Hôtel Van Belle - Brussels

We came for the Jazz Marathon weekend. The hotel is in a very dirty and poor area but once inside everything was very clean and we were well looked after. Towels were fluffy and the bathroom clean and functional. The room was quite large with 2 comfy chairs and coffee table as well as a huge and comfortable bed. 10 minutes walk to the centre of Brussels and also 10 minutes walk to Gare du Midi so we spent nothing on transport. The hotel also had a free shuttle bus service to the town centre. For the prices charged we were very pleased with Hotel Van Belle.

We made good use of the free shuttlebus in the evening. Great service. Hotel is in walkingdistance of the centre of Bruxelles. Nice people. Hotel with a century of history, as you can see on photos an the walls in the hotel

Rooms are not exactly like pictured in photographs. I would describe the hotel as a 2 star hotel rather than 3. Breakfast was good but lacking in sweet choices, such as croissants. Rooms were rather clean but the bathroom wasn't smelling so pleasantly.

Good service and friendly and helpful staff. Small but clean rooms and my only complain is that the room smelled like people had smoked there and the cigarette smell does not go away. The smell of the room was horrible. They even offer a shuttle service to nearby downtown but you can walk as it´s not too far away. Good breakfast too.

Very pleasant stay and the courtesy bus was an excellent extra. I have already recommneded it to a friend

The hotel met my expectations regarding the quality-price proportion. The staff was friendly, standard buffet breakfast, only my room was more than tiny. The walking distance to the very centre of Brussels is a great advantage of the hotel. Shuttle service from the Gare Midi to the hotel also works.

Staff from hotel are very friendly, and You feel a warmth welcome. The quality y of the bufete has to be improved, waitress are very friendly .. The hotel is divided in two total differrent áreas , the old building and the new part.....it looks bad echen You stayimin the old part......discriminated La zona no es buena, y es bastante sucia, la gente del barrio aunque de diferentes nacionalidades pero todos respetuosos.... El staff del hotel muy amable, pero el edificio tiene una parte muy vieja y otra más moderna, si tienes suerte te hospedas en lo nuevo... Dicen que es atendido por la familia de los mismos dueños, pero no se nota. El sistema de llave de las habitaciones es muy viejo, con cerradura y llaves viejas, si se te olvida cerrar tu puerta metiendo la cerradura, cualquiera puede entrar a tu habitación ...que atrasó de tecnología en países de 1er mundo..No?

it located at the rough party of the city. but they provide coaches to centre and train station. My parents and I travelled together, we do feel unsafe walking from train station to hotel at night.

Well, as others said, the hotel location is near to center, 10 min walking you are in the center, BUT the surrounding of the hotel is not the best, I want to say at the beginning you feel that you are not in Europe, there are only immigrants and the streets are messed up (with a lot of rubbish). But I have to say thanks to that, that there is like the immigrants place, I have eat one of the best Kebabs that I have ever eat, and the food was really cheap there (not as the center) :P... So I recommend It! :P And anotherthing, the breakfast was great!! with a lot of things "tortilla", sausage, cereals, chocolate, ....

Hotel has neglected on maintenance work inside rooms. Shower fitting was incompetant and light need changing; but noone bothers.

We stayed 3 nights, many others only as a break in their journey for 1 night. Breakfast left a lot to be desired on the quality front and the rooms were stuffy, dated and noisy. Surrounding area very run down and not suitable for tourists I.e. no bars or restaurants. However is is only 10-15min from the centre and Brussels Midi. Not somewhere I would return to.

The hotel looks bad from the outside and the surrounding is not too nice - but the rooms were nice and clean. The location is good, quite central. The breakfast buffet was really nice for the price - the breakfast room is not very nice though. Excellent value for the money.

1st time in this hotel, found on website, and very pleased with the stay at the hotel

Enjoyed our stay very much. Staff very polite, lovely old hotel started back in the 1930's. Plenty of atmosphere. Hoetl offers a free shuttle bus service to the nearest station which has a direct line to Brussels International airport. Also a free shuttle bus sevice in the early eveing and late evening to the town centre.

i wasnt very pleased as there were people makeing so much noise till 3 in the morning so didnt get any sleep and the next night it was 1 30 in the morning so we wasnt very happy and wouldnt go back there again

Hotel is very old, needs renovation urgently. and definetly needs sound isolation. The noise from street and from other rooms kept me awake.

