Ter Brughe Hotel

Set in a quiet canal-side location, this hotel is a converted medieval townhouse which has plenty of character and friendly staff.

However, avoid the ground-floor rooms overlooking the canal which suffer from a lack of sound insulation (I could clearly hear the conversations and TV’s of guests in nearby rooms). Instead, go for a room on the top floor which I found much quieter and also had more interesting views. If you cannot get a room on the top floor I would not recommend this hotel. Good discounts are available on the internet.

Directions: A few minutes walk north of Markt

It has to be said that there is one hell of alot of choice when it comes to hotel rooms in Brugges. With such high occupancy rates it is rare that you find a hotel that is a bit 'ropey'. Thankfully, despite a price that is low for it's star rating (around 120 a nigh per room in high summer) the hotel more that matched expectations.

The 16th century building has had a long and interesting history, including a period during ww2 as a casino for german officers. Despite some derelict tears in the late 70's it has been faithfully restored with the original features coming to the fore. We looked at a couple of attic rooms and settled on an unusually large room which boasted a canal view and much of the original roof framework. Bags of history is great by me, although some might see the furnishings and bathroom as a tad past there best - yet still very vlean and servicable.

Great staff too, who took time to chat and even told some kind of ghost story about the house to my five year old - can't imagine that happening at the ibis !

Unique Quality: The breakfast in the cellar, the oldest part of the townhouse was an impressive buffet.