Brussels on a budget

Advantages: easy to get to, the Grand Place
Disadvantages: Mannakin Pis is dissapointing, takcy tourist shops

...Question What does one do when you want to celebrate finishing the taught part of a Masters degree and want to go away but are so broke even the cheapest trip to Spain is not an option? Answer. Book a very cheap flight for a mini break to Brussels the capital of Belgium. I did this in June 2003 and I had a great time. I flew with Ryanair from John Lennon airport in Liverpool to Charleroi airport in Brussels. Or so I thought it was in Brussels. It was near enough an hour from the airport to Midi railway station. The connecting bus is a rip off at 10 euros. Since there were four of us on the way there we took a taxi that cost us 35 euros. The airfare was really cheap. It only cost £20 for a return fare including all taxes. Due to the European Parliament Brussels has cheap hotels at the weekend instead of during mid week. We were...

duskmaiden 27.06.2003 (30.08.2009) · Read review
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Review of Brussels (Belgium)

Five star luxury in the hear of Brussels

Advantages: Location, size, quality service and comfort
Disadvantages: Some will not like the limited facilities

...I was fortunate enough to stay at Le Meridien, in Brussels a few weeks back after winning a competition. It was a novel situation all round as I would not normally be able to afford to stay at this quite exclusive establishment on my travel and subsistence budget and, even if I were I would be too busy to appreciate my surroundings. I do visit Brussels a lot for work and have stayed in many hotels (I reviewed the Welcome Hotel a while back and this remains one of my personal favourites for my business trips) but this was a nice change and most people enjoy a little bit of luxury once in a while. Ownership The Le Meridien chain is managed by the US based Starwood Group. This also includes the Sheraton, Westin and St Regis chains amongst others. They operate 888 hotels worldwide, 499 are managed and the balance are franchised...

andrewfleminguk 27.10.2007 · Read review
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Review of Le Meridien Brussels, Brussels

A brief bite into Brussels

Advantages: Stunning architecture and lots of lovely different beers and chocolates
Disadvantages: Not a huge amount of well known attractions

...Although Brussels is the capital of Europe, it's often overlooked as a city break location due to it being sandwiched between its more famous neighbours, Paris and Amsterdam. Having lived and worked in Brussels for a year as a student, I have a rather fond regard for the place. I'll freely admit that it has not got as many well known attractions nor the je ne sais quoi of Paris. Indeed, neither has it got the same canal like prettiness or red light risquéness of Amsterdam. However, Brussels has a quaint charm all of its own, superb architecture and buildings, and let's not forget all that gorgeous chocolate and beer. ***SPEAKING THEIR LANGUAGE*** Belgium has a population of 11 million people split between Flanders in the North (where they speak Flemish) and Wallonia in the south (where they speak French). Although Brussels is...

Bollinger28 21.08.2005 (26.08.2005) · Read review
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Review of Brussels in general

Bargain hotel in the heart of Brussels

Advantages: Decent hotel, great price on Expedia
Disadvantages: Will you be able to get the same deal?

...INTRODUCTION Brussels is a handy place to meet if you're in the South Netherlands and your girlfriend is in London. Thanks to Eurostar and Dutch rails, we can both make it there in a couple of hours. My girlfriend managed to get a great deal on a hotel thanks to Expedia, and so here is a review of that hotel, which in my opinion is well worthy of consideration. Seems like the name has slighly changed since this was added to Ciao in 2006, to Eurostars Sablon. I checked the address and I've got the right place! THE LOCATION Hotel Eurostars Sablon is located opposite the Museum of Ancient and Modern Art in the city centre, 500 metres from the Royal Palace. This makes it a very handy location for the tourist areas. We found it a five minute walk to the Central train station, and a ten minute walk to the main tourist area...

larsbaby 05.04.2008 · Read review
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Review of Hesperia Sablon, Brussels

Decent Thai buffet in central Brussels

Advantages: Good buffet food, good price
Disadvantages: Not sure what the a la carte is like

...INTRODUCTION Searching around for Sunday lunch in Brussels, myself and the lady chanced upon the Lotus Bar in the Sablon area near to our hotel. Having walked around for a good half hour looking for something that took our fancy, we thought we'd give this place a bash for the buffet. So here we are. THE RESTAURANT The restaurant was on 2 floors, the entrance being on the upper floor. A red curtain covered the entrance door and the décor was very dark, with black painted tables and chairs. Most of the tables were for 4, and most groups seem to comprise of about this number. The bar was to the left of the entrance, and more or less dominated the upstairs dining area. In fact it is advertised as a cocktail bar on their website, so no wonder it's so big. The loos were very modern, very clean and all polished fittings...

