6 Best Hotels in Bruges and the Coast, Belgium

Great care has been taken in the conversion of this 18th-century carriage house, and the result is a stylish, romantic hideaway shielded from the throngs of tourists but still just two minutes' walk from the center. In the library, antiques vie for space with old books and Louis Vuitton suitcases, while the bar has the feel of a gentleman's club from the 1930s. Rooms are steeped in Ralph Lauren fabrics and good taste, with four-poster beds and Jacuzzis in the suites. The top-floor rooms in particular offer great views of the city. Downstairs, eggs are cooked to order in the breakfast room, while the patio is as peaceful a spot as you'll find in all of Bruges.

This small family-run hotel is just a two-minute walk from the beach, and is even nearer to shops and restaurants, yet despite being close to the action it is on a quiet street and never gets too noisy at night. The good-value guestrooms are simply furnished and fairly basic, but they make a perfectly comfortable base for families and couple, plus there's a sauna room if you really want to de-stress after a hard day at the beach.

In a tranquil canal-side spot at the northern end of Spanjaardstraat, just a five-minute walk north of the Grote Markt, Augustyn offers the best of both worlds---it's close to the action and peaceful enough for a good night's sleep. Individually styled rooms have been modernized, but have retained enough old-world charm to reflect the building's heritage.

Situated in what used to be the Grand Hotel du Sablon, a grande dame of an establishment whose decline was long and slow, the more simply named Sablon is an altogether different affair. Modern and stylish, it ditches the LV vintage suitcases of most Bruges hotels for cheeky modern art (bright-orange trumpet-playing statues, bubblegum-blowing busts), a slick bar-lobby and chic design. The rooms are all dark-wood floors and chocolate furnishings enlightened by the odd bit of design flair, and are surprisingly large.

A gorgeous, gabled, yellow-hued 18th-century mansion, this is just the place to play lord of the manor, even if the rooms have been modernized, and many of the period details have disappeared. Outside, the exterior is so pretty you may not wish to leave the grounds, while breakfast is served in the garden or tapas-bar restaurant, which opens until midnight on most evenings. Best of all is the setting: the hotel lies on the edge of Minnewater Park, one of the city's prettiest, and quietest expanses, only 10 minutes' walk from the bustle of the city center.

King Leopold II, who dabbled in architecture, helped to design this grand Art Deco beachfront building, which first opened in 1933 and was the only grande-dame hotel in Oostende to survive the pummeling of World War II. Tile floors, high ceilings, and wide verandas on the sea are some of its charms, and most guest rooms have balconies.