Belgium is an intriguing country. A clear divide between two linguistic and cultural groups – the Flemish and the French-speaking Walloons – makes for an interesting blend of words, attitudes, cuisines, and opinions.
This is most often felt in the capital, Brussels, where street signs are in both languages and the official name of the city changes (Brussel/Bruxelles) based on which group you belong to. Add into this the vast workforce of the European Parliament and we’re left with a huge variety of customs, cultures and cuisines, and an exceptional venue for a city break.
There may be fewer reasons these days for Square Mile workers to take a business trip to Brussels, but considering it’s only two hours from St Pancras on the Eurostar (half an hour closer than Paris) you could do a lot worse for a long weekend.
Here are some of the best places to stay while you’re there…
Hotel Amigo
Rue de l’Amigo
The biggest tourist draw in Brussels is the spectacular Grand-Place, and Rocco Forte’s superb Hotel Amigo is just one street away.
The Rocco Forte brand has become synonymous with the highest luxury throughout Europe – as we found in Florence’s Hotel Savoy – and the Belgian location matches those astronomical standards.
Signature suites by world-renowned Belgian fashion designers and a bar named for the country’s most famous artist underline the connection to the local area; comfortable rooms, some with beautiful views of the ornate stonework of the famous square next door, give an immediate sense of home-away-from-home. The finest in Belgian hospitality.
Hoxton Brussels
Square Victoria Régina
London’s coolest hotel chain has opened a property in the north of Brussels, perhaps fittingly right next to the legendary Botanique concert venue.
Like its sister venues in the cooler neighbourhoods of our own fair city, Hoxton Brussels has an open-plan working space with a self-serve kitchen, if you’re needed back at the office during the day, but the main attractions are for your downtime: a rooftop taco restaurant with fairly rare views of the skyline and an outdoor champagne terrace should take care of your need to relax.
Venturing outside, the Botanical Gardens are on your doorstep and the cultural heart of the city within a ten minute walk – perfect for when you find yourself bumbling home from a session of 9%-and-upwards local beers. One for the young and energetic.
Juliana Hotel
Place des Martyrs
The façade of the Juliana Hotel, taking up most of one side of the Place des Martyrs just north of the Grand-Place, is a fairly typical – though far from unimpressive – neo-classical terrace, the like of which can be found in most European capitals.
What lies behind those walls, however, is far from typical. Striking artworks, bold print wallpapers, sumptuous velvet furnishings and a seemingly endless array of coloured marble make for a lavish, opulent public space.
The cavernous spa on the lower ground floor is made more tranquil by the cooling blues of the tile mosaic above the pool, and each room has a character and playfulness to it which gives the property a sense of individuality missing from far too many city centre hotels.
The outside may be classical, but the inside of this hotel is sexy and contemporary.
The Dominican
Rue Léopold
Rue Léopold (or Leopoldstraat, depending on your preference) is one of the oldest streets in the city, and the monks after whom The Dominican is named first pitched up here around 500 years ago.
The current building which houses the hotel is a mere 200-ish years old, but the history of the plot inspires the décor as well as the name: images of the work of Jaques-Louis David, another former resident, adorn the walls.
Rooms are cosy and modern, with views either of the neighbouring opera house or the hotel’s own courtyard – containing a magnificent fig tree, great to have drinks under in the warmer months – and the location is perfect for walking tours of all the Brussels highlights.
If you’re in town for high-brow culture, this is your stop.
Radisson Collection Grand Place
Rue du Fossé aux Loups
There aren’t many hotels in Brussels which can boast a soaring 7-storey atrium, but the Radisson Collection can.
Their clever use of the space in the centre of the building as a covered, light-filled area to host their flagship restaurant has become the defining factor of this modern, stylish hotel, and a meal or drink here is worth a stop even if you’re staying elsewhere.
The hotel in general is ideal for business, being well-situated for the EU buildings and offering a huge number of meeting spaces, and the smart rooms offer a host of modern conveniences to make your stay more connected. A fantastic blend of practical and stylish.
Botanic Sanctuary Antwerp
Leopoldstraat, Antwerp
OK, so this one isn’t strictly in Brussels (and so that street name is non-negotiable) but Antwerp IS only another 30 minutes by train from the Eurostar terminal and the hotel is so astonishing it’s well worth the trip.
The complex is enormous, taking over a beautifully-restored old monastery and comprising a botanic health spa, various event spaces and luxury retail units, seven gastronomic spaces boasting 4 Michelins stars between them, and a whisky tasting room only open to investors at the top tier of the hotel’s cask investment partners.
All that space translates to larger rooms – even the entry-level can reach up to 25 square metres; some of the suites have their own private saunas – and plenty of outdoor space to walk around in.
Botanic Sanctuary Antwerp is closer to a luxury village with rooms than a hotel in the traditional sense, and while its postcode may technically keep it from being the best hotel in Brussels, it has to be a frontrunner for best hotel in the whole of Belgium.
