Hotel Castel

The owner is really nice, and it’s close to the train station without being so close that it gets noisy. The rooms are clean and have what you need for a simple stay. Nothing fancy or special.

You can walk straight across the roundabout to the train station, so it’s excellent for station access.

It seems a bit overpriced at first, but Gent is an expensive city, and I didn’t find anything really better in town except hostels. The location is good. My third floor double was reachable by elevator, though there were still five stairs, in case that matters. It’s a very basic hotel, but clean, and everything worked OK. The bed was comfortable, though the pillows were thin. There was also a small cube fridge that felt a little weak. If you go to bed early, a room facing the square could be noisy in warm weather with the windows open. The café next door can be loud until it closes at about midnight. With the windows shut, it wasn’t a problem.

The room was OK, but a lot of money for what you get. Trams going by and people drinking in the attached restaurant made it very noisy. The hallway smelled of the Indian restaurant next door. It’s handy for the station, though getting to the city centre meant taking a bus or tram.