Hotel Novotel off Grand'Place

On the Place Agora (Agora Square), at no.120, Marché aux Herbes street. You will be on the Grand Place within a 2 minute walk, via Colline street. The nearest underground station: Gare Centrale (a 5 min walk). Transfer time to Bruxelles Midi railway station on the underground (arrivals and departures of the Thalys trains): 20 min from Gare Centrale (with a change).

This hotel is ideal for families. It is aptly called "off Grand Place", because it does not stand on the Grand Place itself, but on an area just next to it. There is a play area for children between the reception and the restaurant: only at the weekend though (few children stay at this hotel on week days). There is also a PlayStation, available during the week as well as on the weekends. The rooms all have a sofa-bed, so they can all accommodate 3 people. Some of the rooms can even accommodate 4 people.
Accommodation tip
Two children under 16 can stay for free in their parents' room. Even breakfast is complimentary for them.

A 5-storey building renovated in 2006, the Novotel Brussels off Grand Place has weekend prices which are approximately 40% cheaper than the prices during the week. Make the most of it! Particularly since this hotel is almost flawless from the reception to the rooms, via the bar and the restaurant area. The exterior façade has kept the style of the Grand Place, the interior decoration is reasonably contemporary (this is a Novotel hotel), the colourful lounge bar boasts smooth leather sofas and armchairs, with a terrace on the side of the hall, open to a quiet backyard, separated from Place d'Espagne (Spain Square) by a wire fence. There is another terrace alongside the entrance façade, with a view of the semi-pedestrian Place Agora. Tables and chairs are laid out in the milder season, from mid-May to September-October. A small gym is available for the guests: It is to be used by sports enthusiasts, because there are only three apparatus available in the room with no view of the outside. What a shame that a whirlpool bath or a massage room had not been in the building plans.

Out of the 138 rooms (with granite-like white walls and cream laminate furniture), 28 are for smokers. They are all equipped with a sofa-bed (for 3 people), or even two (for 4 people). As for their surface area, the doubles are 26 m², the quadruples 35 m². It is comfortable for a couple; but if you come with your family, do not bring too much luggage so as not to find the room too small for you all. Depending on the view, the windows look out on to Place Agora (lively), Marché-aux-Herbes street or the buildings around Place d'Espagne. There is, therefore, no disadvantageous view. In order to create more living space in the bedroom, the bathroom takes up a very limited amount of the space. It is equipped with a shower as well as a bathtub (except in the smokers' rooms, but this should soon be harmonised). As there is hardly enough space to move between these amenities and the sink, a sliding door (modern and translucent) has been added. Fortunately for families, the toilet is separate from the bathroom. A hair-dryer, hospitality products (30cl "pen" doses by Accor Thalassa). Other amenities: a mini-bar, tea and coffee facilities, air-conditioning, a telephone, a flat screen TV.

Breakfast is served in the bar and the restaurant area, called Foodsquare brasserie. The tables set up in the morning are located on the side of the room bordering the backyard (a terrace is available in the warm season). The buffet is set up close to the tables: it includes hot dishes (scrambled eggs, sausages, bacon and beans) and cold ones (cheese, cold cuts, fresh fruit salad, pastries, various types of sliced bread, wrapped up ginger bread). Coffee is served at your table, a very pleasing "luxury", and a citrus-squeezer (included in the price of the buffet) gives you the chance to have freshly squeezed orange juice. It is fun to watch this machine in action, remember that 2 or 3 oranges only are enough to fill up your glass: this way, you will not waste the vitamin C of the juice by leaving it lying there. Lunch and dinner are served à la carte. You will be seated at the tables on the mezzanine, near the bar, in the TV dining area (with a television screen) or on the terrace, in front of the entrance to the restaurant (on fine days). The prices are more reasonable on week days than on the weekend, with a two course meal for £12.30. But the meals are appetising: there is Belgian inspired cuisine; lamb steak with chicory and cod in a must crust; or fusion-inspired cuisine; stir-fry scampi or red curry chicken. A dish costs between £13 and £19.