Rustic-looking cabins with great attention to detail in the stunning Ardennes, Belgium

Les Cabanes de Rensiwez / Houffalize / Wallonia / Belgium

Sometimes it goes to show that one should not give up on childhood dreams. They can turn from a playful past time to a very concrete reality, if you just dare to hang on to them. This is what Olivier Berghmans did. When Olivier was a child he had a passion for building small huts and tree houses together with his brother. And the grown-up version of that is this, his unique ”hotel”, Les Cabanes de Rensiwez.

In 2012 Olivier started his project. He wanted to create something that felt harmonious and in tune with nature. The result was three cabins along the Ourthe river. The site grew cabin by cabin and in 2018 the first ones up on the ridge were completed and additional tiny houses have been added ever since. But the feeling and ambition here is still the same as it was at the start, harmony and to be in tune with nature.

When writing this there are 33 cabins (I am guessing it is only a matter of time until more will be built considering how booked solid this places is) with 8 located down by the river, 14 on the hill and 11 high up on the ridge (also known as Crete). Could be good to know this if you will be staying here since we missed that sign when we walked up and ending up doing a little but very muddy detour… :-)

The cabins on the ridge have been built on site (Polish construction workers do the exterior and Dutch carpenters the interior) and are mounted on stilts to make the footprint in nature as light as possible. All the cabins are unique, both externally and internally. The amount of craftsmanship that has gone into creating these cabins is beyond impressive. It is like no single detail has been ignored in the process, all the way down to the hooks for your clothes, the toilet paper holder and the choice of dish brush. Everything is cohesive and fits the theme.

We stayed in the Zeus cabin and had two friends staying in the Titane cabin. Our cabin was facing west so we had front row seats to the sunset from our terrace. The size of our fully equipped cabin was fairly small, 34 m2 but the floor plan was super clever so it felt really spacious. The bed was the central player, partly suspended in the air, next to a massive black steel bathtub placed in the middle of the cabin. Other features worth mentioning are the wrought iron fireplace and of course, the glass panel doors that open up the cabin to the mountains and the views. Basically a real lover’s nest.

In the reception house there is also a great little shop where you’ll find everything you might need or crave during your stay.

The walk up from the reception that is right by the river to the ridge is stunning.

Follow the sign to *Crete*. It will lead you to a to wooden walking bridge and the last steps to your cabin you will walk on this kind of path.

The cabins are such a piece of work! This I the Titane cabin that my friends Mrs B and Mrs M stayed in.

Everything is bespoke, like this vanity.

The cabins are fully equipped so if you want to cook it would not be a problem. And I guess this view would inspire even the most reluctant cook.

Everywhere you look in the cabin there is something to marvel at. Like the timber work in our double height ceiling.

The view from our terrace of the cabin my friends stayed in.

If you want to have a BBQ there is a grill waiting for you on the terrace.

The sun is slowly setting over the Ardennes…

…and it is time for me to have a proper scrub before venturing out for dinner.

We decided to drive into nearby village of Houffalize to have dinner at La Fleur de Thym and I can highly recommend this place.

The food at La Fleur de Thym is art. It was sometimes difficult to start eating since I didn’t want to destroy these beautiful creations.

We had dessert at the restaurant but this was the real dessert. To return back to the cabin and the starlit night sky.

The best time for me is always the morning. This is the view from our terrace, still waiting for the sun to come up over the mist covered mountains.

I pulled my friend Mrs B out of bed to explore the surroundings as the sun slowly rose.

The views and the colors were breathtaking.

The morning mist is slowly disappearing. Mrs M has started a fire in their cabin.

You can order breakfast from an extensive menu that is delivered to these cute houses. There is one outside each cabin.

We have picked up our basket and are heading to our friend’s cabin to have breakfast together. I had a real Little Red Riding Hood moment when strolling down to them.

RG inside info

This place is perfect if you…

…love privacy. If you appreciate staying close to (or actually in the middle of) nature where you are awakened by birds singing as the gentle morning mist slowly dissolves and tranquility is your favorite word in the world, I am sure you’ll love it here.

My favorite thing about this place…

…it is the attention to detail. When you look around the cabin, both inside and out it is mind-blowing to think how much time and effort (and money) that must have been spent creating this place. And I love how the cabin managed to balance looking and feeling both rustic and lux at the same time. That is one difficult balancing act.

What not to miss when staying here is…

…to get up early in the morning, light a fire, make a cup of coffee, open the terrace doors to let the fresh mountain air in and just enjoy the bird song, the calmness and the stunning views. And when the coffee cup is empty, just make another one, put another log on the fire and continue to unwind until the breakfast arrives, delivered to the little delivery house outside your cabin. And let this start set the pace for the rest of your day.

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