larsbaby 03.04.2008 · Read review
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Review of Lotus Bar, Brussels

Brussels sweatbox

Advantages: Close to city centre, train
Disadvantages: Seedy part of town, dirty, unfriendly

...Arriving in Brussels for the second of my European trips, my wife and I headed to Hotel Vendome for what appeared on Expedia as a well kept and reasonable hotel. It took us about 8 minutes walk from the main train station to get to Vendome, and we were greeted by two abrupt and unfriendly staff at the counter. They had to check three times only to realise we had a reservation, then gave us our keys. We asked for a map of the surrounding area and got one as small as a tubemap which did not help us whatsoever. The lobby was small, and fortunately the lifts were in good working condition. When we got to the room, it was not very tidy and the towels seemed dirty so we asked for them to be changed, which got us some dirty looks. The walls seemed to have stains of some sort which was disconcerting to say the least. This however was to be...

ttspud 26.11.2006 · Read review
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Review of Hotel Vendome, Brussels

Brussels...its a Grand Place

Advantages: Cosmopolitan with plenty to see and do
Disadvantages: Ridiculous hotel prices midweek

...Some say that Brussels is not the most exciting city in the world, in fact many would say it was downright boring. I say....NON! NON! NON!. While it may not quite compare with say, Paris, New York or Rio, it has a lot going for it. To try and cover all of the sights and attractions of Brussels in one review is impossible. Therefore, I have concentrated on my favourite places in this diverse European capital. ----------------- A Short History ----------------- The first written evidence of the existence of Brussels is from the year 977, when the German emperor Otto 2nd gave Low-Lorraine to Carl of France, who built a fortress there. In the middle of the 11th century the first city walls were built. The city thrived although it was controlled by Burgundy, then the Hapsburgian Empire. In 1695 Brussels was attacked by...

proxam 28.08.2002 · Read review
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Review of Brussels (Belgium)

Located in the heart of Brussels

Advantages: Location, cleanliness, food, size of rooms!
Disadvantages: Gym is very hot

...I have just returned from a lovely weekend break to Brussels. We booked the break through thomson cities on the internet. They organised the flights with brussels airlines, train tickets from the airport to the city centre and 3 nights at the novotel off grand place. The main train station in Brussels is literally 2 minutes walk from the hotel. If you exit the hotel from the breakfast room there is another underground entrance for the train station there so it really is conveniently located for travel to, from & around Brussels. We stayed in a lovely room on the 4th floor. The rooms are very spacious with 2 single beds pushed together. There is a separate room for the toilet and then another room with the bath/shower & sink. There is a flat screen tele with many channels including bbc news, bbc1, music channels aswell as...

djs89uk 12.11.2008 · Read review
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Review of Novotel Brussels off Grand Place, Brussels

Hostel in Brussels

Advantages: Free internet, nice room, cheap
Disadvantages: Brussels is a bit dull

...broken. The hostel offered a very good breakfest to help us on our way for our travels ahead with a wide variety of cheeses, meats and Cornflkaes. The hostel also had free internet access, a well stocked bar which also did food. The hostel also had a table tennis table in the middle of it which proved most popular. We foound Brussells itself quite dull as we arrived on a saturday afternoon to find most things closed. We struggled to find a pub that was serving some of its famous beer but eventually found one near the hostel and enjoyed a couple of cherry beers Overall the hostel was a bright spot in a forgettable stay on our travels...

mtpatton 06.08.2008 · Read review
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Review of Jacques Bre, Brussels

How To Get a Taxi At Brussels Airport

Advantages: Excellent transport links, well signposted airport
Disadvantages: You can face a long walk

...It seems an odd thing to review but here goes. What can you say about Brussels airport? If you are flying to Brussels you will find the runway conveniently placed under the wheels of the aircraft as it lands. On taking off the runway is conveniently flat. At night the runways have lights to aid the pilots landing. But it is hardly product differentiation is it. The thing about Brussels airport is that it must be the biggest and busiest airport which relies on one terminal. What this means if you have to get a connection at Brussels, and particularly if you have to change airlines, be prepared for a walk that would make some polar explorers flinch. The walk is conducted through a number of terminal buildings and corridors which all look the same. It would be like a maze but thankfully it is all well sign posted. So its bad from...

polydeuces 17.07.2001 · Read review
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Review of Brussels (BRU)