Adornes - Bruges, Belgium 

Our family of four (including two teenagers) spent two nights at the Hotel Adornes in Bruge in June 2008. I found the hotel by researching the internet, and by communicating with the owner and her staff to find the correct room set-ups, etc. The hotel is absolutely lovely, about a 5 minute walk from the lively center of town, which is perfect for us. It is one of the cleanest, neatest hotels I've ever stayed in. The accommodations were exactly as described, including the fact that in the teenagers' room, the beds weren't pushed together, as they have been in other hotels! Thank goodness! The owner, Nathalie, gave us thoughtful and delicious recommendations for dinner, and directed us to several shops we wanted to visit. Another member of her staff directed my husband and son to an ancient local pub, off the tourist radar, which they loved. Breakfast was beautifully served and very, very generous. One of the best things was the free bicycle loans. The hotel has many bicycles on hand, and we were able to ride along the canal to the tiny village of Damme, an easy and beautifully picturesque 20-minute ride each way. I would visit this hotel again in a second - just lovely!

Hotel Adornes is located in a very historic area of Brugge. The surrounding houses are quite beautiful and the neighborhood is also very quiet. It's about a 5 minute walk to reach the main sights of the town. The room, we had a Standard on the 1st floor, was big and overlooked a small courtyard where the free bicycles were stored. The bikes are great to use - we took a Sunday morning bike ride following the route which goes in a circle around the city. It's such a beautiful place. The staff was friendly although not so talkative. But that's not a problem really. They were certainly helpful anyway when you asked for something. Breakfast was good - a nice big basket of breads, croissants, plus a layout of cheeses, meats, yogurt, museli, also sausage (and I think eggs but not certain). The ONLY downer of this hotel was the shower. There is only a hand held shower head. For a short weekend trip, no problem. But, I can imagine for longer stays this could become annoying. I would not hesitate to stay in this hotel again - especially considering that the room price includes the bike hire and breakfast.