Nothing prepares you for a night in the Balade des Gnomes. Located in Heyd, an Ardennes village near Durbuy, it was designed by architect Dominique Noël next to the restaurant La Marmite des Trolls.
Inspired by the stories of the British writers Robert Louis Stevenson and Lewis Carroll, Noël has carved out ten unique rooms incorporating endless surprising details. You can sleep in a mock forest with fish swimming in a stream, a boat floating in a pool or a gypsy caravan.
But the wildest place to stay is called ‘The Wooden Horse of Troy’. Spread across three floors, it is reached by crossing a drawbridge. Children absolutely love spending a night here, although some might find it a bit too weird for comfort.
Derek Blyth’s hidden secret of the day: Derek Blyth is the author of the bestselling “The 500 Hidden Secrets of Belgium”. He picks out one of his favourite hidden secrets for The Brussels Times every day.
