Since this was a short trip, did you take two or three steamer trunks for your clothes and shoes?

I packed very light and managed with just one large suitcase - this afforded one with a twice daily change of clothes and footwear. Sadly there was no swimming pool to lie down by let alone swim in. Two medium gucci (my old favourites) handluggages sufficed for my toiletries and other medicaments etc.

As for dress, one can instantly distinguish the French, the British, and the Americans from their figures as well as the way that they dress. There is no escape from your country. Many people looked like tramps, indeed some were.

Yesterday (Monday bank holiday) the Mannequin was indeed clothed, talk about all that epitomises tack. My favourite store was Jean Marithé Girbaud - so much cheaper than in London - but in a strange part of town. Unlike London designer shops crop up in the most unlikely places!

Interesting report, MK. I spent 4 days in Belgium last year and very nearly booked that same hotel. However I decided later to stay in Bruge and do day trips from there, although I did spend my last night in Brussels to be near the airport. I liked Brussels, but I enjoyed the smaller cities more.

How did you manage to book the hotel at 66 pounds? I wouldn't mind staying there for that price. I did stay there for one night two years ago and I think that I paid less than $150.

I booked it with airmiles.co.uk

I feel that for that price it was acceptable even with the exceptionally poor breakfast and service. There was twice daily maid service, but the whole hotel felt like an average four star. The newer rooms - I looked at one - were even darker as they had all dark wood panelling and were very small, a double bed, desk and that's about it!

I thought that it was madness closing the main "piano bar" at weekends. As for the "quatre saisons, gourmet" restaurant, it was nowhere to be found - long since closed up I believe. Chutney's was the only place where one could "enjoy" a drink or snack, very smoky, dark and again lacking in service. The napkins were of the high quality paper variety - need I say anymore?

I was disappointed as every other Leading Hotel of the World I've chosen has exceeded expectations!

If you can get it cheap with breakfast included, then by all means try it. I'd recommend Hotel Amigo as a much better, if pricier, nearby alternative. Although the Conrad, despite being a little out of the main tourist area, is probably the best hotel there.

Thanks for the link, m. Well, I'm nowhere as picky as you are when it comes to hotels, I think, and for that price I would definitely take it. I very rarely go over $150 per night for a hotel room.

I'd like to share with you my favourite dining experience there, even if it is pointless as you cannot recreate it!

Behind Le Meridien lay a square in which a few marquees had been errected. One housed a covered cafeteria style seating area, another a stall serving one, and another selling limoncello. One purchased a ticket for 10EUR and received a glass of rather nice Italian white, an authentic Naples style pizza made with fabulous buffalo mozzarella and baked in a wood fired oven. Afterwards a small well chilled limoncello was also included. Whilst there is nothing Belgian about it, I thought it so charming, simple and delicious that I've now brought it to your attention.

10EUR is around 7GBP - in London you'd be lucky to get a second rate pizza for this price, let alone drinks too! I hope this promotion returns to Brussels, or better still to London.

I loved the part of your post about walking to the Atomium. In my 18 trips to Brussels, I have never done that, so it's now on my list. Thanks!

We flew to Brussels this past weekend from Texas via New York (left Thursday evening and returned Monday morning). We also visited the Mannequin Pis (he was bare on Friday but dressed on Saturday) and the museum that has his costumes on display. We took the metro to the Atomium on Friday; we had purchased a one day card. On Saturday and Sunday, when we tried to purchase a metro ticket, our station's machine was out of order; the ticket seller told us to proceed on Saturday and no one was manning the ticket booth on Sunday.

We stayed at the Citadines ApartHotel for 57 euros per night for a studio with kitchen. Breakfast was an additional 12 euros per person; we declined and instead went to the supermarche a few blocks from our hotel and stocked up on groceries and fixed our own breakfast.

Our airfare was quite a bargain, compared to flights to Paris or London at this time of year. We chose American airlines so that we could rack up more miles (almost 25,000 each with bonuses).

We were not too impressed with the BA Lounge at the airport. It was quite nice and had a decent selection of food and beverages; internet service was free also.

We will definitely return for a long week-end in Brussels.

Dorothy:Do you mean you flew from texas-brussells for the w/end?

Texas-Brussels for a weekend? Just for pleasure? Oh my god, crazyness! I am Belgian, and I can say there's about a 100 places in this world I'd rather go to for the weekend than Brussels! And if in Belgium, at least go to other cities like Brugge, or Antwerp or Ghent.

I'm with you Stardust! If I'm going for a weekend in Belgium it ain't gonna be Brussels! Antwerpen or Ghent are the happening places! (not Bruges- I don't like to spend too much time in cities that live solely off their medieval tourism-too DEADSVILLE). As one of my Belgian colleagues says about Bruges (born and raised in Dinant, by the way) "Bruges? one day-been there, done that!

Well, I appreciate our diversity, and I want to say I have been going to Bruges for 40 years and I would go back anytime, especially for more than one day. And I see nothing wrong about going to Brussels for the weekend. Great food and great surroundings.

No, absolutely, usbeauty- I didn't mean to imply there was anything wrong with going to Brussels- I have friends all over the greater Brussels area-Brussels, Uccle, Waterloo, Rode St. Gennesse, -so I'm there a lot, it's just that I prefer Antwerpen and Ghent.

And my main post is that I think it's crazyness to fly over the ocean for just a weekend. And if that would be for Paris or London or Rome, I could understand it... but for London? If I'd cross the ocean, it'd be at least for a week, and only for NY if only a week.

good for you, Dorothy, I'd fly to Europe for the week-end If I could.
I know others who do, and I envy them.

Usbeauty: What does going to Brugge for 40 years mean?There is nothing wrong with Brussells except there is probably 200 cities i'd go to first,brussells for w/end from TEXAS, PLLLEASE!!!

It's St.-Genesius-Rode or Rhode-St.-Genese (I can't do the accent mark on the second e with this computer). There is no Rode St. Gennesse.

So I didn't type it right, BTilke, does that mean it doesn't exist, and that I don't have friends there? sorry- but I don't consider you an expert in the area!

And if we want to set up our credentials FOR that area, BTilke, I've been going to Brussels off and on since about 1991, and I worked in the city for a brief while, but I SURELY don't consider myself an expert in the area! I wouldn't accord that honor to anyone who wasn't a native!