Jason E.
Yelp
A good and useful review is appropriately caveated. It's a five star-rated hotel, so I'll hold them to my five-star standards. The only reason this hotel doesn't get five stars from me is the pillow. This hotel did almost everything right; however to get five stars from me you have to do everything right, and that means pillows. Ultimately, (and over-simplified), the traveler is paying the hotel for a place to sleep, making the bed one of the most important elements of the experience. The mattress was wonderfully comfortable; soft but not too soft. Then you lay your head down and realize your neck is canted at a 45 degree angle. That's unpleasant. Maybe an adjustment? Nope. Let's try the other pillow. Same issue. I like flatter pillows but never had an issue adjusting to a hotel pillow, until now. Fat AND firm is a bad combination.
Aside from that, the gentlemen who checked us in was very nice and helpful, with a good sense of humor. However, he had a very large stain right in the center of his hotel-issued sky blue tie. This is obviously very minor, and I don't hold it against him personally, but it was distracting. I noticed it, other people in my party noticed it. Accidents happen, and the hotel should have some spares on hand for that purpose.
Breakfast the next morning was very nice, served in a gorgeously bright room with spotless floor-to-ceiling windows letting in a huge amount of natural light. There's a chocolate station where you can cut your own chocolate; this is Belgium, after all. It's a bit dangerous, though, and fun to watch people try to cut the huge blocks. Beware of chocolate explosions. Otherwise, it's your typical European breakfast fare of eggs, bacon, sausage, an extensive bread station, fruit, cheese, cold meats, etc. All set to an expertly curated classical music playlist playing softly in the background.
Overall, this hotel is classically elegant in a tasteful, unobtrusive, and non-condescending way, offering a gorgeous and comfortable environment to enjoy. Unfortunately, the pillows will factor into whether we stay here on our next trip to Bruges, and that's too bad because I really love everything else about this hotel.