Hôtel de Maître de Vaughan

We had a deluxe double room, also called a comfort room, with a peaceful view of the garden. The hotel is in a quiet neighborhood, and we enjoyed walking from Parc de Bruxelles, which took about 15 minutes. Grand Place and Magritte Museum are also not far. For the tram into Grand Place, the closest stop is Botanique, and the bus stop is Madou.

On my second visit, I booked the room with SPA, and the private sauna and jacuzzi included in the price felt like a very good deal. I’d previously stayed in the Chambre Classique, which I also enjoyed. Both times, the rooms were spacious and clean. The SPA room did have drawbacks: there wasn’t much fresh air, the ventilation ran constantly and could be noisy at night, and I got the sense it had been smoked in before. Even so, I highly recommend this hotel for a Brussels stay.

The room was spacious and modern, and the building itself is nice. But the evenings and nights were seriously disruptive. I could clearly smell smoke in my room, as if someone had been smoking somewhere in the building. There were also very loud noises at night, like people carrying heavy things or jumping on the stairs, and I couldn't sleep for most of the night. I couldn't tell whether it was staff or other guests causing the disturbances. If it was guests, the fact that there seemed to be no staff around didn't help.

The bathroom was excellent, and there was a lot of space for a city hotel. It’s a nice building, too. The staff I met were friendly, and having parking close by was useful. If you drive to Brussels, remember to sign up for the low emission zone. My only downside was that there wasn't a desk to work at.