, “This is a Magritte Package”, or the “The Art of Chocolate Making”.
Our Deluxe Room Double had view through to the Town Hall and was equipped with the latest facilities and technology. We were welcomed with Belgian treats, a personal letter from the President, magazines and guides. We had a king-size bed with chairs and writing desk, air conditioning, flat-screen interactive cable TV, high-speed Internet access, direct-dial dual-line phones, voice messaging, minibar, safe and trouser press. The luxurious bathroom space was decorated with mosaic in green to match the marble. The picture frames with Tintin, Snowy the dog and Captain Haddock brought a smile and a dose of optimism.
Amigo‘s hotel concierge service became famous over the time. Riccardo Fusari, Head Concierge at the hotel, and its team assisted us will all the information in the fastest and most discreet way possible.
After a long flight our suits needed a professional look. The suits and the shirts were delivered in less than two hours. The room service refreshed our room twice a day, delivering the weather forecast along with other requested information and bath amenities. The hotels offers a range of extra services including 24-hour room services, press delivery in room, shoe polisher, TV speakers in the bathrooms, limousine service, a valet parking service, and a fully-equipped business centre. Amigo also features a fitness centre equipped with the latest exercise equipment.
Breakfast at the Amigo is a very copious culinary experience, with great healthy options, home-made cakes, pastries, platters, specialties and even champagne.
For the lunch we visited the award-winning Bocconi restaurant focused on providing the best Italian fine dining experience. In fact, Bocconi is the best gastronomic Italian restaurant in Brussels. Bocconi‘s philosophy is simple.
“Find the best products and let them reveal in the cooking,” says Adriano Venturini, the Bocconi’s chef that has the cooking in his DNA. Adriano Venturini cooked for us and delighted our buds with a slice of real Italia. Here the dining is really one of the pleasures of life.
“It all lies in the simplicity.” says Adriano, who also likes meeting the customers, listening to their remarks, and understand their expectations.
For the Brussels-style afternoon tea and a light meal we moved in the lobby Bar Amigo that specializes in whiskey, cognacs and cocktails. Here we discovered the autographs of famous guests. The bar’s collection and offering is truly impressive, as well as Paul Bertrand’s whiskey lessons and tastings. The Hotel Amigo’s Excecutive Treasurer and Barman unveiled the whiskey secrets with a tremendous passion.
IN THE END
Heritage, tradition, personal service, specialists’ expertise, a broad selection– this is what we appreciate about the Rocco Forte Hotel Amigo. We happily will revisit Rocco Forte Amigo for any number of occasions.
Certainly, for everybody a stay in a 5-star hotel means different sensations and different memories. For us, what will remain in our memories for good is the “human touch”. What is different at Amigo, is the “family feeling” that you will have during all time that you will spend there. You are not a guest, not a room number… you Are YOU. As a journalists, we had the curiosity to ask everybody about their opinion about that… Surprise or not, everybody had the same answer. “Here, we are unquestionably a family”. The explication is even in the origin of the business… The whole business is a family business and the philosophy is transmitted through every way possible… We would say more, but we let you to discover Amigo and feel that.
