Hotel des Galeries

Hotel des Galeries' historic exterior belies its modern rooms within. The four-floor hotel is inside shopping arcade Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert, built in 1847. The arcade itself is a long expanse of marble and cast iron, and light pours in through the glazed glass roof. The hotel is homey with a bright lobby outfitted with a cushioned window seat and a wall of coffee table books. Every floor holds a sunny, windowed seating area as well. Much of the hotel is flooded with light, especially the hallways, lined in windows, and the restaurant, which is in an atrium leading to a quiet courtyard. While fine for older children, the hotel has no family-friendly amenities, so most guests are couples who want to be in the center of things. 

This boutique hotel is super central. Its immediate area teems with cafés, bars, and restaurants and is pedestrian-only, and it's inside Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert, Europe's oldest shopping arcade. De Brouckere and Gare Centrale (both lines 1 and 5) are the nearest metro stations, five minutes' walk from the hotel, and tram lines 3, 4, and 32 at station Beurs are a seven-minute walk. The Gare Centrale is one of Brussels' main railway hubs, connecting to a number of inter-city trains, including IC-35 to/from Amsterdam, as well as several RER lines. The hotel is within walking distance of nearly all Brussels' major sites. 

• One-minute walk to Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert
• Three-minute walk to Grand Place (including Hotel de Ville/Town Hall)
• Five-minute walk to Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula
• Six-minute walk to Mont des Arts/The Kuntsberg
• Seven-minute walk to Manneken Pis
• 10-minute walk to the Musical Instruments Museum
• 10-minute walk to the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium
• 13-minute walk to Notre Dame du Sablon (Church of Our Blessed Lady of the Sablon)
• 17 minutes to Cantillon Brewery (Brasserie Cantillon) by public transportation (23-minute walk) 
• 25 minutes to Brussels Airport by public transportation
• 35 minutes to the Atomium by public transportation

Rooms here are delightfully uncluttered, letting the handsome honey-colored hardwood floors, whitewashed wooden shutters, and minimalist furniture shine. Decor is similar across all 23 rooms, but each has unique artwork, many by Belgian artists, and each has a different vintage chair from nearby antiques district Sablon. Platform beds are dressed simply in crisp white linens, with stroopwafels left at turndown. The small writing desk in each room is tucked in the corner next to the window. The white-and-wood color palette feels very Zen, but the room gets pops of color from the chairs and throw pillows, a different shade in each room. Most rooms have air-conditioning; free Wi-Fi, flat-screen TVs, laptop-size safes, plush bathrobes and slippers, and Nespresso machines and kettles for making coffee and tea. Rooms have no mini-fridges, but there is a central refrigerator guests can use. The tidy rooms contrast with the sleek bathrooms tiled in vivid shades of green surrounding either a shower/tub combo or deep soaking tub and separate walk-in shower. Bathroom have hairdryers, Malin+Goetz brand toiletries, and heated towel racks. Queen Rooms are 215 to 269 square feet, Kings 269 to 323 square feet, and three duplex suites 366 to 431 square feet. Rooms overlook the street -- some have views of the stately Gothic Town Hall -- and the courtyard, and soundproofed windows block out noise. 

This boutique hotel's showcase feature is Le Comptoir des Galeries, the property's 60-seat French-Belgian restaurant helmed by French Michelin-starred chef Julien Burlat. The upmarket restaurant is on the ground floor, built into a former 175-year-old lithography shop (a few pieces of vintage equipment decorate the space). The best seats are those in the airy atrium, the tranquil courtyard and, for unbeatable people-watching, the sidewalk tables within arcade Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert. The restaurant is open to guests for room service and breakfast (included only in some room rates) and then to the public for lunch, wine and snacks, and dinner. Most diners here are local Bruxellois -- a testament to the food quality. That said, although the food is tasty, an equally toothsome breakfast at a lower cost can be had at any number of nearby cafés. The hotel has fast, free Wi-Fi throughout. Though there's no business center, things can be printed at reception, which doubles as the concierge desk.