Romantik Manoir Carpe Diem ****

take a bicycle and visit the countryside, ask for a suite location under the roof which is wonderfull, a great cosy place to stay, read a book and feel at home

My wife and I stayed at the Carpe Diem for four nights with two of our friends and had a very relaxing and enjoyable experience. In my opinion, the thing that sets this hotel apart is the obvious pride that the owners, Patrick and Claudine, put into the hotel, along with the personal touches and charm that can only result from the fact that they are there every day running the property. It was refreshing and nice to see Patrick about during the day and Claudine greeting everyone at breakfast each morning. Staying at the Carpe Diem reminded me a little of staying at a friend's country house or at a country gentlemen's club, though a little more intimate. It's touches like the honor bar in the lounge and a few tasteful photos of the owner's family. With regard to the property, it is quite charming and our rooms seemed newly renovated and well appointed. Beds were comfortable. One thing I would have liked is a larger television and perhaps the option of some sort of DVD or movie system. The grounds are nice with a grass lounge chair area as well as an outdoor pool and a terrace with chairs and tables in front. Breakfast was delicious each morning with lovely service on linens and silver. One could get spoiled with that type of treatment each morning. Perhaps we were lucky, but we found ourselves to be almost the only ones in the bar/lounge area each night. This is a small intimate room, so if it was crowded could be less pleasant. But with regard to the previous review mentioning smoke, there is another "library" room just as nice that one could drink/lounge in adjacent. For anyone reading this who is unfamiliar with the area- De Haan is a beach resort town, but we were taken by surprise at the cold temperature and whipping winds of this North Sea coast. Let's just say the end of August in De Haan reminded me of being at the beach in New England in Autumn. We also had a lovely dinner at Casanova on the boardwalk and maybe the best waffles I've had in my life at the ice cream/waffle stand just next door to Casanova. Everything in De Haan is walking distance. De Haan was also an easy home base for our driving day trips to Bruges and Antwerp. Overall would highly recommend the Carpe Diem for a relaxing getaway as long as you are comfortable with the area's weather. You may find it to be a nice alternative to staying in Bruges if you happen to be in the area. There seems to be many clientele who come back to the Carpe Diem every year for their holidays, and we were definitely the odd ducks passing through as I think few New Yorkers end up on the Belgian coast.

There is nothing better than a small, privately run family hotel. A hotel that warmly welcomes children with charming rooms and a good central location. What a shame then to find on arrival that there was a smoking room and the smoking room was the bar. This immediately meant that, with two young children, we were excluded from the bar. What I don't understand is why the smokers have the privilege of being able to smoke in the bar when they are clearly in the minority (2 during our stay). The position of the bar, meant that the smell of smoke was the first thing you noticed on arrival and the first thing you noticed when coming down in the morning. The pool at the hotel is lovely (though note that children under 8 won't be able to stand) and the breakfasts are really fantastic. The owners are very friendly and have done a great job, and we hope that on our next visit, the smoke will have disappeared!!

Small but beautiful boutique hotel with special attention for interior details. The location is an ideal starting point to go for bicycle rides to Brugge (20 to 25 km) or alongside the coast line. Don't forget to visit Diksmuide or Ieper (Ypres) and its war graves. There's a heated swimmingpool. You can only have breakfast in the hotel, so for other meals you will have to go look for a restaurant in the neighbourhood. The concierge will help you with that if you like, but if you can, try to make reservations with "l'Espérance" or "Rabelais" as they are probably two of the best restaurants of De Haan. Staff and owners are extremely kind en polite and do whatever they can to make your stay pleasant. There's a smoking and non-smoking "honesty" bar where you can rest from your trips you did during the day. Don't forget to ask the owner to see the very large war bunker that is hidden next to the hotel and used as a garage for bikes etc.

I had read a review of the hotel in a Sunday newspaper travel supplement where it had been described as a "boutique" hotel. I am pleased to say that the reality is far nicer. Carpe Diem is a friendly, family run hotel with comfortable rooms and an excellent small bar. Whilst most of the other residents were adult, our 8 year old son was made extremely welcome. Our Ralph Lauren Suite included a small private child's bedroom which was an unexpected bonus. The pool looked nice, but as we stayed in April, was not open. De Haan is a quiet resort aimed at families. Everything was pretty much closed by 10:00 pm (which is fine by me). One evening we left a restaurant at 10:15 pm and the town was completely deserted. A lovely hotel in a lovely resort.