APRIL 2024
Last year we stayed in Villa Augustus in Dordrecht to celebrate our anniversary. Villa Augustus is a hotel and restaurant, that is famous for its kitchen garden and the special building it is located in: an old water tower. During spring Villa Augustus is a perfect visit for lovers of wisteria, as several areas of the garden are covered in dainty purple flowers. In summer the kitchen garden is very impressive, making Villa Augustus a very interesting seasonal visit!
Hotel
Villa Augustus has 45 rooms, of which most are located in the water tower building, but some are floating rooms on the water. Despite the large number of rooms, they sell out pretty quickly. We stayed in a comfortable garden room and had direct access to the garden. Rooms are slightly cheaper during the weekdays and currently average at around € 175 per room. This price does not include breakfast, but you can add breakfast during your stay (€ 18,50 pp). The breakfast is served in the main restaurant. Though we had a really good stay, I wouldn’t quickly do this again as our one night affair became expensive really quickly, as the hotel, breakfast, drinks and dinner really added up. For me it’s for special occasions only. What I absolutely loved is that we let Hugo sleep in the room, while we had dinner in the restaurant, so at least that saved on babysitter costs 😉 If you take the elevator up in the hotel you get a great view of the surroundings.
Restaurant
The restaurant has a seasonal menu, of which the vegetables come out of the kitchen garden and most other food is local. We had a Ceviche with Noordzee fish, which I found a nice touch. You will find lots of original dishes on the menu. The restaurant’s style is very eclectic, a mix of styles with lots of flowers, colors and a bohemian touch. In the summer they have an extensive terrace as well, but it was too cold when we visited. In the same building as the restaurant you will also find a cool concept store, with books, crockery and gifts.
Garden
Villa Augustus has a lovely kitchen garden, some flower gardens, a children’s play area and a greenhouse. I loved this part of Villa Augustus and it is free to visit! You can definitely spend an hour exploring the gardens and longer if you go for drinks 🙂 The garden is what I will really come back for, I would love to see it over summer time when the kitchen garden is at its finest. We caught the wisteria in bloom around May 18, but I am sure in 2024 it will be earlier.
