4 Best Hotels in Bruges and the Coast, Belgium

What was once an Eastern European trade center makes for a handsome, 15th-century landmark building, with its Flemish Renaissance Revival--style facade. Try and grab a room overlooking the Goudenhand Canal, so named because legend has it that a golden hand was once found in its waters. Outside, the brick walls are lined with paned windows and flower boxes; inside, new ownership has seen sweeping refurbishments. Guest rooms are simple yet comfortable, and the public rooms include small sitting areas and a beamed, slate-floor breakfast salon.

This little hotel is part of a comfortable family home situated in a quiet corner of the city. Slightly away from the center, it's still only 10 minutes' walk to most of the big sights. The hosts are likewise charming, and there's enough clutter to make you feel like you never left your own home. It also qualifies as an eco-hotel, with guests encouraged to save water, energy, and waste. Rooms are small and basic, but provide anything a modest traveler needs. Families of four should ask for the double room. Alternatively, the owners own the B&B Bariseele next door, which has three rooms that are a touch more polished and perfect for groups traveling together.

Run by a husband-and-wife team, this hotel's fresh, simple design stands in stark contrast to the antiques-heavy, more stately style of its rivals. It's also a little less charming, if more honest for it. However, modernity has its place, and of particular note here are the rooms: each one is decked out in browns, greens, and whites with a sliding-door bathroom, and a unique picture or design printed across one of its walls. Rooms are also relatively cheap by Bruges's standards, although try and bag one on the top floor, which commands excellent views of the Belfort. Four new family-size apartments were added a few years ago, which all have two rooms. Downstairs, a bar-café and pleasant terrace provide a charming spot for breakfast.

Five grand merchants' houses in the elegant Hanseatic district combine the grace of another era with the polish of a modern, first-class property. Parts of the buildings date to the 1300s, and the owners have preserved such antique details as tooled Cordoba leather wallpaper, rough-hewn rafters, and Delft tiles. Rooms with canal views overlook the busy street; back rooms with red rooftop views are quieter.