OSTENDERS!

Advantages: Good base for exploring, good selection of shops, bars and restaurants.
Disadvantages: Not as pretty as some other places. Building work is a problem at the moment.

...We have just got back from a wonderful trip to Belgium. Our holiday was based in Ostende and before we set off I hadn?t really heard much about it and found getting a guide book on this area very difficult. So I thought I would relate my experiences of the place and what we found to see and do while visiting. We were only there for four days and spent most of the days out and about, but we did have a chance to explore Ostende and to use the local transport frequently. ~~~USEFUL INFO. Ostende is located in an area of Belgium known as West Flanders, not far from Bruges and Gent and around 70 miles from Brussels. It is a coastal resort, located in the centre of Belgium?s coastline, which also has ferry and Hovercraft terminals, a train station, a tram link and a fishing port. There has been a link between Dover and Ostende...

tange 30.06.2004 · Read review
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Review of Ostende (Belgium)

Ostende, Attractive Seaside Resort

Advantages: English is widely spoken;Nice beaches;Clean;
Disadvantages: Some items are expensive. Wide use of the Euro

...Ostend was the very first place overseas that I visited when I was just 18 years of age. Later on I passed through the resort numerous times on my way to UK from Germany,where I was stationed near Munchen Gladbach Last October I went back to Ostend for a two day stay and found this popular seaside resort had changed considerably since my last visit. Ostend is easily reached from Dover-I took the excellent Seacat Catamaran service which is both efficient and fast.The journey time was only around two hours. The ferry terminal at the Belgian resort is very...

ashford 24.01.2001 (25.01.2001) · Read review
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Review of Ostende (Belgium)

Hotel Ostend, Ostend, Belgium

Advantages: Very centrally placed
Disadvantages: Noisy side street!!!

...I've just returned from a 7 day holiday with WA Shearings (see my other reviews for opinions on Shearings) staying at the Hotel Ostend. We stayed for 6 nights on a half board basis (July 30th- Aug 5th). The hotel has a website: http://www.hotelostend.be/ For anyone travelling independently, you can check and book reservations online. The website also has a photo- guided tour of the hotel. The hotel is quite centrally placed. It's pretty much over the road from the beach (about 50m away.....but down a side street so you can't see the sea!) near to the marina. I'd say it was a medium sized hotel offering 122 en-suite rooms (some family rooms too) with a fairly large restaurant, a small bar (called the Safari bar and decorated in rather fetching tiger and zebra print!) It also has a children's room next to the bar which has a bouncy...

loum70 06.08.2006 · Read review
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Review of Ostend Hotel, Ostende

The Belgian beauty-Ostend

Advantages: Good quality, cheap shops
Disadvantages: Absolutely none

...Having visited Ostend on several different occasions (mostly for day trips) I am in love with the place! Oostende as the locals call it is a town known mainly for it?s fish market along the seafront although this isn?t the only reason to visit. It has beautiful clean beaches, nice shops and seriously reasonable prices. Ostend is only a 2 hour trip from Dover on the hoverspeed seacat and at a cost of around £10 for a day return ticket (you can easily save that in duty free shop onboard) is well within reach of some of the tightest budgets, especially when you consider that you can save £16 on 200 british cigarettes there. When you arrive at the port there is always a warm welcome with most people speaking English and life suddenly slows down?nobody hurries in Ostend, there is very little traffic through the town and most people prefer...

sexygirl 19.12.2000 · Read review
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Review of Ostende (Belgium)

Don't let the Belgians keep it to themselves

Advantages: Beaches, sunshine, friendly locals, oh and waffles
Disadvantages: Steer clear of the grotty port area...

...Ostend is a totally underrated seaside resort that enjoys far better weather than its location suggests: Compared with British towns directly on the North Sea, the conditions are far more conducive to an enjoyable day out at the seaside than you might expect. Ostend and the neighbouring towns boast miles of beautifully smooth, golden beaches that are clean and unspoilt. There are plenty of beach cabins and loads of space to stretch out and enjoy the sun or play an impromptu game of beach football, and on the Ostend promenade you have a wide range of places to eat and drink, most of which offer good quality Belgian food at prices that are not excessive. Whatever you do, make time to sit in a restaurant and try a pot of mussels, a local speciality. The largely Flemish-speaking locals are generally friendly and willing to speak English...

JVL 15.08.2000 (08.06.2001) · Read review
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Review of Ostende (Belgium)

Musseling in on the tourist market

Advantages: Good base, nice marina, near to the UK!
Disadvantages: Not exactly picturesque, lot of scaffolding.

