The Rose Suites

We wanted somewhere special to relax after exploring Bruges during our four-day New Year visit as a couple, and The Rose Suites’ Wellness Suite was a great fit. The private spa really felt like a spa experience, and we loved the sauna and jacuzzi. The owners have thought of lots of little touches, and they were attentive in their communication. Mark square is an easy eight-minute stroll away, with restaurants along the route and other attractions nearby. There’s also a super little supermarket just down the road for essentials. If you go, try El Churraso steak place at the T junction to the centre. We highly recommend staying here and would love to return.

Room 11 was quite nice, with two large rooms, and it was very clean. The main room has quite a bit of unused space, so a coffee table would help. One bulb wasn’t working, though we didn’t need it. There was a very kind Spanish-speaking maintenance person in the morning who would surely have fixed it. This is entirely an AirB&B-type arrangement, so keep that in mind. Our main difficulty was finding breakfast nearby: there’s a bakery five minutes one way and a convenience store five minutes the other, so putting something together was a little hard. For sightseeing, the location is fine, about a 15-minute walk to the center, and under 10 minutes to the bus for Blankenberge beach, which takes 25 minutes. One night there was a lot of furniture moving upstairs, as if they were trying out a hundred arrangements, but it eventually stopped. I didn’t see any a/c. The street is quiet and the windows have screens. The TV only has Netflix, though I can’t imagine coming here to watch television. The luggage elevator wasn’t working during our visit. It isn’t the usual hotel experience, but it was comfortable and met all our needs.

You can feel at home without ever meeting anyone. They email you the front door and room codes, and everything runs on trust. Shampoo and shower gel are already in the shower; the shared kitchen has tea, coffee, dishwasher tablets, and everything else you need. The beds were very comfortable and the shared areas were really nice, with a foosball table, huge TV, outdoor terrace, and around 3-4 places to cook and eat. We were lucky there weren’t many other guests, though I suspect the walls are quite thin. Worth a stay!

The host was brilliant and sent us all the details we needed. We stayed in the Wellness Room over New Year, and it was very clean. The town center is a great location, just a 5-6 minute walk away. The bed was a little hard and the neighbors noisy, but it wasn’t a big deal. Definitely would stay again. 8.5 out of 10.