Step outside on a Tuesday morning, coffee in hand, and the only sounds reaching you are wood pigeons in the old oaks and the faint rustle of wind crossing open fields toward the Dutch border. That's Schuivenoord 2. It's the kind of quiet that city dwellers spend years chasing, and here it's simply the default setting.
Meerle sits in the northern tip of the Belgian province of Antwerp, tucked into the Noorderkempen — a region of heathland, river valleys, and working farms that feels genuinely unhurried. The village itself is small enough to know the baker's name but connected enough to reach Breda's Grote Markt or Antwerp's Meir shopping street in under an hour. For buyers seeking a substantial second home in Belgium that genuinely delivers on both space and serenity, this is about as good as it gets.
The villa was built in 1971 but underwent a full renovation in 2016, and it shows. The bones are solid — think generous ceiling heights, exposed timber beams in the main living area, and a floor plan that spreads across 546 square metres without feeling labyrinthine. The renovation brought everything up to contemporary spec: energy label B, central heating with partial underfloor heating, and fittings chosen for longevity rather than trend.
Walk through the front gate — electric, with plenty of room for several cars along the private driveway — and the house announces itself through its garden rather than its facade. Five thousand, seven hundred and twenty-five square metres of it. Mature trees frame long views across the lawn, espalier fruit trees line one wall, and multiple terraces give you options depending on where the afternoon sun lands. There's a covered seating area for the kind of Belgian summer evenings that start warm and turn cool by ten, and there's open lawn for children, dogs, or simply doing nothing on a blanket.
Inside, the hallway sets an immediate tone: wide, calm, unhurried. A dedicated study with built-in cabinetry sits just off the entrance — genuinely useful for anyone working remotely or managing a business from home. The living room is the social heart of the ground floor, anchored by a gas fireplace with a proper surround, those exposed beams overhead, and French doors that pull the garden right into your sightline. Natural light floods in from two aspects, and in the late afternoon the room turns gold.
The kitchen runs open-plan from the living space and was built for people who actually cook. A large central island, a five-burner gas hob with oven, a full bank of integrated appliances, double sink, dishwasher — it's all there, and it connects directly to the garden for al fresco dinners when the weather cooperates (and in summer, it often does). A utility room adjacent to the kitchen handles the practical stuff: laundry connections, extra cabinetry, a second toilet. Beyond that, a changing room with built-in wardrobes and a shower leads to the basement, currently set up as a fitness space with underfloor heating and water supply.
Upstairs, five proper bedrooms. Not five rooms where some are clearly afterthoughts — five rooms with dormer windows, four of which have built-in wardrobes, all with genuine proportions. The master suite comes with its own dressing room and an en-suite bathroom that does the full set: bathtub, double vanity, walk-in shower, separate toilet. A second family bathroom off the landing mirrors that quality with its own tub, double vanity, and shower. There's a large storage room on this floor and a fixed staircase to the attic, which opens up as a blank canvas — playroom, artist's studio, or simply excellent storage.
The detached outbuilding is what separates this property from the typical country villa. Fully fitted with a kitchenette, toilet, walk-in shower bathroom, and recessed lighting, it functions as a self-contained workspace or professional studio — ideal for a therapist, architect, or designer who wants a client-facing office without commuting. The garage connects directly from this building and includes a loft above it for additional storage.
Now, the location. Meerle's village centre — primary school, a handful of local shops, restaurants — is minutes away on foot or by bike. The Ginnekenmarkt square in Breda's southern quarter is about fifteen minutes by car; it's the kind of place where Saturday morning means a proper market, a terrace coffee, and no particular rush. Breda itself offers everything a mid-sized Dutch city does: strong restaurant scene, good rail connections, cultural programming at venues like the Stedelijk Museum Breda. Antwerp is forty-five minutes south, with its diamond district, the Royal Museum of Fine Arts, and the kind of restaurant density that makes choosing difficult.
The surrounding countryside rewards those who explore it. The nature reserve De Elsakker and the Strijbeekse Heide are both within easy reach — hundreds of hectares of Kempen heathland that turn purple-violet in late August when the heather blooms. The Chaamse Beekvallei to the northeast offers flat cycling through meadows and along small streams, perfect for the kind of long Sunday ride that ends at a brown café in a Belgian village. In autumn, the forest paths around Meerle fill with walkers gathering sweet chestnuts. In winter, the area quiets down beautifully — log fires, mist over the fields, and the particular peace that comes from being somewhere genuinely rural.
For international buyers considering a vacation home in Belgium, the Flemish property market has demonstrated consistent resilience, and the Kempen region specifically has seen sustained interest from Dutch, German, and broader European buyers attracted by the relative space and value compared to urban markets. Belgium has no capital gains tax on private property sales after five years of ownership, and the country's central position in Europe — Brussels airport is under ninety minutes, Eindhoven airport is forty-five — makes it accessible from most European cities with ease.
Key features at a glance:
- 546 m² of living space across three levels plus a fully converted basement fitness area
- 5,725 m² private plot with mature park-style garden, multiple terraces, and covered outdoor seating
- Five bedrooms, including a master suite with dressing room and en-suite bathroom
- Two full bathrooms plus additional WCs throughout
- Detached, self-contained outbuilding with professional workspace, bathroom, kitchenette, and garage with loft
- Fully renovated in 2016, energy label B, partial underfloor heating
- Gated private driveway with ample parking
- Study, utility room, and attic with fixed staircase offering adaptable extra space
- Fifteen minutes by car to both Hoogstraten and Breda city centres
- Direct access to De Elsakker, Strijbeekse Heide, and Chaamse Beekvallei nature areas
- Strong cycling and walking infrastructure throughout the Noorderkempen
- No capital gains tax on private property after five years (Belgian fiscal rules — confirm with local tax advisor)
- Move-in ready condition with high-quality materials throughout
A property of this scale and finish in a setting this quiet — with a second structure that functions as a proper office or studio — doesn't come to market often in this part of Belgium. Whether you're planning long summer stays, considering a permanent relocation, or looking at the rental potential this kind of space commands in a region popular with Dutch and German visitors, this villa earns serious consideration.
Get in touch with Homestra today to arrange a viewing. Properties like this one tend to move on the strength of the first visit — and once you've sat on that terrace and heard how quiet it actually is, the decision tends to make itself.
