Holiday homes for New Year in Belgium

The turn of the year is an evening to remember. A holiday home in the Ardennes gives you the freedom to spend that evening entirely on your own terms: cook yourself or order from a caterer, choose the bubbly you want, play the music you like and go to bed when it suits you.

New Year in a holiday home combines well with a multi-day stay over the holiday period. Christmas in the house, the days afterwards enjoying the calm, and the new year as a festive close to a relaxed stay.

The Ardennes offer a special atmosphere at New Year. Snow-covered or frost-laced landscapes at midnight, a crackling fire after the fireworks, the silence of the night returning once the rockets have died down. Places like La Roche, Bouillon and Durbuy sometimes organise an official fireworks display that you can watch from your own garden.

Holiday homes for New Year are popular with groups of friends and families. A large house with a spacious living room, a terrace and perhaps a sauna or hot tub turns New Year's Eve into an unforgettable moment.

Renting a holiday home for New Year means choosing freedom. No restaurant reservation to make three months in advance, no imposed arrival or departure times around midnight, no strangers at the next table. You decide who is there, what is served and when you go to bed. That is what makes New Year's Eve in a group holiday home the best version of the celebration for many people.

The atmosphere in a holiday home among friends or family is different from a pub or restaurant. You shape the evening yourself: cook together or order from a caterer, choose your own music, raise a glass on the terrace at midnight. Many holiday homes in the Ardennes sit high enough to watch the fireworks from nearby villages such as La Roche or Bouillon from the garden.

Capacity is the first criterion: make sure the house is large enough for everyone to sit comfortably at the table and sleep. A house that barely fits eight at Christmas will certainly be too small for twelve at New Year. Also check the noise rules and the neighbouring situation. In an isolated Ardennes farmhouse you have fewer neighbours to consider than in a holiday home in the middle of a small village.

A security deposit is standard at New Year. Owners are more cautious during this period because of fireworks, a larger number of guests and the festive nature of the stay. Find out in advance about the rules for fireworks on the property: in some municipalities private fireworks are banned or restricted. If you want to set off fireworks, always ask the owner for permission before buying any.

The Ardennes are the most popular choice for New Year. Holiday homes around La Roche-en-Ardenne, Durbuy and Bouillon combine a fine setting with enough capacity for large groups. Some municipalities organise an official fireworks display on the main square that you can watch from a nearby house or garden. The atmosphere in these villages at New Year is convivial without being overwhelming.

The Campine is a good alternative for Flemish families and groups of friends who do not want a long drive. Around Mol, Geel and Retie there are large holiday homes and farmhouses for ten to twenty people. The atmosphere is more rural than in the Ardennes, but the driving time from Antwerp, Ghent or Brussels is noticeably shorter.

New Year is, along with Christmas, the busiest period for holiday homes in the Ardennes. Those who book in the summer or early autumn still have a wide choice. Those who wait until November will still find properties, but the best addresses will already be taken. For a group of twelve or more, early booking matters even more because the supply of truly large houses is more limited.

Also check the minimum stay around New Year: many owners require a minimum of three to five nights during this period. Plan the stay as a longer break, combine it with Christmas or the first days of January and get more out of the house than just a single festive evening. Per night it also works out cheaper than a short booking at peak season.