Brussels on a budget

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

...powdered stuff but I did not mind. Brussels is quite a small city and can be a little bit confusing at first. You can walk but the metro (under ground train) is the best way to get about. I would recommend getting a multiple journey pass. There were weekly ones and day passes as well as multiple journey ones. We bought a ten journey pass for just under 10 euros. It could be used by multiple people by just inserting it in the slot twice or more. The metro itself was fairly easy to use and I thought the energy saving escalators that only start when people step on them were a brilliant idea. Only being in the city for less than a day we were severely limited in what we could actually do. I would have loved to see the Art Nouveau areas of the city, the cartoon museum featuring Tin Tin, flea markets and the insides of lots of pubs and bars. I...

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

.... Other facilities in the room including the inevitable air con - essential in a humid Brussels summer, tea and coffee maker, an iron and an ironing board. There was a socket for (chargeable) Internet access - remember I was not working in Brussels on this occasion so I did not need to use it - and a fairly high tech phone. The TV had a good range of channels including BBC and CNN and there was obviously a remote. The View I was at the front of the hotel in the middle (almost directly above the entrance) so had a direct view over to the Central Station. The road outside was busy but double glazing ensured that I could not hear a thing from the street outside. The Bathroom The bathroom was not quite at the level of the bedroom in my eyes but nevertheless it was quite lavishly fitted with marble style tiling and a granite surface...

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

...laid out over eight floors and contains art and sculpture from throughout the centuries with works by Rubens, Picasso and Dali to name but a few. Entry is around ?5.00. The Cartoon Strip Museum (Centre Belge de la Bande Desinée) is another interesting venue, with lots of examples of the Belgian comic strip Tintin, as well as others. Entry to this museum is ?6.25. ***GETTING AROUND BRUSSELS*** There is a huge and wide-spread network of public transport made up of trams, buses and metro. You can buy tickets from the driver of the tram or the bus, or from booths in the underground metro stations. Trams, buses and the metro are all extremely frequent, the city network coverage is superb and they are simple and easy to use. The same ticket (costing ?1.50) can be used during one hour on any of the buses, trams or metro. You can also buy...

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

...the pork so I can't comment there. I missed out on the chicken wings as well. I think when I went to get the starters they had run out of them. CONCLUSION The buffet was very good, with a reasonable variety and decent quality. I didn't use the usual menu so I can only recommend the buffet, but I must say looking at the menu it sounds like a la carte would be quite an experience. I thought the informal atmosphere and friendly service was just what I needed for a Sunday afternoon. CONTACT INFORMATION Lotus Bar 12 Joseph Stevensstreet, Sablon, 1000 Brussels Belgium. Telephone : +32 (0) 2 5145059 Website (In Flemish, French and English) : http://www.lotus-bar.be/...

larsbaby 03.04.2008 · Read review
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Review of Lotus Bar, Brussels

Gorgeous dolls house furniture!

Advantages: Well made, safe, robust
Disadvantages: None that I can see

...really see the detail of the furniture. So what do you get for your money then? Before I go into detail I will start by saying that you get the John Crane Pintoy quality. These little items of furniture are made with the same care and attention to details as any of their larger toys. They are made from replenishable Rubber wood and are carefully finished so that there are no sharp edges to hurt little fingers and of course the paint used is safe and lead free. The living room set is made up of the following items: A sofa complete with a patterned cushioned seat and back rest. Two arm chairs again with patterned cushioned seats and back rests to match the ones on the sofa. A round coffee table. A TV stand with video / DVD player shelf A TV with painted screen and controls A video / DVD player with painted controls...

SusanLesley 24.11.2009 · Read review
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Review of John Crane Living Room Dolls House Furniture

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

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

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)

White, Sherbourne furniture - not wardrobes

Advantages: Made to fit
Disadvantages: No measurements on initial plan, designer didn't give full options of various height/depth/widths.

...opening corner boxes they used to do, frankly, I'd save myself £500 and self assembly again. Sharps furniture isn't exactly 'made to measure', more 'made to fit'. You do get a neater job, no gaps etc but you will pay for that privilege. The 'fit' is better, but the quality isn't superior to self assembly. Sharps definitely have a good choice of range, colour, handles. We are lucky enough to have a local showroom....

1954Sagalout 20.06.2008 · Read review
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Review of Sharp's Bedroom Furniture