I am planning a trip to Belgium in Sept and have been reading this board ALL weekend. I am about to go nuts or blind or maybe both!!! Please advise on the following Brussels hotels:

Albert Hotel
BW Sodehotel La Woluwe
President Nord
Novitel Brussels Off Grand
Hotel Welcome

Plus any others you would like to add.

Thanks so much. This is such an informative board.

Back when I was traveling for business and on an expense account, my company would put me up at the Hotel Amigo. Central, very close to the Grand Place, very upscale.

I've stayed at the Hotel Welcome and really enjoyed it, not your cookie cutter hotel. Have you read all the reviews on Trip Advisor?

The area is about 10 - 15 minute walk from the Grand Place. I would there again. If you want to more pictures of it, you can go to my website at:
http://www.lynnsview.com/Gallery/
and look under Bruges/Brussels..you'll see pictures of the hotel on the second page of that section.

Good luck and enjoy your trip.

I too have stayed at the Welcome and think it well worth going back to.

The Atlas Hotel was good when we stayed there recently. Good service, nice breakfast, central location, about 10 euro by taxi from the Brussels Midi train station. We had a large room, looked new and very clean with a little kitchenette. There are places to eat nearby. We would stay there again.
Kay

I stayed at the Novotel at Grand Place in Brussels last Christmas. It is excellent. Absolutely no complaints. The staff was professional, the breakfast was fantastic, there is internet access available at the computers in the lobby (for an extra fee, but at least it's available right in the hotel), and the rooms are really clean and very European. Flat screen TV and large bathrooms.

This was my experience with the hotel. I am definitely planning on staying here at the Novotel Brussels the next time I visit Brussels.

Belgium is a great place!

For a central location at a good price, the Novotel is your best bet.

However, if you are going to be here for a weekend, you should check out some good four star holtels as the prices drop substantially here at the weekends.

As for the others....
BW Sodehotel La Woluwe - is in the suburbs

Albert Hotel - is near the gare due Nord - you do not want to stay around there.

President Nord - is on a busy street with lots of sex shops

Hotel Welcome is in an OK area.

I've stayed at the Welcome and really enjoyed it. The owners and staff are most welcoming!!!! I love the quirky room decor and breakfast was very nice.

I'm only sorry that they closed their restaurant to concentrate on the hotel. The food was excellent.
The metro stop is right outside the door but it is easy walking from there to many places.

We've stayed at the Atlas Hotel twice, the latest this April. Weekend rates are reasonable. Our taxi from Gare Midi was less than 7E. It's about 3 blocks from Grand Place and near a busy cafe area (St Gery?).

The hotel is partially covered with Wi-fi, has a pc down in the lounge also. But from our room we could 'see' a number of networks and used one for many hours (had to rebook trains, hotel, etc due to sudden illness).

I saw one room when the hall door was open and it looked like a small apartment.

Overall, comfortable and clean, and we see no reason to change.

www.atlas-hotel.be/

The Sodehotel Woluwe is way out there, too far for someone who isn't primarily in the Woluwe area (a very nice place to live). The Nord hotel options are not places I'd ever recommend.
The Novotel is a nice hotel, excellent location for seeing the main tourist sights.
Another option is a flat-hotel (some services, cleaning for example, but they are mostly self-catering). Brussels has plenty of them and if you're staying more than a few nights, they can be a good alternative to a hotel. One example:
http://www.flats-hotels.com/index-en.htm
Nice little flats next door to a popular interior design shop. In a good residential neighborhood by the Cinquantenaire park. Easy walk to the Merode metro stop (also a shopping area) and also to trams and buses. Also an easy walk to the Rue Franklin, in the EU area with lots of restaurants.

We are staying at the Amigo in July. Anyone have any info about it. This is our first trip to Brussels and we are curious as to the Amigos location to sights and restaurants.

Thank you all so much for your tips and information! I'm leaning towards Welcome or Novitel; however, I am going to check on weekend rates and perhaps change the dates I visit Brugge.

Lyb - your photos are fantastic! I want to go there now more than ever. Being the technology illit that I am, what program (?) did you use for your album.

Jody - if Hotel Welcome discontinued their restaurant, does that mean they no longer serve their breakfast buffet?

baglady,

thank you for the compliment on my photos... the program was provided by my webhost, which is ipower.com.

Re: Welcome hotel, they do still serve breakfast, just not dinner.

You are also going to Bruges! I am so jealous, I love, love, love that place!

If you haven't got your itinerary set already, can I suggest you go to Brussels first and then Brussels. The reason I say this is that I went to Bruges first and was so enchanted that Brussels was a letdown. I think that I hadn't gone to Bruges first, I would have enjoyed Brussesl more because I wouldn't have under the spell of Bruges.

correction -- go to Brussels and then *BRUGES*

I guess being at work and on Fodors. my brain gets confused

No, baglady; the buffet was never in the restaurant. It's still a feature.

Thanks,again, everyone for your help. I'm going to mull and stew a bit more before I make a decision. I'm not leaving until Sept so I will no doubt have more questions.

Lyb - it works better for me to travel to Brugge first and then Brussels. I'm taking the train to Paris for 2 days to celebrate my b'day, then back to Brussels for a day before leaving for home. I want to leave my luggage at the Brussels hotel and just take a carryon with me to Paris. I'll just mentally prepare myself!

baglady,

enjoy your trip, either way, I'm sure it will be great..

BTW,I just re-read some of my earlier posts..wow, I left out a lot of words! I think I need a vacation

The Amigo is a beautiful in the center of Brussels around the corner from La Grand Place