Top 5 Hotels in Brussels
Brussels is not only top chocolates and fine beer but that's not a bad start...
1.The Conrad
Still the best in Brussels for business. It's certainly where the stars of sport and screen check in. The ballroom is an excellent choice for conferences and banquets, and there are nine elegant meeting rooms for smaller events. There is a decent gym, Aspira Avenue Louise has a swimming pool, spa bath and steam room, relaxation and six treatment rooms, sauna, solarium and even a dance studio.
www.Conrad Brussels Hotel
Avenue Louise,71 1050 Brussels, Belgium 02542 42 42
499 Euros
2.The Amigo
Elegant and luxurious, and adjacent to one of the most beautiful squares in Europe, Grand Place, (the pedestrian only historic centre) the Amigo is close to Brussels' financial district. Once a jail and then an dull hotel it is now modern and design led by Rocco Forte. Now it is a Spanish Renaissance building decorated with ancient Brussels flagstones, Magritte and Broodthaers prints, and even illustrations by Tintin creator Hergé.
Modern and traditional meet with Belgian accents; Brussels linens and Flemish antique furnishings nestle by sleek leather headboards, creative lighting and enormous showerheads and luxe Rocco Forte bath products. Room sizes and layouts vary by price but all are luxurious and a bit subdued, even the suites-however sprawling and well-appointed the Blaton Suite may be, the only thing ostentatious about it is the commanding view of the city's rooftops from the private terrace.
The Amigo claims to be the top hotel in Brussels, and we must admit it's close; so gorgeous you could almost forget it's a business hotel, and with such pleasures as the all-you-can-eat breakfast buffet and the Belgian chocolates at turndown, you may resent any time spent working.
www.hotelamigo.com
Rue de l'Amigo 1-3
1000 Brussels, Belgium
02 547 47 47
161 euros, £142
3. The Stanhope
Quiet, restrained and elegant , this hotel is not a standard massive conference hotel. The interiors are decorated in an English country house style, with classical furnishings and floral-print fabrics, and antiques cover every exposed surface. Facilities, though, are up-to-date, including internet access, laptop safes, and marble bathrooms. The Brighton restaurant is a homage to George IV's Brighton Pavilion, and features a portrait of the man himself amidst its Chinese-via-England décor. The food lives up to the decor.
The location is central, just off the Avenue Louise shopping district, and close by the European Parliament. For the full celebrity treatment, try the Royal Suite in the new House of Ambassadors wing - that is, if there's not a bona fide ambassador occupying it.
www.thonhotels.be
Handelsstraat 9
1000 Bruxelles, Belgium
02 205 15 08
£56, 63 Euros
4.Royal Windsor
A central Brussels stalwart, the Royal Windsor is also the epitome of bona fide modern Belgian design.
The great majority of the rooms, from humble standards on up to the Royal Suite, are classic in style, conservative but impeccably tasteful - think of them as something along the lines of an expensive tailored suit. The unexpected part comes in the form of the Royal Windsor's two "fashion rooms," each one conceived by a different Belgian fashion designer. This is the couture collection to the rest of the hotel's classic menswear. They're too eclectic to fully describe here, but they're as well-equipped as the rest of the hotel, and stylistically energising. See ‘the fashion addict package' on offer.
£185, 209 Euros
www.royalwindsorbrussels.com
Rue Duquesnoy 5
1000 Brussels, Belgium
02 505 55 55