Jolly Hotel Du Grand Sablon, Brussels

Author's product rating:   

Value for Money
Quality of Rooms
Standard of Service
Quality of Facilities

Advantages:	Great location, comfortable rooms, excellent food
Disadvantages:	Expensive if not arranged as part of a package

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

I recently spent a weekend at this hotel on a budget break I'd arranged through lastminute.com. I must say I was incredibly impressed by the standard of the hotel for something that I had paid so little for.

The location is perfect. The hotel is situated on Place de Grande Sablon - home of the famous Sablon antique market at the weekends. The architecture of the surrounding area makes this an Art Nouveau lover's paradise. Bars and restaurants are plentiful in the immediate vicinity. The ancient and modern art galleries are less than a five minute walk away and the Grande Place is not much further.

The marbled entrance lobby to the hotel is flanked by opulent antique shops that convey a sense of grandeur as you enter the building. Reception staff were very helpful. Our room was spacious and tastefully decorated. The beds were very comfortable and the tv showed stations from all across Europe (including BBC1 and BBC2). I was very impressed with the spacious bathroom - an impressive complementary toiletry selection including a shaving kit as well as the usual soaps and bath products. Bath robes were provided as was a hairdryer and there more towels than we knew what to do with.

Breakfast is served up to a leisurely 10 in the morning (10:30 on Sundays) and a non-smoking area is provided. The breakfast buffet is very comprehensive - continental meats and cheeses, fresh baked bread, pastries, cereals, yogurts, stewed fruits or alternatively there was scrambled eggs (cooked to perfection! not at all rubbery), sausage and bacon. There was more than enough to satisfy the largest of appetites or fussiest of eaters. I was impressed. The attending staff were very courteous and helpful.

All in all, a superb stay. We stayed there as part of a budget package but the room tariff listed in the rooms was quite expensive - far above our budget.

The mini-bar prices seemed very steep but then that's pretty standard for mini-bars. Although the equivalent to £3 for a packet of peanuts is expensive, mini-bar or no mini-bar.