The hotel itself is good but its location is horrible. Nothing is in walking distance. Closest metro station is at least 10 min away. You do not feel safe walking back to hotel when it is dark. Infact, you do not feel like you are in Brussels.

The Hotel was very nice! It was comfortable. The Hotel is near the bus station and the Old Town. I recommend it!

Morning Staff on the reception were excellent and very very very helpful!

This hotel is good! the staffs are kind and close to midi station.

I am not sure the hotel is worth its price. I know that Brussels' hotels are not cheap, but for 100 EUR per night the comfort is not very high. On the other hand, there is much for eating during the breakfast :)

I had a good stay at Hotel Van Belle. we booked a triple room. it was not big, but it was clean and comfortable. I was satisfied with buffet breakfast. The hallway is too complicated to find our room quickly. we were able to get to Brussels Midi station by 20-minutes walk and Grand Place by 15-minutes walk. good location.

A nice hotel, a friendly staff, good breakfast, the room was clean, a little bit old furniture, but in a good condition anyway. The main problem for us was the noise outside, a group of youngsters talked very loud and made noise on a small backstreet during the night...

old-fashioned furniture, too old shower(esp curtain), very-very small shower room, TV didn`t work, good breakfest, nice shuttle service

(+) Clean room, very good breakfast. (-) It's an old hotel and surroundings are a bit wretched at first sight.

The room was clean and the breakfast ok. The shuttle service a nice plus. I found the surroundings of the hotel not so nice, but this is Brussels anyway. I found it not as dangerous as many people wrote. This is a big city and many things can happen. This hotel is ok, if you want a reasonable hotel for a good price. It is really close to the station and to the center, so if you stay just a few nights it's perfect.

Good place - within 10 min walking distance from South station. great value for money - neighbourhood a little dicey - but no issues. Staff was competetnt and I would defintely return to this place

we got lost. i dont know if its just because its holiday, but the area is scary because very few people around and everybody is looking at you because we look like we are in a wrong place. and the area in the environment is not Caucasian. im not a racist but they are not Caucasian in the area. we just felt scared in that area... im sorry but its the truth for us... the room is not clean. old. and kind of smells. but still sleep-able. have small old tv. no free wifi internet. their is an area nearby, across the other street, a bar that is full of gay people. so i recommend it to gay couples.

It was pricey and further from city center than I would have liked as it did not feel safe to walk around the area at night. When asked about staying additional days, the price increased drastically and there was no discount offered as current guests. Overall the hotel itself is nice if you already know all the tram schedules and are prepared to keep on guard after midnight.

As mentioned by others the location is not the best but the hotel itself is OK. Would I stay there again? Yes if the price is right.

I would stay here anytime i come to Brussels,initially we were very hesitant reading the other reviews on surrounding and security but it was very safe and easily accessible. The staff were helpful and breakfast was decent. its good value for money!! all the best van belle

For a very economic hotel, I was anticipating far worse. Everything was quite clean, I welcomed the soap and hair dryer in the bathroom, the clean towels every day, and the very reasonably priced wifi in the rooms. My only complaint was the noise which carried into my room late at night, and the fact that the staff had difficulty relaying my messages to me from outside callers. But for these prices, I could put up with these annoyances.

Very nice hotel, hust 10 minutes walking from central square.

The hotel and the room were clean. I had some trouble when I call to the recepcionist because he didn´t understand my english. The breakfast didn´t have great variety in sweets, but it was fine. The sorroundings are not good and the hotel is a little bit far from the centre. A very good relationship between price and quality. I recommend it.

The hotel is good enough for the price. Service can be improved, as well as some details, especially in public areas. Internet is not free, even if reasonably cheap. Shuttle from railway station was free and useful. The room was better than expected.

Frist time in Brussels, enjoyed our stay very much. Great hotel and very useful free shuttle service to/fm centre and to Midi train station. Recommended.

Good value by European standards. Neighborhood is "ify" but never had a problem there in several stays over the past few years.

Good for 49 € but not for 200 €...

The ratio of price vs quality is excellent. The service is excellent. The cleanliness in the rooms requires a bit more thoroughness but the rooms are very comfortable. The staff is very welcoming except for one staff member (a lady) who should ensure to be more welcoming with clients. The hotel is generally well situated in terms of transport to and from the city centre. Keep it up, Hotel Van Belle!!! We will surely come back!!!

Pros: Hotel in walking distance to both BrusselsMidi and city centre; hotel staff extremely helpful; good breakfast. Cons: area is not the safest (but has some good arabic restaurants); problems with the hot water at peak times.

