ibis budget Blankenberge

The room was clean and had what we needed for one night, with no frills. The hotel is right by the train station, which made getting to Brugge easy, just 11 mins. But that pillow was the thinnest I've ever had in a hotel. Even folded in half, it wasn't enough for a decent night's sleep.

The stay was good overall. When we arrived with a coach party, though, we weren't given a disabled room, and there was no staff around in the evening to ask for a shower stool or extra pillows.

I don't want to leave negative comments, but I'm writing this so someone else doesn't go through the same thing. We booked two nights, and while the hotel is right by the station, what seemed like a pleasant stay became frightening. I woke during the night with a prickling sensation and was bitten repeatedly. I can't identify what it was, but by the second day my legs were so itchy that walking was difficult. The first-floor corridor also looked quite dingy. When I checked the bed cover, I found several urine stains. I sent the hotel many photos of the bites and asked for one night's refund. My first email was ignored. The next reply said they regretted the distress, but after reviewing my information and photos, they didn't think the wounds looked like typical insect or bug bites. They said they had inspected the room and found no bedbugs or other pests. I found that response completely insincere. I don't think every room has pests or this sort of problem, but guests will have to hope they get lucky. In an addendum on 8th September, I said again that I couldn't identify the pest, only that I felt repeated pricks while sleeping there. The director disagreed. I don't believe you get bitten all over just by walking around town. Whatever it was, it wasn't bedbugs, but it was a dangerous kind of insect, different from mites or bedbugs, and the itching was so intense I couldn't walk. I've decided to add photos.

I looked forward all week to having the buffet breakfast here, then found the hotel closed that morning. At the sister hotel next door, where breakfast costs almost double, they told me it was closed because “the Lady was sick.” I kid you not. I guess that's the new normal.