De Zalm ***

We stayed in this hotel on a Saturday night. In the adjacent pub has been a disco night lasting in the early Sunday morning. The noise gave vibrations to the whole room. The next morning we learnt from the owner that these sessions occur regularly. Besides this fact our room to the rear seemed somewhat run down. The breakfast at the next morning could not wash away the horrible night and was average at its best. The location of the hotel facing the market place gives you immediate access to the town center but lets expect further noise on market days when the merchants set up their market stalls in the very early morning.

I always use this hotel during my trips in Belgium. I find it nice, new and with a very nice ambience. food is also sublime! not really Belgium cuisine ma more sofisticated. excellent selection of Belgium beers. worth to try even for trip to Antwerpen. Roberto

Stayed here for a few nights last December. We had a room overlooking the market square and a very old building which apparently now serves as both an event venue. The room itself was nice, if not a little small. It was clean and bright, but it did not have an alarm clock which was a little inconvenient. The bathroom had a great shower and, my favourite feature, radiant flooring. Just what you need in December! The staff were very friendly and the service was superb. The nightly rate included a buffet breakfast, which offered one of the best selections I have ever seen. Scrambled eggs, bacon, tomatoes, as well as cereal, breads, cold meat, cheeses, and a ridiculously wide selection of jams and spreads (you have to try the speculoos!). The hotel also has a restaurant and a bar, which seemed to be very popular with the locals. The food in the restaurant was pretty good, but what I really liked was the bar. It was busy at almost every hour of the day, but most people were there to drink coffee and who could blame them? The coffee is brought to you on a tray with a silver milk jug and sugar bowl, a saucer with a biscuit (cookie) and a little individually wrapped piece of Belgian chocolate, and all for less than 3 Euros! It's no wonder there is no Starbucks in this town! Who would want it??!! One afternoon, while I was in the bar enjoying my coffee and chocolate, a local woman who had stopped by for a cup whilst walking her dog, struck up a conversation with me. In English! Seriously, it was astounding how many people spoke English there, and how good they were at it. The only caveat about the bar was that it allowed smoking. For me, it wasn't a problem, but I could understand that it might be a little off-putting to others.

Considering that Herentals is not a touristic place, the quality of the service provided by this hotel is quite good. Rooms are large and clean, the restaurant has good choice of dishes of really nice quality. Bruxelles moules frites and chocolate mousse are highly reccomended. In the evening you can spend nice time in the pub at the ground floor which is alway full of people which use to stay day until late. Anyway this doesn't disturb your sleep. Free wifi connection is also available in the hotel and in the restaurant/pub area.

We stayed here about eight years ago, on a cycling holiday. It was good then, and is still good now. It's not luxurious, but it is comfortable and good value. We had requested a double bed but got two singles, but they were easily pushed together. We had a small balcony (though without a good view), a kettle and really everything we needed. The bathroom was good and clean - two sinks!. The breakfast buffet was good and plentiful. We parked in the square, so had to load the parking meter during business hours, which was a little bit annoying, but not much. Herentals is a lovely place, and one that has great memories for me.