Very bad hotel, the three stars indicate are really not in relation with the quality of the hotel. The normal price which is 200euros is a thelf, i would never pay more than 54euros.

Unexpectedly nice hotel with clean spacy rooms, welcoming staff and very affordable price. It is located in a walking distance from Bruxelles-Midi which was very important for me as long as I had a shuttle to Bruxelles-Charleroi airport at 4 a.m. Just note - the hotel is NOT located in the centre of Brussels (it is not inside Brussel's 'pentagon'), but still very close to it and in a 30-40-minutes walking distance from Grand Place. If you want to have great value for money (I paid 52EUR for 1 night in Double room and think it was excellent price) this hotel would be a very good choice.

Overall stay was alright considering the price paid. We were not expecting 5 star hotel and we got exactly what we were expecting and not less. Eveything was just fine except for the Breakfast, I personally didn't like it. the food wasn't that good and there weren't variety to choose from. The resaturant arrabgment wasn't that good as well, as they are having bg tables for groups more than they are having smaller ones. The neighbourhood wasn't good but not dangerous. It is this kind of places with mixed cultures, mainly Morrocons, but as far as I experienced it wasn't dangerous. Overall we needed a safe, clean and cheap [place to spend the night there because we were out th whole day, and Van Belle was a good choice.

Bad area, I did not feel safe on my own, the hotel is not very welcoming.

The hotel staff was friendly, with good and helpful information. Computer connection was not the best, but staff accommodated me by giving me access to their own computer. Room was very clean, linen, towel service was very good. Excellent value. Good location. Walking distance to Center but not really to the train station, especially with luggage. Note that the shuttle service had restrictive hours, and the location was not in a "shopping" district. I would recommend it for travelers of all ages.

All is very good, but late evening and night near to hotel is unsafe

Hotel staff doesn't seem to have a clue. No help as in providing maps or failing internet connection in the room. At check-out we requested to redo the invoice as the original had the wrong name and receptionist said it was impossible. We managed to get it done only after insisting. Towels and pillows are clean but old so they stink a bit even after washed. Cleanliness of rooms is above average and breakfast is superb! Surroundings are not touristically attractive since the hotel is in an off-the-track position but very good for business. Internet connection available and fast for a very cheap price (5€ for 48h).

Hotel is good (price/quality) but location is a problem, specially the surrondings. I would not recommend to walk during the night in that area.

Staff was very welcoming and it is located only 10 minutes (walking) from the center of Brussels. It was a very well-run hotel, offering bus trips to a few locations. The only downside was its location. The neighbourhood surrounding the hotel is a little rundown but don't let that stop you from staying here.

Hotel decor is dull, but so what at that price - €49 for two including the most tasty and filling breakfast I have ever had in a hotel located between the UK and Germany. About 500m from the Gare du Midi, which is handy, but make sure you have a clear map.

Very good quality at a very best price. I´ve written another questionary similar like this one when I left the Hotel, so they know my opinion. I´ve also suggested them to follow in this way.

la prima impressione è stata negativa per quanto riguarda l'ubicazione nel quartiere. I servizi dell'hotel invece sono stati buoni e la colazione ottima e abbondante.

uhh the hotel is pretty good if you're just gonna use it to sleep but I can't say its the best. The employees were extremely nice but the rooms were just to tight and the bathroom smelled very bad. No air conditioning so you have to leave the windows open and the street is very loud so if you're a light sleeper you might not like this hotel.

Ottimo rapporto qualità prezzo. Camere ampie, pulite, ottima e varia colazione. Comodo a Bruxxeles Midi ed al centro, raggiumgibili a piedi senza progblemi il personale freddino (forse la lingua) consigliato a tutti, anche a noi che sicuramente torneremo.

Sólo creo que tendría que agregar personal para el traslado del equipaje. Gracias.

Hotel correct, bon rapport qualité prix et proche du centre ville mais situé dans un quartier très mal famé et peu sûr. La personne qui m'accompagnait a été victime d'un vol à l'arrachée ! Bilan du week end : très mauvais souvenir et plus de sac avec tous les papiers à refaire! A noter, la police belge est plutot sympa mais on se serait bien passés de cette mésaventure !!!

Good variety at breakfast, but unfortunately only instant coffee and juice drink rather than real juice.

