8 Best Hotels in Ghent, Ghent and the Leie

This stately boutique hotel, on the quayside of the Graslei, occupies two floors of Korenmarkt's magnificent old neo-Gothic post office, which was the setting for the 1913 World's Fair before settling into a life of service. Its cocktail bar-lounge Cobbler makes a charmingly bookish old-world escape, dotted with old sketches by the building's original architect, Louis Cloquet, and wax royal seals; afternoon tea is served here until 5. There's also an honesty bar up in the rafters if you just want a bit of quiet. Rooms are elegant and simple, with all but the smallest "stamp" rooms split over two levels. Most come scattered with old writing desks and vintage ephemera, while the most fairytale suite of all sits high in the old clock tower, affording some of the finest views in Ghent. 

A truly unique B&B crafted by a pair of interior designers and antiques dealers, Jan and Marc, with a reverence for the past that borders on the zealous. This beautiful mansion house dates mainly from the 18th century, built by the Lord of Leeuwerghem, who began fashioning it in the style of the day: elegant salons decorated in huge canvases and Chinese-print wallpaper. The current owners have worked wonders in restoring as much of that era as possible, with the manor house (where they live and share their space) almost like a living antique. A magnificent courtyard parterre garden separates the main living area and the recently renovated servants' quarters to the rear. There you'll also find a converted workshop where a vast, original glass-and-lead window pours light into the more modern kitchen-apartment space. There is nothing else like it in Belgium.

Genial owners Annik and Kristof have turned this elegant, 1756-built town house into a delightful stay. A communal lounge comes with lashings of tea, coffee, and cake to devour among newfound friends in front of the fireplace. High-ceilinged walls are decked in mostly Belgian contemporary art, while many of the original fixtures and fittings have been kept, adapted, or sensitively replaced. Those that didn't make it (old doors, etc.) have even been recycled as decoration. In the rafters, suites have been carved from the old attic, where the original beams, built without using metal nails, are still in situ. You don't even have to bother with keys; keypads have replaced locks on the rooms. This is a living relic that has been wonderfully preserved and updated, and the owners even run a home-wares shop on Serpentstraat if you're taken with their design. 

Stepping into the modest front door of this hotel on the Korenlei cannot prepare you for the change of scene that awaits within—behind the medieval brick facade lies a futuristic glass atrium containing the reception and lounge, from where glass elevators carry you up to balconies on several upper floors, off which are the large and well-appointed guest rooms.

Lying on the banks of the Leie, Hostel Uppelink is cheap, cozy, and surprisingly storied. It occupies one of the oldest buildings in Ghent, dating from the early 13th century, and was once home to a Spanish king, though like the rest of the Korenlei this step-gabled canal house got a retro-medieval overhaul in time for the 1913 World Fair. It's also a meeting point for both the free city walking tour (10:30, 1, and 6 daily; booking required) and Kayaks Korenlei (€29 for three hours) if you want to paddle the canal. The dorms are surprisingly large; the private rooms are neat and clean, with views out over the canal. The best panorama is from the breakfast room, though, as you tuck into your morning repast (€6.90).

This unassuming boutique hotel in the Patershol area features 40 rooms, split between old and new parts of the building, a pool (open April–October), bar, small gym, and a fixation with Japanese-style toilets make it an unsuspecting gem. Simple, elegantly designed rooms come with black-and-white murals of town life splashed across their walls. Try to bag one at the front; a few even have balconies with canal-side views. Duplex rooms in the older section are bigger for families if a little sparser in look. If you can't bag a room, note that it has just opened a sister hotel and comic-book museum in the nearby Prisenhof area called Comic Art Hotel. 

This converted 18th-century town house hotel is one of the more distinguished addresses in town, with a luxurious spa that occupies the former stables and the pervading sense that you've just stepped onto a particularly meticulous film set. Neutral greys and Scandinavian browns have replaced the old camp majesty of what used to be one of Ghent's most flamboyant hotels, but it's no less impressive. The addition of the excellent LOF restaurant is also a definite bonus. And while the rooms are a tad toned down these days, the addition of a free minibar that you're actively encouraged to rifle through and empty means you probably won't notice.

For those unaware, "Yalo" is a local slang term for "Wow." Ghent's new urban boutique hotel certainly gives off a need to impress. What else could have prompted them to build its "disco toilets"—yes, they're public bathrooms with a big button on the wall that turns off all the lights, strobes flashing colors (epileptics beware!), and blares out deafening dance music. Indeed, there is something sweatily hip about it all, yet YALO is also pretty impressive. There are plans for Ghent's first rooftop bar to open here in 2022; the central bar-restaurant does a fine line in cocktails and makes good use of what was once a vacant mall, and there's just no other hotel quite like it in the city. A humidor, gym, and excellent wine cellar (the owner even has his own Belgian vineyard nearby) tick off the luxuries, while many rooms come with fine balcony views. Just don't hit that damn button!