...Having just returned from a 7 day holiday to Ostend on the Northern coast of Belgium, I thought I'd share some of my experiences. I'm generally the one who makes the decision as to where we go on holiday (with some discussion between hubby and kids of course.....I'm not THAT bossy!!) My main reason for choosing Ostend was it's location (lots of other places of interest nearby and close proximity to the UK). As we are a fan of coaching holidays, Ostend was the shortest trip we have done so far. We were picked up by coach in Manchester at 8.30am and after travelling to Dover, a short ferry ride and another quick bout on the coach and we arrived at our hotel (Hotel Ostend- see my other reviews) at 9pm the same day (yes, I can hear some of your horrified exclamations, but it can be quite fun to travel overland as opposed to flying...

loum70 06.08.2006 · Read review
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Review of Ostende (Belgium)

MINT IMPERIAL!

Advantages: Friendly cosy and excellent location.
Disadvantages: Building work and only one small lift.

...We have just got back from another excellent long weekend to Belgium. This time we used Ostend as our base and were traveling with a party of 17 adults. The trip cost us £200 pounds each and this included our transport (in a 16 seater coach ~ the extra person was our mate the bus driver), crossing on the Channel Tunnel and three nights B&B in the Imperial Hotel. The Imperial is part of the Best Western chain ~ a large hotel group that has hotels all over the world. ~~~WHERE IS THE IMPERIAL HOTEL? The hotel can be found at 76 Van Iseghenlaan in the centre of Ostend. It is around ten to fifteen minutes walk from the Train and Tram stations and is in an excellent location. It is within sight of the seafront, beach and the main Albert Promenade and is also just opposite the Casino. We picked the hotel primarily because of this...

tange 25.10.2005 · Read review
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Review of Best Western Hotel Imperial, Ostende

Hoverspeed,A Good Service to Ostend

Advantages: Efficient, Seacat is fast, Modern decor on board
Disadvantages: Could be suspended during inclement weather

...In October last while staying at Herne Bay on the North Kent coast I decided to spend a couple of days in the Belgian coastal resort of Ostend-a place I had not been too for a number of years, Since I like to travel independently I essentially had two options for getting there,viz, the rather expensive Eurostar rail service from Ashford International or Cross Channel Ferry or Seacat. On the advice of a local travel agent I opted for the Hoverspeed Seacat service. My return fare,as a foot passenger, cost 28 pounds and I thought it was good value. It was not the first time I had been on the Seacat having previously travelled on the Folkestone-Boulogne service three or four years earlier. That is less than one hour's journey. I duly arrived for my check-in at the Hoverspeed terminal in the Eastern Docks at Dover about...

ashford 26.01.2001 (27.06.2001) · Read review
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Review of Hoverspeed

Dover to Ostend on Hoverspeed

Advantages: Cheap Booze, cheap tobacco products and a nice day out.
Disadvantages: Shabby vessels, tacky uniforms.

...It was about 18 months ago, my husband and I decided that we were spending far too much on cigarettes and tobacco. As he is a shift worker he has quite a few days off during the week, dependant on what shift he is on, so we decided we would abscond to the continent for duty free stuff every couple of months. We saw an advert in our local paper advertising Hoverspeed. They had a special deal going to Ostend, so we decided to use them. Dover is about 1½ hrs drive from where we live so we set of about 6am. Our “flight” as they call it, was at 8.30am. You have to be there ½ hr before departure so we gave ourselves plenty of time to find the place. We found the terminal very easily. It is the first one you come across when driving to the port. There were ample parking facilities and the charges were not extortionate...

jewels 20.08.2001 · Read review
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Review of Hoverspeed

Excellent hotel centrally located in a quiet area

Advantages: Classy, stylish, clean
Disadvantages: None l can think of

...Where to begin .... ! De Hofkamers in Ostend is situated in a quiet side street, a few steps from the Leopold Park. With the beach a few minutes walk away in one direction, and the main shopping centre the same distance the other, the location is perfect for every need. The staff are friendly, welcoming and polite, nothing is too much trouble. There is a private garage for guests, a seminar room, sun terrace, solarium, and fitness facilities. The 25 rooms, each one is individually decorated and furnished, are spotlessly clean. They include a flat screen TV with cable connection showing 20+ channels, several of them in English, alarm clock, a telephone and wireless internet as standard. The beds are comfortable. Each room has tiled en suite facilities (either a bath or shower + toilet, sink and large mirror) and includes...

gptrem 23.09.2006 · Read review
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Review of De Hofkamers, Ostende