I have applied to the services of this hotel several times, only for short visits, using a variety of rooms and confort - not all up to standards. There was an improvement during the last visits.I thing their facilities are good for business travel and short time accomodation

Great hotel. Better and bigger than what I imagined. Includes breakfast, it was very good. There is a van that takes you to the center and back to the hotel. They have certain hours. Very good service. My room was excellent. Definitely would repeat.

Abbiamo prenotato una tripla. Stanza piccola e un po' vecchiotta. In generale l'albergo è più vecchio di quanto non sembri dalle foto e nonostante anche i dintorni non siano dei migliori, l'albergo si trova in buona posizione, a cinque minuti a piedi dalla stazione centrale e con un comodissimo servizio di navetta. Cortesi e disponibili alla reception. In complesso bene, raccomandato a chi non ha grosse pretese.

15 minutes walk from center. Small and clean rooms. Friendly staff.

The carpet felt dirty or old. I've been to many other cheaper hotels in Europe with much better cleanliness. I suppose this is okay/doable if you're on a tight budget.

The service personnel is not interested at all in giving reliable information to its guests(e.g. room availability or possibility to move around the city).

Our car was broken into due to the lack of any warning that this hotel is located in the most criminal neighbourhood of Brussels and actually in the most criminal neighbourhood I ever travelled to (been around the world from Cuba to Asia Pacific). I would recommend to parc and not leave the car until you reach a guarded parking. I was even made fun of by the robbers when I walked towards the centre on my new shoes and a new bought toothbrush in my pocket.

Breakfast was fantastic, the staff went out of their way to help, particularly offering to shuttle us to the station and into town.

I have been given a very small room, completely different then than one I've seen in the picture. I thought that is their standard, but on the next day I've relaised I've been given the worse roon in the hotel and I was paying the same price as the rest. But when I went to complain they gave me better room at the same price. I don't think I will go back again to this hotel. They should be very clear with customers if they have two different standrads and let the customer have the option!

Excellent stay. Superb breakfast. Sometimes the evening shuttle to town was late (going and coming). Otherwise, fine.

Although appearing a bit outdated, the hotel provided a decent accommodation for a family travelling on a budget vacation. The private parking was convenient, particularly taking the neighbourhood into consideration. In fact, the most important reason for considering other hotels on a later occasion would be the late night traffic of noisy and drunk youths passing the streets and alleys surrounding the hotel. On the other hand, the central location could be considered an advantage; the Grand Place is only a 15 minutes stroll away from the hotel.

The hotel represents value for money. However I probably won't return because the walls are quite thin and I would rather pay a touch more and stay in a nicer area.

The room was OK. The personnel, recepcionist at the arrival, not friendly. Neibourhood not nice. Transportation service to Grand Place OK. Breakfast just good. The hotel is not bad but even the location is close to the station and that s confortable,the streets are not sufficiently sure. The room as I say was clean and confortable. Probably is an hotel for few days.

All Right! Perfect for three friends in holiday!

Good relationship between price/quality. Not. far from railway station and the center of the city. Though yu may think the district is dangerous the people are friendly. Breakfast is excellent for Europe!

Dommage que cet hôtel se situe dans un quartier de Bruxelles pas trop accueillant, sale et surtout extrêmement bruyant. Il faudrait que les fenêtres des chambres soient mieux isolées contre le bruit extérieur. Bravo par contre pour les navettes gratuites mises à disposition par l'hôtel.

Hotel staff were unfriendly and unhelpful. Bath tub pipe dispells rusty bits. In our room, it was not possible to take a shower without wetting the entire bathroom floor area (inadequate screening).

The hotel was primarily run by men with a negative attitude towards females. The minibus was not disabled/wheelchair friendly due to the high step onto bus. The room was very small and the beds were less than single size ??? The initial reception was that we had no booking and they were doing us a favour in taking us at all. The breakfast was good but no t/c facilities in the bedroom.

price/quality ratio is Ok. surroundigs are a bit noisy and pillows in the room were tiny. but hotel is Ok in general.

We walked to the hotel from Gare Midi. It was a bit tricky as we used an old map. It is only 5 blocks, but the map on the venere site is not sufficient. It is another 5 block walk from the Hotel to the "Grand Place", but the blocks around the hotel are a bit depressed. We also noticed an odd behavior at night. Young men would drive alone in cars playing loud arabic music, then stop, get out and dance a bit, then pee on the wall, and drive on. A bit annoying on a hot night where you need to keep the window open for ventilation. I would look for a place with AC if it is hot out. Price was good, and facilities were OK given the price, but you get what you pay for.

