Discover Benelux | East of the Netherlands | Nijmegen Highlights
A tale of two twins TEXT: FRANK VAN LIESHOUT | PHOTOS: HOTELS MANNA AND BLUE
If you are looking for a stylish, luxury stay in the heart of Nijmegen, look no further than twin hotels MANNA and Blue. Only four doors apart on fashionable Oranjesingel, luxury suite hotel MANNA and trendy twin sister Blue are two identities under one roof, offering modern comfort and design, a cosmopolitan vibe and personal hospitality. The twin hotels are the brainchild of husband and wife Sander Hendrix and Aïda Papilaja-Hendrix, who started MANNA in 2009 with the ambition to run an exclusive boutique hotel with an international outlook and excellent service. MANNA boasts ten large, individually designed hotel suites, some with a large balcony or roof terrace, and each of them with all the mod cons the seasoned hotel visitor could wish for. Guests, 24 | Issue 38 | February 2017
locals and other visitors can meet at the hotel’s Global Food and Fish Restaurant for breakfast, lunch or dinner. “MANNA is the kind of boutique hotel you might expect in cities such as London, Paris or New York,” Sander explains. “But why not have such amenities in a beautiful, historic and thriving city like Nijmegen? We were convinced there was a market here.”
World Award MANNA proved an instant success and was rewarded with a sensational surprise win as Best European Hotel at the prestigious World Luxury Hotel Awards in 2013. But rather than a reason to rest on their laurels, to Sander and Aïda their ‘Hotel Oscar’ was an incentive to move on to their next big project: Blue. “Blue complements MANNA in a number of ways,” explains Sander, remarking on
the addition of private on-site parking and the introduction of 30 smaller, mid-priced rooms. “The most important feature has been perfecting our total concept – creating a hotel, restaurant, bar, lounge, home, garden and meeting place, all in one spot. A hybrid hub where guests can rest, work, dine, meet and mingle – in our informal restaurant Juliette’s Cosina or at the iconic Blue Bar.” This can be a place to celebrate, socialise, unwind or retreat. “It’s up to our guests what they want it to be. We will be there 24/7 to meet their every wish and make sure they feel at home. Because that’s what we’re all about!” www.manna-nijmegen.nl/en www.blue-nijmegen.nl/en