8 Best Hotels in Brussels, Belgium

This hotel offers unpretentious comfort in a pleasant 18th-century building and a convenient base in Ste-Catherine, an area blessed with myriad fashionable boutiques, no end of interesting places to eat, and not a lot of accommodation. The emphasis here is on paring things down so it remains good value, and they succeed. Its rooms are simple affairs, decked in charcoal and gray with orange highlights. Buffet breakfasts are served in the basement, which features abstract art and exposed brickwork from the ancient city wall.

Location, charm, and history are Amigo's stock in trade---the 15th-century site was once a prison, and it's said Belgium's then Spanish occupiers mistook the word "vrunt" (prison) for "vriend" (friend), hence the name. A block from the Grand Place, the city's best bars and restaurants sit on its doorstep, but you'd be forgiven for just lingering a while. Rooms are decorated in green, red, or blue, with silk curtains, leather headboards, and a mix of modern furniture and antiques. Works by Belgian artists hang on the walls, and Tintin pictures and figurines cheer up the mosaic-tiled bathrooms. If you'd like a view over the surrounding rooftops, ask for a room on one of the higher floors (these also cost more). 

This stylishly restored, 17th-century building lies between the Grand Place and the Gare Centrale. Rooms surround a lovely interior courtyard, with some suites located up a splendid Louis XVI staircase. Named after Belgian artists, the rooms have plain floorboards, exposed beams, and suede sofas; some have terraces with views across to the Grand Place itself. There are a couple of budget options on the top and bottom floors, which are a little smaller—those rooms around the Patio section tend to be a little newer. Suites have decorative fireplaces, and the honeymoon option is particularly romantic. A gym and wellness center are an added bonus.

A charmingly renovated 18th-century building is the setting for this exquisite, family-run boutique hotel, found deep in the fashionable Louise neighborhood. The rooms are bright and tastefully simple, decorated in either single or two-tone colors. Try and bag a room overlooking the inner courtyard, replete with giant outdoor chess set. Elsewhere, a billiards room provides old-fashioned distraction, as does the café-bar, which serves snacks and a good range of beers. As befits its residential setting, the area is also whisper-quiet, although it's only a short walk to avenue Louise or 15 minutes to the hip Saint-Gilles bar area. This really is a gem.

This upscale hotel has expansive terraces, a rose-filled garden populated by waterfowl and songbirds, and a good restaurant, Kolya. Roman pillars and classical scenes painted on the walls give the lobby a slightly camp vibe. The well-appointed rooms have Louis XV and Louis XVI-style antiques—even the TVs are set in distressed-looking picture frames. The sauna (in a design about-face) has a Moroccan flavor with tiling and arched doorways.

As part of Sablon's lineup of antiques shops, cafés, and chocolatiers, this hotel offers discreet luxury behind an elegant white facade. The reception area is set within a hushed row of private art galleries, and there's a pretty interior cobbled courtyard. Rooms are tastefully decorated and have had a much-needed refurb in recent years. The plusher suites also come with whirlpool baths. Ask for a room at the back, as the square outside is often clogged with people, and the noisy weekend antique market gets going at 9 am.

What was the BLOOM! hotel has been rebranded to create the kind of hotel name that looks like someone just fell on a keyboard. Nevertheless, the spirit of what was one of the more colorful design hotels lives on—they've even kept the giant chameleon statue climbing the building. Inside, graffiti decoration, splatter art, and wild stenciling mark it out as something a bit different, though it is very much a business hotel at heart. A well-equipped fitness center and budget-friendly prices separate it from the rest of the area's brisker-valued stays, many of which could do with a lick of paint. The same can not be said of this splashy offering.

Near the northern end of the Galeries St-Hubert shopping arcade, this hotel has an Art Deco facade and is decorated in a variety of styles, including "Maritime" rooms with blue-and-yellow walls and wood floors. The greenery-filled atrium incorporates a 10-foot-high section of the 12th-century city wall and serves excellent Scandinavian-style open sandwiches. Its Michelin-starred restaurant, Sea Grill, is among the best dining spots in the city.