Step through the gate on Chaamseweg on a Saturday morning in late spring, and the first thing you notice is the silence. Not the silence of isolation — the silence of land. Twenty thousand square metres of it, rolling out in every direction in shades of green that shift with the light. Somewhere near the animal meadow, a donkey ambles along the fence. The smell of cut grass drifts through the open kitchen window. This is Meerle, and it gets under your skin fast.
Set in the Flemish Kempen countryside just a stone's throw from the Dutch border, this four-bedroom detached villa on Chaamseweg 79 is the kind of property that makes you reconsider what a second home can actually be. At 536 square metres of living space — and with a substantial 380m² multifunctional outbuilding that locals know affectionately as 't Schuurke — this isn't a weekend bolt-hole. It's a proper estate, the sort of place you buy and never quite want to leave.
The approach alone sets the tone. A long, sweeping driveway frames the house before you even reach the front door, flanked by mature hedgerows that deliver genuine privacy from the road. Inside the main villa, the entrance hall has that grounded, unhurried quality you find in houses built with care: original brick floor tiles underfoot, sleek plastered walls, and a cloakroom niche tucked neatly to one side. It tells you immediately that the people who kept this house took pride in it.
The living room — roughly 38 square metres — has a bay window looking out over the rear garden and an open fireplace that makes winter weekends here feel genuinely restorative. This flows naturally into a study with windows on three sides, the kind of room where you could actually get work done or lose an afternoon with a book, depending on your intentions. The kitchen is where the house shows its modern hand: a central island with induction hob and integrated extractor, a long run of countertop, and a full wall of built-in appliances. The island connects directly to the dining area, where French doors push open onto the garden and an electric fireplace keeps things comfortable in cooler months. On warm evenings, dinner moves outside without ceremony.
Upstairs, four bedrooms share a landing that feels generous rather than cramped. The principal bedroom sits at the rear of the house, with a set of French balcony doors looking down over the garden — the view that will be the first thing you see every morning and the last thing you look at before drawing the curtains. A walk-in wardrobe with built-in storage connects through to an en-suite bathroom: freestanding bath, walk-in shower with thermostat control, washbasin unit, and a quiet, unhurried atmosphere. The three remaining bedrooms each have their own aspect and character; one faces the garden, one faces the front, one offers another rear perspective. The second shared bathroom has three sinks, a second walk-in shower, and a skylight that floods the room with daylight even on grey Belgian mornings.
Then there's 't Schuurke, and this is where the property really opens up into something unusual. Accessed via its own garden entrance and completely separate from the main house, the outbuilding runs to approximately 380 square metres across several distinct zones. Three bedrooms, a gym with sauna, bathroom, and toilet make one wing a fully self-contained guest suite. The bar area — proper bar, with its own fitted kitchen, separate toilet rooms, and a relaxed layout that works for anything from a birthday party to a quiet Friday evening — opens onto its own terrace. Three garages with electric roller doors, a plant room housing the central heating system, and a large storage space with French doors to the driveway make the practical side of the property equally well-considered. Whether you're hosting family from across the border, running the occasional event, or simply want a gym and bar that don't encroach on the main house, this outbuilding earns its place.
The garden itself deserves more than a passing mention. Park-like is the right word — not manicured in a fussy way, but genuinely landscaped, with expansive lawns, several distinct terrace areas positioned to catch the sun at different hours, and those donkeys in their meadow adding a kind of pastoral charm that no landscaper could design. Unobstructed views out to the surrounding fields mean the horizon belongs to you here. This part of the Kempen is flat in the way that feels freeing rather than featureless, with big skies and long light in summer.
Meerle itself is a village rather than a town, and deliberately so. It sits within the municipality of Hoogstraten, which has a proper Saturday market on the Vrijheid square, several good restaurants where stoofvlees met friet is still done properly, and a weekly rhythm that visitors find they adapt to quickly. The Nationale Park Brabantse Wal is within easy reach for cycling and walking trails through heathland and forest — the Landal GreenParks around Ossendrecht draw visitors from across the region for precisely this kind of quiet outdoor recreation. The Dutch border is almost within walking distance, which means Breda is 25 minutes by car, Eindhoven 40 minutes, and Antwerp under an hour. Brussels is roughly 90 minutes. For international buyers flying in, Eindhoven Airport serves a wide range of European cities, and Brussels Airport opens up long-haul options.
Climatically, this corner of Belgium sits in the moderate maritime zone — summers are genuinely warm without being oppressive, springs arrive early and smell of blossom, and winters are cold enough to make the fireplace feel earned but mild enough that the property is comfortable year-round.
For investment purposes: the Hoogstraten property market has remained consistently stable, underpinned by strong local demand and a shortage of larger rural properties in good condition. A property of this footprint, with a fully functional guesthouse and over 20,000 square metres of land, has obvious short-term rental potential for events, extended family stays, or boutique hospitality. Belgium's property ownership framework is accessible to international buyers, with no nationality restrictions on purchase. Notary fees and registration costs should be factored into acquisition budgets, and EU buyers in particular will find the legal process straightforward with local notary support.
Key features at a glance:
- Four-bedroom detached villa in move-in condition, 536m² of living space
- 380m² fully equipped outbuilding with three guest bedrooms, gym, sauna, bar, and three garages
- Park-like garden of approximately 20,600m² with animal meadow, donkeys, and multiple terraces
- Principal bedroom with French balcony and garden views, en-suite bathroom with freestanding bath
- Modern kitchen with island, induction hob, and integrated appliances connecting to dining terrace
- Open fireplace in the living room, electric fireplace in the dining area
- Long, private driveway with mature hedgerow screening
- Located in Meerle, Hoogstraten municipality, minutes from the Dutch border
- 25 minutes to Breda, 40 minutes to Eindhoven, under an hour to Antwerp
- Eindhoven Airport within 45 minutes for easy European access
- Walk-in wardrobe and private en-suite in the principal bedroom
- Second bathroom with skylight and three sinks for shared use
- Stable, desirable Belgian rural property market with consistent demand
- No restrictions on international purchase; accessible legal framework for EU buyers
- Ideal as a vacation home, second residence, or family entertaining property with serious rental potential
Properties on this scale, in this condition, in the Kempen border region don't come up often. When they do, they move. If you've been looking for a European second home that gives you genuine space, proper privacy, and a lifestyle that's hard to manufacture elsewhere, this is worth your full attention. Contact Homestra today to arrange a private viewing — and bring time, because you'll want to walk the whole garden.
