Our story is not just that we’re a new B&B in Halle – there is so much more to us than that! We operate using two core concepts: First of all, we want our guests to have great experiences from the moment they walk into the front yard of Hallerbos B&B until the moment they leave us. Secondly, we want those experiences to be made by nature, home-made or locally-made and environmentally sustainable.
From the moment you walk into the front garden of Hallerbos B&B, it’s cabin/cottage coziness envelops you and you feel at ease. The view out of your room over the magnificent 622-hectare Hallerbos Forest literally takes your breath away. And you feel home.
Local shops and artists have decorated the rooms with pieces that can be purchased by guests in the B&B’s gift shop. These include paints and curtains from Manuelle Van den Brande of SHADE – House of Color, handmade furniture by Jaak De Cort, photographs by Ghislain Denayer, handmade soaps from Crysal Natural Soap, Halle’s Rituals Shop Shampoo, handmade ceramic cups and bowls from Yume Ceramics and Kerelot Ceramics, handmade Belgian candles from Paju Design and Mijn Stijl room perfumes from Halle’s Eva! Interior, Decoration and Gifts Shop and beautiful handmade table placemats, table runners and blankets from Karaan Textile Design (we are the EXCLUSIVE seller of Karaan in Belgium!!!). We will rotate between artists whose work is displayed in the B&B, next up, the artists we met during Halle’s Boven Den Bareel art exhibition in 2021.
The stunningly illustrated book, “Het Hallerbos” (The Hallerbos Forest), presents the forest’s enormous biodiversity beautifully and offers a voyage of discovery through the rich history of the forest and lays in each room. The book includes English and French summaries of every chapter. The proceeds of the sale of the book go entirely to the expansion of the forest through the Plan Boommarter Partnership which acquires land to connect the Hallerbos Forest to its wider surroundings of nature reserves and woodlands. The book also lets you take the Hallerbos Forest home with you after your visit!
Your experience at Hallerbos B&B continues when you wake up to a spectacular Tuscany-type sunrise above the Hallerbos Forest, have a refreshing swim in our outdoor heated pool (April-September) and then join us and new friends for breakfast or if you choose to have breakfast on your private terrace with POLITICO or your morning online news.
Our breakfasts, and picnics, are made of organic, home or locally grown or forest foraged food. This includes freshly laid Wyverkens Farm/Kwekerij Wyverkens eggs, homemade breads from Brock Bakery/Bakkerij Brock, locally grown and made confitures, yoghourts, juices, butter, milk, cheeses (including delicious Den Herberg cheese!), meats, fruits (including fresh local strawberries all year around from the Pijpaenshoek Strawberry Farm!), vegetables and local honey from neighbours and Halle’s Streekproducten Centrum / Local Products Centre, the Lokaal Sustainable Supermarket, the ‘T Groentehart / The Green Heart Sustainable Supermarket and Jeanneke’s Hoevewinkeltje / Farm Shop. And we serve THE BEST locally made ice cream from ‘T Maesdal Ijssalon and from Scoop Homemade Ice Cream. Our only local exceptions are some fruits, the award winning Escuminac Great Harvest Canadian Maple Syrup, the coffee beans, but which are still locally roasted in Halle’s Brander Roastery Coffee and Halles’s Mokkadis Traditional Coffee Roaster House Coffee, and some teas and herbs from Brander and Halle’s Herboristerie Kruidotheek. I swear they taste better in Yume Ceramics cups because of the love put into making them.
We are 100% dog-friendly and welcome your fur babies in our Ree, Steenputbeek and Beuk Rooms and to join you for the experiences Hallerbos B&B, the Hallerbos Forest and our surroundings offer. Dogs are also welcome in the Hallerbos Forest as long as they are leashed and friendly dogs are welcome to join ours in the garden. They can run leash-free in the 1 hectare (10,000 square metres) field at the entrance to the Hallerbos Forest, less than 200 metres from Hallerbos B&B.
Hallerbos B&B also regularly organises workshops and exhibitions with local artists and experts to give you great experiences. In January, we will have a Yoga and healthy mind habits weekend with Peppl and in February we are hosting a Puglia, Italy art exhibition and dinner weekend. In March, we aim to have a kintsugi workshop weekend with Yume Ceramics. We also host two parties a year, one in the spring and one just before Christmas where local producers sell their products. See our Seasonal events page to plan ahead and sign up for our email alerts and follow us on social media to receive invitations.
Outside, mother nature does her magic and realigns your mind, body and spirit. The 622-hectare Hallerbos Forest is one of the seven most breathtaking forests in the world according to international Travel Daily Media. It is world famous for its fairytale valleys of purple-blue wild hyacinth carpets in the spring. Nowhere else in the world is the wild hyacinth found in such large areas as in the Hallerbos Forest. But each season offers nature’s beauty and all year round you can let yourself be enchanted by the special atmosphere of the Hallerbos Forest. Check out these photos of the four seasons!
For more information on the Hallerbos Forest, have a look at the “What’s So Special About the Hallerbos” blog post. Because we have been given the great honor of being able to name our home Hallerbos B&B by the Nature and Forestry Agency of the Flemish Government which manages the Hallerbos Forest, part of our profits from the B&B will be donated to the agency’s, Tree Marten Plan for the continued upkeep and expansion of the forest and neighbouring nature reserves.
Beyond the B&B and the forest, there are unforgettable experiences awaiting you in Halle, Pajottenland and Zenne Valley. We ensure that each Hallerbos B&B guest’s visit is combined with a local experience. Visit Halle’s beautiful mini-Grand Place Gothic Square for a coffee or beer on an outdoor terrace gazing up at it’s 14th century Basilica of Saint Martin with its celebrated 13th century Black Madonna. Stroll our local food and antique markets, pedestrian shopping streets and in the greater Halle area to shop in our designer clothing and specialty stores. And dine in top restaurants and with some of Belgium’s best sommeliers. Our favourites are Den Ommegang, Restaurant De Kaai, Les Eleveurs, ‘t Soethuys, De Korte Vest, Van Hoo and TWA é MWA.
There’s something fun to do in Halle everyday! And there are many monthly and yearly traditional and cultural events. The most colourful of these is the Spring Halle Carnival! Halle locals have been celebrating carnival for more than six hundred years and our carnival is one of the largest in the country. Put on your costume and join us for the fun and the procession of colorfully dressed groups and beautifully decorated carriages!
In October, at the annual farmers market, you’ll find draft horses, saddle horses, ponies, donkeys, sheep, goats and other farm animals and fair rides and games for the kids. The month of November is “World Month” in Halle! We celebrate the diverse cultural backgrounds of our citizens through food, film, dance and cultural events. The highlight of the month is Toernee Mondi’alle, a cozy world party in the heart of Halle with live music in the cafes, street performances, delicious food and a party in ‘t Vondel Cultural Centre.
The bordering Pajottenland and Zenne Valley, a gentle and agricultural region, with its characteristic rolling green hills, vast farmlands, breathtaking valleys and quaint small towns also offers wonderful experiences.
See our Seasonal events page to plan ahead and sign up for our email alerts and follow us on social media to receive invitations!
All the best,
Melissa
More Melissa’s Meanderings
Hallerbos B&B’s story
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What’s so special about the Hallerbos forest?
The 622-hectare Hallerbos Forest is one of the seven most breathtaking forests in the world. It is famous for its fairytale valleys of purple-blue wild hyacinth carpets in the spring. But each season offers nature’s beauty and all year round you can let yourself be enchanted by the special atmosphere…
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