Crowne Plaza Brugge Review

                             

The Crowne Plaza Brugge is located on Burg Square at Burg 10, Brugge. It is a stones throw to the larger Market Square where the Belfry of Brugge is located (both Squares are beautiful). Arriving by car is very challenging. Even with the GPS we had a hard time finding the hotel (I also made the mistake of looking for public parking). Without the GPS we may still be driving thru the narrow cobbled one-way streets. But once we found the front of the hotel (we saw the back many times) there were actually a few places we could park the car while we checked-in. Check-in was quick and the young man at the front desk was very friendly and helpful (I was trying to find a Citibank). He informed us that we had an upgraded room (I am a Priority Club member, but rarely stay at Priority Club properties, so it was a bit of a surprise) and told us we could leave the car in front for a while to bring our bags to the room and get situated (plus we needed to drive to the Citibank). The hotel has an underground parking garage that is 21 Euros/day (it was worth it - there is no need for a car in Brugge).

We entered our room on the 4th floor, but it actually was on the 5th floor. Upon entering the room you immediately climbed a steep set of stairs (so steep that you may need help from a bellman with your luggage), and had the feeling you were in an attic. Our room (it is the the single window on top of hotel in picture above) was very long, but narrow with exposed timber beams (I am not sure if we were in a Junior Suite or Superior Room). I was pleasantly surprised we got this room as I had researched the Crowne Plaza Brugge and was hesitant about staying in a modern business hotel in a historic city like Brugge. We originally planned to stay at the Kempinski Hotel for this reason. But once we entered our room I was happy with our decision. The room had a large king sized bed (actually was 2 doubles pushed together, which my wife did not like, but was comfortable), small flatscreen TV (with keyboard attached to use Internet),  coffee/tea maker, small sofa, chairs & table, stand for luggage that also doubled as a dresser and a closet with safe and ironing board. The hotel offers free Internet access in the room and provided free bottled water and some chocolates (I am not sure if this is just for Priority Club members). The bathroom (that single window on photo is the bathroom) had a more modern feel than the rest of the room. It was good sized with a large bathtub/shower (big enough for me to take a nice bath). Had decent lighting with a makeup mirror and Seaweed Therapy toiletries and soaps. The toilet was separate from the bathroom (which can make for a more efficient doll up process when there are 2 people).

The Crowne Plaza Brugge is an interesting combination of old and new (I think it is 2 buildings combined). Most rooms are modern while ours had a more rustic feeling with the exposed beams. The bar area looks like it is from a different era while the lobby is contemporary as are the restaurant and convention/meeting space. The hotel has an indoor pool, sauna, and fitness area. These facilities are on the top floor (8th floor I think, but strange thing is I only counted 5 from the outside). There are 2 computers for public use in the lobby, but they were very slow.
Breakfast was included in our room rate (otherwise, 23 Euros). It was a buffet breakfast with plenty of breads. I honestly do not remember more than that (other than they did have Actimel and newspapers) which means it was good but not great and certainly not worth 23 Euros if not included with your rate.
I was very happy that we stayed at the Crowne Plaza Brugge. Unfortunately we had a pre-paid rate and booked this room right before the Euro started it's decline (I was billed at a 1.31 rate and exchange rate was 1.23 when we were there). So it made the room a little more expensive than could have been (and rate was not great to begin with, 161 Euros, but still less than Kempinski). The staff was very friendly and knowledgeable (the gentleman who checked us in gave us a great recommendation for dinner). Check-out was quick and we were able to leave our car in the garage for the afternoon while we explored more of the city (Brugge is a great place to visit. It was the highlight of the trip for my wife). The hotel is in a great location (better than great) and with us having one of the Superior Rooms or Junior Suites only added to the authenticity and vibe of Brugge.

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