It’s by far the chicest holiday resort on the Belgian Coast. Whether you’re passionate about ‘haute’ fashion and fine dining, or are into biking and surfing you’ll just love living it up in Knokke-Heist, says Veerle Windels

Belgium only has 68km of coastline, but on the eastern edge, bordering Holland, lies the jewel in crown: KnokkeHeist. Fondly known by regulars as Le Zoute, which refers to the poshest part of town, in the early 20th century, influential Englishmen came here to play golf. (The Royal Golf Club Le Zoute remains the most exclusive golf club in Belgium.) Back then the town was small and peaceful and there were only 85 white cottage-like homes in the area, close to the coastline.

Put on your walking shoes and head
for the vast stretch of beach... and have a drink

Today Knokke is a popular travel destination, and it is the Lippens dynasty to whom it owes thanks. Devoting all their efforts and energies into what is now a popular tourist destination, the family now own much of the land in Knokke and run most of the new building projects there, as well as having considerable political power in the running of the town: Count Leopold Lippens has been Knokke’s mayor for 25 years. Still a peaceful place, with clean roads (mostly named after aristocrats, or ancestors of the royal family), if its list of five-star hotels were a little longer, Knokke could well be enjoying a status as Belgium’s answer to Monte Carlo.

Friday
Arriving in the evening, put on your walking shoes and head for the vast stretch of beach. Have a drink at one of the sailing clubs on the beach – the hospitality here in Belgium will take your breath away. My personal favourite is Surfers Paradise (www..surfersparadise.be), a chilled-out Californian-style clubhouse, which surfer Frank Vanleenhove started seventeen years ago.

Saturday
An early beach walk or run does wonders, but maybe you’re more up for a bike tour of Knokke and its outskirts... Rent a bike and look out for signs of the “Riante Polderroute” on the Zeedijk (the road running parallel to the beach, where you’ll find most rent-a-bikes). Forty five km of pleasant bike-friendly roads that’ll eventually bring you to Damme – the lovely, yet often tourist-packed little town nearby – lie ahead.

Return to Knokke for 1pm, and head for Duinbergen, between Albertstrand and Heist. Fight your way through the crowd for a place on the terrace of Beaufort (Zeedijk 430, tel: +32 (0)50 51 13 06). Those travelling en famille can enjoy the nearby beach and playground. Beaufort is a must all year round, especially if you’re into people-watching, or sailing. Nearby is the Royal Belgian sailing club of Duinbergen, where you’ll find young (and mostly tanned) yacht-types come and go. Relax and sip the local apéro of Pimm’s mixed with juice and garnished with fresh vegetables. Then soak it up with local delicacies of fried cheese or shrimp croquettes.

Knokke could well be enjoying a
status as Belgium’s answer to Monte Carlo

In the afternoon, retail therapy beckons. The Kustlaan in Le Zoute is filled with luxury houses from Cartier to Vuitton, Max Mara to Ferragamo, and Hermès to Burberry. Belgium’s casual labels, such as Hampton Bays, Mer du Nord, Donaldson or Baton Rouge, are also worth checking out, as are trendier stores such as Essentiel or Olivier Strelli. Some multi-brand stores have been here forever. Take Férent (Kustlaan 74, tel: +32 (0)506 296 16), the well-known fashion store with its epicentre on Brussels’ Avenue Louise; Férent Knokke also sells the dashing Prada Sport, Miu Miu clothes and DKNY, the sporty line by Donna Karan. Another golden oldie that stands for avant-garde fashion is Wagram (Zeedijk 725-726, tel: +32 (0)50 60 65 62), catering to the fans of Versace, Gaultier and Dirk Bikkembergs, to name but a few.

Seven (Strandstraat 7, tel: +32 (0)50 34 07 77), is quite new and sells fashion by Filippa K, APC, Paul & Joe, and Marc Jacobs. UNO stocks Belgian fashion designers like Bikkembergs and the AF Vandevorst label, but also sells the hot jeans labels Rock and Republic and For All Mankind, and Italian hot shots like Cavalli and Dolce & Gabbana. Check out their twin boutiques at Kustlaan 5 (Tel: +32 (0)50 63 43 33) and Lippenslaan 295 (Tel: +32 (0)50 62 68 48).

Expensive labels sell extremely well in Knokke, because the affluent residents and visitors have time to browse. In fact, Knokke is as well-known as Antwerp or Brussels. “Knokke has always been a fashion centre,” says Marie-Lou van de Woestijne, owner of Wagram and organiser of annual fashion events in the nearby Knokke Casino. “This was the place for the first real boutiques, not Brussels or Antwerp. At one point I had stores in Brussels, and when I compared what sold best where, it was definitely in Knokke where I sold the most special pieces.”

When walking in the Kustlaan, pay a visit to Post (next to the Hermès store) which serves the best ices in town. Or if reading is more your thing, you will adore Corman (Kustlaan 235, tel: +32 (0)50 60 18 28). The former owner, Matthieu Corman, was a militant communist and a booklover who enjoyed les belles lettres immensely. Corman started several bookstores in Antwerp, Brussels, Ostend and Knokke – it is the latter two which still exist today.

After browsing the town, why not hang out at Palace (Albertplein 23, tel: +32 (0)50 60 11 34), the hippest lounge bar in town, designed by talented interior architect Gilles De Meulemeester? It’s the perfect place to while away the hours, drinking coffee, or sipping pre-dinner cocktails. Don’t forget to book for dinner.

For a casual dinner, try the cool Knokke-Out Café (Astridlaan 7, tel: +32 (0)506 012 26). Later on in the evening, the restaurant becomes a huge dance floor. For a touch of chic, head for La Sapinière (Oosthoekplein 7, tel: +32 (0)506 022 71), or Chez Jean (Dupuisstraat 14, tel: +32 (0)506 149 57). One-star Michelin owner Bartholomeus (Zeedijk 267, tel: +32 (0)505 175 76) may not be the best-kept secret in town, but it’s probably the best in the area. After dinner, night owls can head for the Nr 1 Disco in the Casino (Albertstrand 509, tel: +32 (0)50 63 05 05; www.casinoknokke.be), or De Oosthoek, where Nano is the place to be.

Come rain or shine, Knokke is
reminiscent of a tropical island

Sunday
For an early-morning pick-me-up, treat yourself to some breakfast at De Maré (Kustlaan 119, tel: +32 (0)50 61 13 14), where you can buy pistolets and misérables. Next, put on your boots and head for a guided walk in Het Zwin, the nature reserve on the east of town. (Graaf leon Lippensdreef 8, tel: +32 (0)50 60 70 86.) Tours start at 10am (www.zwin.be).

Follow the bike road along the Zeedijk as far east as possible and you’ll reach a dead end, where lots of bikers picnic, attracted by the splendid view of land that used to be sea and a bunch of resident storks.

If the sun is beaming and the beach beckons then there are several spots where you can rent a chair, parasol, or windscreen. In fact the Zeedijk, from Duinbergen to Le Zoute, is packed with them. The further east you go, the more expensive – expect to pay around €10 for a chair for the afternoon.

Alternatively, for a slice of culture, visit the Knokke Casino to see masterpieces by artists, Paul Delvaux, Keith Haring and René Magritte, which are on display in the huge ballroom. Or head for Cultural Centre Scharpoord (Meerlaan 32, tel: +32 (0)50 63 04 30), to see the Cartoon festival. Come rain or shine, Knokke is reminiscent of a tropical island. And wasn’t that just what you longed for? For more information see www.knokke.heist.be and www.visit.flanders.co.uk