The Dominican

Check-in is 3pm and we arrived at 3pm but the room was only ready at almost 4pm. The story was that it was cleaned already but "awaiting inspection". We were handed 2 bar coupons with a blithe apology in rapid fire French for our 50 min wait. The vacuuming in the room left much to be desired. When we got into the room on the 1st day, there was a pistachio at the side of the bed. My sister's dust allergy was triggered throughout our 4 day stay. When we opted for housekeeping on the 3rd of the 4 days we stayed, the same pistachio remained there after the cleaning staff were done. Towels and bed linens were refreshed but the coffee/tea and bathroom amenities were not. If you choose the Deluxe twin room like we did, please note that the room is 24 metre square and there is only room to open up one medium sized suitcase on the ground. Our other suitcase had to be accessed via the wardrobe which was spacious enough to keep the 2nd suitcase in. Location wise, it's ideal and a stone's throw from Grand Place - the historic city centre, and many shops and good brasseries. It's a 10 min uphill walk from the hotel to the nearest train station called Brussel Centraal / Bruxelles-Midi which will bring you straight to the Brussels Airport in 17 min on the direct train (1st class carriage €12.10). The buffet breakfast is plentiful and of good quality (with eggs cooked to order) in a nice space with a courtyard view crewed by pleasant staff fluent in English. The bar has a relaxing ambience with an outdoor view and affordable drinks. My guide is always how much the increasingly rare digestif liqueur Chartreuse Verte costs. It was €14 per pour. Note : You get a free coupon for a soft drink/coffee/beer/wine if you pass up on room cleaning. If you have a short stay, you should as there wasn't much cleaning done.

Lovely stay with lovely staff!