Hotel Bourgoensch Hof — Hotel in Bruges

Not for the faint of heart. |I'm not quite sure if the hotel is under construction, or renovation, because there is nothing on their website that states that's the case. But one of the housekeepers apologized for the chaos and said it was. I had booked a double room with two twin beds for a trip with my grandson and was very adament about that in my reservation. I also never book breakfast, instead preferring to explore a town for it's options. On arrival, the front desk clerk tossed me an ipad and asked me to fill in the information. One of the questions was whether I wanted to use my same credit card used to book the room to pay for the room. I answered 'yes'. When I returned the ipad, the clerk asked me for my credit card and I said I had answered 'yes' and would he please use that card and he argued in a very rude manner that he needed it anyway. He then proceeded to charge me for breakfast on it as well as the room, which when I discovered that error minutes later, created a huge to do that took 24 hours and two other desk clerks plus the owner to resolve... The circuitous route to the room, down steps and then up steps, then a doorless lift, which stopped halfway up the shaft, causing a bit of panic but then forcing us to head back down the ground floor only to push '2' again and then thankfully make it to that floor with all our luggage - the unfinished walls and hallways later - we finally found our room and one queen size bed... Luckily it was a split bed, two twins shoved together, so we could reconfigure the room to get what we had booked. The bathroom was odd, tiny towels to be used as bath towels rather than hand towels (?!), plastic cups, not even a soap dish, no tiling, and generally an unfinished feel, I have to say the hotel felt more like a Travelodge, than what appears as a charming antique which one would assume considering their website and photos: the room we had was barren and about as charming as a dental office. The only good thing was the location, but with the center of town outside the window, it was...

We stayed at Hotel Bourgoensch Hof in July in a Standard Room with Bath. The room itself was surprisingly spacious, bright, and felt freshly renovated with a white design. It kept some lovely character touches too - an old-style circular window, exposed beams, and windows that opened out into a quiet courtyard with a small fountain (no screen on windows, but high enough to be out of reach from small children). The seating area with a little table and two chairs was a nice bonus.

Amenities were solid: large TV, safe, fridge, plus a kettle with mugs, tea, and instant coffee provided free of charge. The bathroom was very big and spotless, though the shower head was quite small and the water pressure weak. It’s a tub/shower combo, so worth noting if accessibility is a concern.

Where the hotel fell short was the service. Housekeeping staff were friendly, but the front desk wasn’t very welcoming. Check-in involved waiting around for someone to appear (there is a bell at the desk to ring for service, but can take a few minutes to have someone show up) then being handed an iPad to input all our details again, which felt tedious. Had to pay some extra fee too which was unclear. Later on, the desk often wasn’t staffed, which made it hard to ask for recommendations or get help (our room phone also went unanswered, so maybe it isn’t used). In the evenings you need your keycard to access the hotel and rooms, but with no staff present, it could be tricky if one person had the key or you misplaced it.

Other things to know: you’ll either need to climb a narrow, winding staircase or take a very small elevator that just fits two average-sized people (with a manual pull-open door). Not a dealbreaker, but something to be aware of if you’re claustrophobic or have mobility issues. The Wi-Fi was free but slow.

On the plus side, the location is excellent! Bruges is very walkable and the hotel puts you right in the heart of it. Overall, the room was fantastic and...

Where to start?

**Quality: Excellent. Our room was large with 3 huge window banks (that opened!) onto one of the most prominent canals Brugge has to offer. If you read the other reviews, this hotel rests above the iconic "Brugge" canal. Swans swim in the morning (if you are up early enough).

**Facilities: Again Excellent. For European standards... above the charts. This hotel has clearly gone to lengths to accomodate American standards of bed and rooms size. Suffice it to say, both are large and more than adequate. Flat screen TV was a nice touch that we would not have noticed were the London 2012 Olympics not on.

**Service: Great-to-Excellent. We did not have to interact with the staff, which in its own right is a plus. This seems to be a family, or extended family, run operation. Everyone we met was quite friendly and accommodating. If you mind waiting a few minutes because the staff is also serving the outdoor dining, well I'd suggest you gaze on the beautiful canal. If you truly get upset at minor waits, why are you on vacation?!?

**Location: WOWOWOWOWOW. Sorry for the understatement. This hotel is one of the buildings featured in the "iconic" Brugge photo. 2 blocks from the Market, right next to the best beer stop in the city... there is no better location. Seriously, we got lucky, benefit from our providence... there is no better location in town!

This review is filled with superlatives for a reason. This hotel provided one of my best travel experiences - bar none. I find absolutely no fault - well apart from my own, that I could not spend longer.

If you wish to visit Brugge, and I highly suggest you...