Best Western Flanders Lodge

Parking was excellent, with plenty of room for vans and long vehicles. Breakfast was good, the rooms were nice, and the staff were friendly, especially at the bar. The walls are a bit thin, so a noisy neighbour can be a problem. Some windows face straight onto pathways, and with no net curtains, the rooms can feel a little exposed.

The staff were great, there's plenty of parking, and the on-site bar and breakfast are excellent. It's a super hotel on the outskirts of Ypres, Belgium. It loses a star for the drinking water: tap water in the rooms is safe, but it's warm and tastes awful, so you have to go in and ask for bottled water. Even so, I'd recommend it.

The hostel is close to a lot of the battlefields, which was great. I went on a school history trip and stayed in the student hostel, not the actual hotel, so I can't comment on the rest of the hotel. The student rooms were very questionable, though. The walls are extremely thin, so you hear a lot from other rooms. There's one small window, and in my room it only opened about a centimetre. The tap water definitely didn't seem safe to drink, so I'd recommend bringing plenty of water. There's no lock on the bathroom door, which can be awkward if, like me, you're sharing with five other boys. One of the ladders up to a bunk bed kept falling off and could be dangerous. The bunk beds are rock hard, so try to get one of the single beds quickly. We had one small TV with no remote, though it did have some good channels. The air conditioning worked, but could break if you messed with it too much. You'll need a European charging adapter, as there are no UK sockets. The few sockets near the beds are in odd spots, so you'll have to wait your turn to charge your phone. Dinner was a small block of chicken on peas. We were all in despair, but then the staff brought two massive bowls of chips for each table, and gave us more after we'd finished the first. Dessert was vanilla ice cream, which wasn't bad. The games room had a punch testing machine, two table tennis tables, and a pool table. There was also an outdoor area with football goals, so you might get to play football if you're lucky. It's alright if you're with friends and messing around, and only staying one night.

It was okay. I got to see some things I'd never really thought about before, and it was definitely an experience. My room was good, with four single beds and one bunk bed that fit all six of us. I wouldn't go again.