Apero Bouffe, Ostende

Advantages: Good base for exploring, good selection of shops, bars and restaurants.
Disadvantages: Not as pretty as some other places. Building work is a problem at the moment.

...We have just got back from a wonderful trip to Belgium. Our holiday was based in Ostende and before we set off I hadn’t really heard much about it and found getting a guide book on this area very difficult. So I thought I would relate my experiences of the place and what we found to see and do while visiting. We were only there for four days and spent most of the days out and about, but we did have a chance to explore Ostende and to use the local transport frequently. ~~~USEFUL INFO. Ostende is located in an area of Belgium known as West Flanders, not far from Bruges and Gent and around 70 miles from Brussels. It is a coastal resort, located in the centre of Belgium’s coastline, which also has ferry and Hovercraft terminals, a train station, a tram link and a fishing port. There has been a link between Dover and Ostende... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful

Advantages: English is widely spoken;Nice beaches;Clean;
Disadvantages: Some items are expensive. Wide use of the Euro

...Ostend was the very first place overseas that I visited when I was just 18 years of age. Later on I passed through the resort numerous times on my way to UK from Germany,where I was stationed near Munchen Gladbach Last October I went back to Ostend for a two day stay and found this popular seaside resort had changed considerably since my last visit. Ostend is easily reached from Dover-I took the excellent Seacat Catamaran service which is both efficient and fast.The journey time was only around two hours. The ferry terminal at the Belgian resort is very... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Very centrally placed
Disadvantages: Noisy side street!!!

...I've just returned from a 7 day holiday with WA Shearings (see my other reviews for opinions on Shearings) staying at the Hotel Ostend. We stayed for 6 nights on a half board basis (July 30th- Aug 5th). The hotel has a website: http://www.hotelostend.be/ For anyone travelling independently, you can check and book reservations online. The website also has a photo- guided tour of the hotel. The hotel is quite centrally placed. It's pretty much over the road from the beach (about 50m away.....but down a side street so you can't see the sea!) near to the marina. I'd say it was a medium sized hotel offering 122 en-suite rooms (some family rooms too) with a fairly large restaurant, a small bar (called the Safari bar and decorated in rather fetching tiger and zebra print!) It also has a children's room next to the bar which has a bouncy... Read review

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