Saint-Michel *

When you come from the square of the Grand Place you are overwhelmed by the facade with the many decorations and the huge windows. And also the two restaurants that belong to the hotel are very well renovated.The breakfast is served in the upper restaurant, which is a more modern one than that one in the souterrain. But it is a very well prepared breakfast with many choices ans fair traid coffee. The staff tries to read your wishes right from your eyes. The view from the windows in the front of the hotel is overwhelming. You have one of the best views to the world of the Grand Place! The rooms in the front have quite a big plenty of space and they are not so small as the rooms in new hotels. The furniture is also a historic one in the rooms. Unfortunatelly the hotel is renovated step by step, and so the restaurants had the first priority, because they are also open to the public. There may be an oldfashioned carpet in your room and the stairs are narrow like the smal elevator, but the staff tries to make you forgetting these small uncomfortable things. The bathrooms equipped with a bathtube and not only a shower and everything is clean there. And when you open your window and have a look to the christmas light show on the townhall you will be overwhelmed by the view and you feel like in a privat lounge looking out of your huge windows of your palace. The hotel has a really unique atmosphere and view you won't get in any other hotel in Brussels. But you have to disclaim some modern things like pool or fitness. But for a nice weekend in Brussels it will be the right place to stay if you want to do some other thing than the chain hotels. If you want to go to the lower, but much more traditional restaurant you have to be there very early in the evening to get a place to sit if you come with more than two persons, because they do no reservations.

Being the only hotel on Brussel's Grand Place, it has the best position you could find in the whole city. But beware: if they say that the room has a view to the rear, they mean it (and, btw, having the nice panorama doubles the price). Mine was quite small, with only one small window and old furniture - a bit claustrophobic, if you can't stand tiny spaces. Bathroom was alright, with the shower hose fixed high on the wall (something I personally hate) and the ventilation fan missing (but it might be that they had moved it to the top of the pipe, to avoid noise - anyway steam from the shower was taken out from the room). In any case everything seemed quite clean (although there was no bed cover on the blanket). After a sound, natural (i.e. not alcohol- or drug-induced) night sleep, I could have breakfast (pretty varied) while observing the square on a cloudless morning. Very good service from the helpful reception personnel and a good wi-fi connection, all for a fair price, so I was overall quite satisfied by my stay. The point is: within a stone's throw there are better value for money hotels (at least, when not booked last minute). So, if you don't mind walking a little bit, you'd better shop around. If, instead, you wish to surprise someone with the location, you certainly are at the right place. Sleeping in a Unesco World Heritage site can be impressive - if you are sensitive to it, that is.

You know what they say... location, location, location. That is what this hotel has going for it. Beautiful view of the Grand Market and easy walk to great shopping and restaurants. Now for the bad news. The mattress was antique, from the 1600's I believe. The tub/shower was moldy. If you are in the front of the hotel you will need earplugs. There are people (drunks, mainly) yelling all through the night until about 6 am. I know most people aren't there to watch tv, which is a good thing because it didn't work. There is a great restaurant down below called

This hotel has a perfect location. It is relatively cheap and in the best location in the city - right on Grand Place, the main city square. It snowed yesterday and the Place was beautiful. The hotel itself is welcoming and warm. The room I had was up on the top floor with only a roof window, but it was clean, a decent size, comfy bed, quiet and had free internet. In the morning the breakfast was better than I expected, and when asked, the manager produced a excellent espresso coffee. In places it is a little bit tired, the furniture is past its best and the carpets could do with being replaced. However, these are minor comments when placed against the many plus points; location, comfortable, value, warm, free internet. In summary, I would definitely recommend this little hotel.