La Bouverie

The room was comfortable and nicely decorated, though smaller than what I'm used to in an American hotel. I stayed here over Memorial Day weekend in May 2021 with the Buffalo Soldiers Motorcycle club, and the owner and her partner made me feel at home. They offered to keep my Harley in their garage out of the rain and even treated me to a beer. She spoke fluent English; he didn't, but his genuine friendliness came through all the same. I travel a lot and care about service, welcoming staff, and cleanliness, and this cozy B&B did well on all three. If my group returns to Belgium, I'd recommend everyone stay here.

We were left shaken by what happened at the B&B on Saturday, September 14, and I only feel able to write about it now. My friend and I arrived late on Friday, September 13. A family member had collected keys for two rooms: one was for Friday night, and my friend's partner would join us on Saturday, when both rooms were reserved. There was nobody there when we arrived, which we knew about, and we had instructions for getting inside and finding our room. On Saturday morning, my friend, who had shared my room, wanted to use the toilet. Since she already had the key to the second room that she'd reserved for Saturday night, she went there for more privacy. The female owner came upstairs and immediately shouted at her for entering before 5 p.m. The keys had been handed over on Friday. Because my friend had used the toilet, the owner then screamed that we had to pay the full price for both rooms. My friend objected that the room was hers for Saturday, and she had only used its toilet. The shouting went on, and the owner's husband stood watching, seemingly in disbelief. The owner grabbed our luggage and tried to lock it away. She also took my friend's phone from her hand while my friend was trying to call her partner. Then the owner locked the front door and kept shouting that we had to pay for two rooms. I tried to calm her and explain that we'd slept and showered in one room, and had only used the toilet in the other, which my friend was due to occupy later that evening. The owner became even more hysterical, insisting the room had to be cleaned again because the toilet had been used. That made no sense to me. Her husband eventually stepped in when he saw how frightened we were and how enraged his wife had become. We felt physically and mentally abused for no reason. Still in shock, I managed to open the door and get my friend's phone back. We paid for the room we'd used on Friday, and the owner told us to leave and never return. I have video footage of my friend being attacked and can provide it on request. A weekend that should have been relaxing became a nightmare. Shame on you for treating guests this way. We deserve a written apology.

It was an upsetting, stressful stay, and I wouldn't recommend this place. I strongly advise looking elsewhere. The owner seemed completely unprofessional and close to hysterical. Video can be provided on request.

We'd definitely come back. Jean-Francois and Isabelle are lovely, enjoy a chat, and put real effort into making guests comfortable. They also gave us enthusiastic help with local walks and places to eat. On arrival we got a warm welcome, a full tour, plus a snack and drink. The rooms are tastefully and authentically decorated, with what you need for a comfortable stay, and the owners did the renovation themselves with great taste. One drawback was the noise: we could hear other guests talking and snoring, though we still slept well. We paid €306 for two nights, and breakfast wasn't included as we'd failed to notice. It was another €26.50 per person per day, but worth it, especially for Jean-Francois's excellent omelet. It may not be the cheapest B&B, but we had a great experience, and it's set a high standard for future trips.