B-aparthotel Moretus Antwerp

For about £70 a night, the executive studio was very reasonably priced. It was huge, with a bathroom, kitchenette, and dining area, and it was clean and comfortable. The decor felt a little dated and the towels had seen better days, but it was great for the price. Parking and WiFi were free, and there's a supermarket nearby. It's just outside Antwerp's low emission zone, though getting into town on foot takes a long time, just under an hour. We'll definitely stay again.

The price was low, and getting to central Antwerp by metro was easy. The room could have been cleaner, and some of the decor looked dated. The bath and desk chair were quite worn. For a night or two, it works well enough for what it costs.

That late-night stop on my motorbike trip to Germany last October was exactly what I needed. I got there after midnight, and the guy at reception made me feel welcome, poured me a couple of pints, and chatted about bikes until I was ready to sleep. The location was handy and the price was great. That bloke deserves a raise and a promotion, he seemed like a seriously hard-working, sharp guy.

The room itself needed work: the walls needed repairing, the carpet had cuts in several places, and there was no fridge or minibar. But the charges and deposit were the bigger problem. After I had paid the website price for one night, reception asked for a tourist tax of nearly 5 euros and a deposit of about 23 euros. The clerk said it was in case I used the minibar without paying or ran off with the coffee maker. I checked in around 13:50. Later, when I wanted to go into town and wasn't sure whether I'd be back that night, I was told I could only get my deposit back if I agreed not to return. If I took the refund and then came back, I'd have to pay the full price for another night. The alternative was to leave the deposit, but they said it would never be refunded if I didn't come back.