Duc de Bourgogne, Bruges

Advantages: quirky, friendly, good food
Disadvantages: small rooms, no tea and coffee tray

...I like something a little bit different and out of the ordinary. When looking for accommodation for a night in Bruges in Belgium I stumbled across De Barge ,which is a hotel in an old converted canal barge and immediately was drawn to it. It looked very cosy, quirky and more importantly was within our budget. My instincts were right. I am not a seasoned traveler and a night in a hotel is a bit of a treat for me so I wanted it to be fairly special. It seemed to have decent enough reviews on travel websites and a colleague had coincidentally recently spent a night at De Barge and really sang its praises saying it was “the best hotel she had ever stayed at”. After this recommendation I immediately booked De Barge for one night midweek in late June. I booked our room, a double cruise cabin online using Booking.com, which was easy to use... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful

Advantages: Luxury Location Comfort Service
Disadvantages: Cost

...A Beautiful hotel in a perfect location; central and just minutes away from the main sqaure. The hotel overlooks a very pretty canal and we had de-luxe rooms with canal views. Sumptuous rooms, plenty of space and every possible extra. Delicious breakfasts. Very warm, friendly and informal service which you would not expect in a hotel of this calibre; we were made to feel very welcome and special. Expensive but very well worth it; if you are going to spend two or three days walking round one of the loveliest cities in northern Europe, why not have a gorgeous room to retire to. No restaurant, but several first class dineries within five minutes walk, and a very late bar at the hotel on a cosy room with fireplace. Faultless.... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful

Advantages: Very Central, Attractive Listed Building, Good Facilities
Disadvantages: Part of a Chain and Past its Prime...

...Square with its Belfry Tower, and perfectly situated for visitors wishing to explore the town's historic centre. The 'Navarra' is the most recent incarnation of a very old hotel, and one that draws, rather poignantly, from its very earliest origins. In 1600, the official residence of Don Juan de Peralta, Consul of the Spanish Province of Navarra as well as Alderman of Bruges, had been built on the site of the present hotel. De Peralta now lies buried beside his wife, Maria Lauwers, in the adjoining St. Jakobschurch, beneath a white slab concealed behind the main altar. After his death, the building fell into the hands of a prominent local family, the Van Marckhoves, who converted it into a hotel. The old 'Hotel du Commerce' has since passed from pillar to post, and back again, undergoing a sequence of renovations, refurbishments... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful