Hotel New Regina

The location is excellent, right in the centre, with the bus stop only a two-minute walk away. We travelled here by train and used local buses to get around, and Google Maps made it easy. The hotel is modern, clean and tidy. We're staying four nights in the twin budget room, and I think it’s excellent. It comes with tea and coffee facilities, a safe, TV, small fridge, towels, little tubes of shampoo and body wash, a hair dryer, and breakfast. Both mornings so far, the room has been cleaned and made up while we were out. Breakfast is plentiful and standard European style, with covered hot plates for eggs, bacon, mushrooms, beans and hot dogs. It’s not British, so there are no British sausages. The bedrooms don't have proper wardrobes, just storage 'cubes' and a hanging rail, which we've found is typical in most European hotels. Reception isn't staffed around the clock, but staff are working in the tea room just past reception when we've come and gone. Everyone we've met has been polite and helpful with suggestions for places to visit. I'd recommend the hotel and will no doubt be back.

Peter, the proprietor, was incredibly helpful. He helped me send postcards and even tracked down postage stamps. When our Uber cancelled a 90-minute van ride at the very last minute, he found us another ride within minutes, in a vehicle large enough for all our luggage. Thank you, Hotel Regina, for being such a wonderful part of our bucket-list trip. We came for a battlefield tour, and the In Flanders Fields museum is right across the spectacular plaza. New Regina sits in the heart of beautiful Ypres, in a pedestrian-focused area full of places to eat, snack, and shop. Our room was spacious and very clean. Both the air conditioning and heater worked well when we used them, and the shower had good water pressure.

The location near the city centre was good, and the room was warm. The rest was awful. The hotel has no entrance or foyer and was mostly unstaffed. It looks like a prison block. For two people, we got 1.5 threadbare towels and no hand soap. The tiny body wash bottles weren't replenished during our stay, and the bathroom heater didn't work in sub-zero temperatures. The breakfast wasn't fresh and looked like it was from the day before. Even the butter was out of date. The packed lunches were inedible, with baguettes that seemed three days old. Our rooms weren't cleaned during our three-night stay, and the room bin wasn't emptied. Rooms 101 and 301 had no Wi-Fi.

We’ve stayed here twice, mainly because the location is so good. It’s by the main square, opposite the museum and a short walk from Menin Gate. There are lots of places to eat nearby and a fabulous chocolate shop next door. Breakfast was great, and the staff are happy to help. They run the tearoom as well as the hotel, so you may have to look for them in the other place. The rooms are comfortable, though perhaps a bit small. Blue badge holders can park for free in the market square, but parking isn’t available there on market days.