While planning the Belgium/Netherlands trip I found out that hotel room rates in Bruges were more expensive than that of Brussels, the capital of Belgium. To complicate things a lot of hotels were offering a room for 2 people and for a party of 3 it seemed as if the single traveler (in this case me) would have had to book a single room. What made La Maison Bruges an attractive option was that there was a room - in this case here the Cuberdon Suite - that can have 3-4 guests.
My parents and I booked the Cuberdon Suite for 4 days from 8/13-8/16, which was the days that coincided with our Bruges stay. Room rate was €175/night, which translates to around €60/night per person when you also factor in the city tax.
LOGISTICS
- Route #9 bus from the Bruges train station takes you to the stop literally next to the entrance. Stop is Visartpark.
- 10 minutes walking distance to Markt, the center of Bruges.
SERVICE
The owners are the lovely Veerle and Emiel Kelderman. They are some of the nicest proprietors I've ever met. Check-in was easy; upon check-in I had my bags sent to my room and was given a map on how to get to Markt. When my parents arrived an hour later Emiel also helped with bags, despite my parents' bags being heavy and with no elevator.
Signage in the front desk detailed house rules as well as recommendations for top sights in Bruges. The map given to me upon check-in gave restaurant recommendations.
ROOM
The suite was spacious for European standards. There was a double bed in the main room and another room that contained 2 single beds. This meant that I was able to get my own room for the duration of the stay.
- Located on the 4th floor (actually 3rd floor per European nomenclature). Note that there is no elevator to get to any of the rooms.
- Small table in the center
- Balcony (which we didn't get to use much due to the rain)
- Mini-fridge containing water, sodas and beer
- Physical key for room entry and locking
The *only* downside was that the wifi signal was a bit weak at times to the point that I had to resort to using my prepaid SIM data. This meant that Internet access was limited only to mobile. This was my only negative point about my actual stay.
BATHROOM
Very spacious. There's actually some space between the toilet, shower and sink.
BREAKFAST
In reality La Maison Bruges is a B&B. Aside from Emiel and Veerle being nice and down-to-earth people they are also responsible for preparing your breakfast every morning. Prior to my visit I stalked their FB page and I was impressed by their breakfast spread. I fell in love with their colorful fruit cups as they looked so pretty and the thing I looked forward to my stay was to actually eat their fruit cups. Initially I didn't want to eat it because the display looked too pretty to eat but they are as delicious as they look!
In addition to the fruit cups you have a bread basket, a small charcuterie tray, a small selection of jams and jellies, juice and coffee. Upon request (they'll ask you) they can make you scrambled (or in some days fried) eggs and a ham and cheese sandwich.
My family and I enjoyed breakfast so much that we took full advantage of this and didn't have to eat until dinner. Because of an early-morning tour we had to miss out one of the days. I was not looking particularly forward to this as we all loved breakfast but at least Emiel gave us water.
At one point their puppy Pluche ("fluffy") came to say hi. He even has his own Instragram handle (@pluchekelderman). This happened on the last day of breakfast. Such a cutie!
***
While La Maison Bruges is a B&B, it is classified as a "luxury B&B" and in reality it feels like staying in a cozy boutique hotel. I've been to quite a few hotel stays around the world but this has certainly been one of the most unique and hands down one of the best accommodation experiences I've ever had. Many thanks to the Keldermans for their hospitality. Will definitely stay here should I ever find myself in Bruges and I will be highly recommending them to everyone that asks me for accomodation in Bruges. read more