The breakfast was appauling, watered down "multi-vitamin" juice. The receiptist was extremely rude, bedroom was small. The bathroom shower tap was really stiff, i couldnt pull it myself. But the room was clean, with nice sheets and good just to stay a night or two.

The hotel was clean but old and worn around the edges the safe in the room was broke we had to use one in reception. The restaurant was not open in the evening and there was nowhere that I would go to eat near to the hotel, but the hotel shuttle bus would take you to the city centre at night last bus back is 11-05pm

The shuttel service was great, the driver was very helpful and kind, the room was extremly hot( had to sleep with open door&window), the location was so noisy (music till 3am), breakfast was rich, the staff were helpful except one girl in the reception.

A very nice stay. Friendly staff. Good breakfast. A bit of a 'basement smell' on the ground floor, but for the price I dont think you will find a better deal in Brussels.

We were surprised by the spaciousness of the room : very little... But it was clean and this price in the center of Bruxelles is very cheap (we paid 75€ for a double room with breakfast... After all, a 7/10 seems OK ;-) And the service is very correct ;-)

good

Apart from the "exotic" location, the hotel is pretty comfortable and offers everything you need for a low rate. Beside, the room has a trendy interior decoration and amazing corridors !

Good value for the money. Conveniently located, walking distance to the Grand Place and Gare du Midi (about 1 mile). Contrary to other reviews, the neighborhood is working class and was not "rough" The shuttle service was great and the service was good, but not too much English was spoken by some of the staff. The breakfast was better than most. Overall, we had a good stay at the hotel.

Best price in town, if booked by Internet. The only negative point I can recall was the noise coming from the street in front of my room during the friday-saturday night (people talking loud).

Extremely good value for money, especially with the free shuttle bus to centre and station. Excellent breakfast and pleasant public areas. We booked a second night for our return journey while there which was cancelled by mistake but they found us a room anyway in spite of being fully booked.

The rooms are OK but the surroundings are really ugly. The only restaurant available is the restaurant of the hotel, which is hopefully good

It was my first time in Brussels and I had heard many good things about the city. Finding the Hotel Van Belle was difficult and the area in which the hotel is situated was absolutaley appauling. For the price of the room it was disgraceful. I could have had a 4 star hotel in th city centre for 15 euros more and was very dissapointed with this. Basically staying at this hotel completely ruined my experience of Brussels and I was happy to leave.

It's a little far from the Midi Station. It costs 7 or 8 euros by taxi from the station to this hotel.

Satisfait de l'hôtel mais l'environnement était assez surprenant.

As I read before booking this hotel, the surrounding area is not the best. Lots of noise on the streets during our weekend stay. The hotel is located just a few steps from the tram station. Great value for money. Would stay there again.

I had damp sheets - this was not the light side of the staying. However the breakfast in the morning made things better... It is quite ok as a low budget hotel. You get your own room(and hopefully dry sheets), bath, phone and TV for 26 euros - it is quite good, isn't it?

Not a nice sorrounding at all. In a part of the city where you look around you, going out. The hotel offers a shuttle to the city (takes only 5 min) which is welcommed because you don't want to walk this way.

Easy walking distance to places of interest and they operate a courtesy shuttle which was a real bonus.

This is the first time I stayed at Van Belle.The hotel is quite far away from Gare du Midi and nearest metro station.But Van Belle provide a good services, clean & comfortable room. I recommend this Hotel for budget travellers.

The hotel is near the centre, however it seems to be not very secure at night because of the number of taverns in the area. The good news are that the hotel providesfree shuttle service downtown and to Midi station.

My number one reason for choosing this hotel was it's proximity to the train station and the fact that they offered free shuttle service to the station. As I had a late arrival, I called in advance to make sure that shuttle still was running. I was promised it did. However, on arrival to the train station, when I called for the shuttle, I was told that it was too late. The room was one of the smallest I ever saw. In addition, the air was so dry that I woke up with red eyes and a sore throat. Finally, the breakfast... If you love fat and sugar but hate fruit and vegetables, this is the hotel for you. The so called warm dishes were all luke warm. One tiny little napkin was provided under the cup. When asking for some more, the staff pointed out that I already had one under my cup, and were very unwilling to provide me with more!!!

not a great place... hotel & rooms quite dirty. surrounding very hugly. a good thing: 10 mins from downtown (walking)