Brugge - Need help for family visit
 

Suddenly found a fantastic opportunity to expand a planned trip to include our 9 & 13 yr olds.

The good news is, the visit is in early May...beautiful. The bad news is, the visit in early May...peak and little time for research.

Shifting our plans from an adult oriented Amsterdam visit to family oriented Brugge visit and hopeful of finding nice & reasonably priced accom for 4 (quad or 2 twins).

Have found Hotel Albert 1 and Hotel Het Gheestelic with quads @ $150-170 range. Any familiarity with these?

Would rather steer clear of some of the frequently recommended spots as the price for 4, if available, is pretty stiff.

Thanks in advance

You should re-post this message on the Belgium forum.

I find no Belgium Forum, only a topic subset of the Europe Forum via search.

Would welcome your instruction for correcting my error.

There is no Belgium forum. Your post belongs here.

I can't help you with your questions because I have never stayed in Brugge (only Brussels and Leuven).

I haven't stayed here myself but friends have and were very satisfied. They said the breakfast was outstanding. They have quad rooms. They are also very central.
http://www.hotels-belgium.com/hb-brugge-cavalier.htm

smueller: Thanks. I thought I had it in the right place.

grimmy: Thanks a ton for the web site. I've found several quads that are available for May 6&7.

Everyone: Any recommendations would be very welcome as I now have options but no insights.

How many nights? If you're staying at least 3 nights, I would recommend renting an apartment.

Check out Drie Koningen. My parents had Carmers over Christmas and I spent a lot of time there...beautiful. Great amenities, too, like fresh pastries delivered to you each morning (at your request).

http://www.kanthuisje.com/d3kon/e/index.htm

Onze Lieve Vrouw would be great for a family.

Did somebody tell you Amsterdam wasn't kid friendly and Brugge was?

That's really misinformation.

Brugge is a romantic honeymoon destination and, yes, it's got swans and windmills and canals, but that is about it. Amsterdam, on the other hand, has no end of things for kids to do (plus canals and swans and windmills). It's also got very kid-friendly food (pancakes and cheeses, etc.).

Kids can ride bicycles in Amsterdam (and its environs), take canal boat tours, go to museums especially designed for them and toy shop.

Is it because Amsterdam has a red light district and places to purchase marijuana that you've been steered this way? Such places are very easily avoided -- just as they are in any city.

If you've already booked your tickets, fine. Brugge is a very pretty spot. But I encourage you to reconsider Amsterdam if you haven't.

Kids can do those things in Brugge too! Canal tours are great...bicycle rentals plentiful. And what kid doesn't like chocolate, waffles, and fries? :)

Beanweb,

I wasn't suggesting that some of what's available for kids in Amsterdam isn't available in Brugge. I was just surprised by the implication that if you planned a trip to Amsterdam for two adults and suddenly found out kids could join the trip, that Brugge might be a better locale for a family-oriented vacation than Amsterdam, especially for older kids. I wanted to dispel that idea -- although perahps that is not what the original posters meant to imply.

Anyway, the original posters may already be so far into their planning that it would be disruptive to change back. But I wanted to point out to others that Amsterdam is a great destination for a family vacation. I would definitely rank it ahead of Paris and Rome. And I'll confess I found Brugge pretty, but of limited interest.

My husband, 14yrs. old son and I just returned from a week trip that was split between Amsterdam and Brugge. We enjoyed both cities, although Amsterdam truly has much more to do for all family members. I think 2-3 days in Brugge is absolutely the maximum amount of time that your young children would tolerate beautiful, but small Brugge. We spent 4 days in Amsterdam, 2 days in Brugge and took a day-trip to Brussels. The balance was just right for my husband and I, although our son would rather have spent more time in Brussels.

We stayed at the fabulous Relais Ravestein Hotel in Brugge in a loft suite that was huge. My review of the Ravestein on www.tripadvisor.com should be posted very soon. We were able to tap into a great rate of 200 euros which is truly a steal for this wonderful hotel. I recommend you contact them with your dates and see if there are any promos available. The large suites easily accomodate 4-5 people in comfort.

I will point out that people finding themselves restless in Brugge can opt for a trip to Antwerpen, whose diamond center might perhaps interest children, and which has the buzz of city with its old-fashioned trolleys and thriving port. In addition, Cirque du Soleil is there, as well as a few European amusement attractions.

Kids at that age would enjoy a day trip to Brussels more than Antwerp. The Atomium has just been wonderfully restored (Nessundorma, have you been to the Atomium since the restoration?) and there are plenty of kid-oriented activities nearby, including Mini Europe and lots of family friendly restaurants. Pick up the latest copy of the Bulletin (an English language newsmagazine) and check the What's On section for family activities--it's full of good suggestions.

I've never been to Brussels -- and I'm sorry my post wasn't clear about that. Having been to Antwerp from Brugge, I know it is an easy trip and an enjoyable destination. There may be many other destinations within striking distance of Brugge that would interest kids, depending on the kids. Brussels does sound like a good choice.

For more info on the "new" Atomium:
http://www.atomium.be/HTMLsite/dyn/i...id=3&cat=7

Mini Europe:
http://www.minieurope.be/en/index.html

They're adding exhibits from the new EU countries to the park--Prague should be up and running for your trip.