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Atel Beau Site

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  • 76 RUE DE LA LONGUE HAIE
     Brussels, Belgium 1050
    26-40-8889
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koshkha
koshkha
First Reviewer
4 out of 5
Avg. Member Rating
1
Review
3
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Editor Pick

Basic but very Friendly

  • October 8, 2009
  • Rated 4 of 5 by koshkha from Northampton, United Kingdom
Basic but very Friendly

In July I was back to Antwerp, one of the places I visit quite often for work. I'd booked my flights and asked our travel agency to put me in the usual hotel when I got a mail from my colleague there asking if I'd like to go and meet his wife and daughters and have dinner. Since they live in Brussels, he suggested he'd find me a hotel near his home and then bring me to the office the next day. Never one to turn down any alternative to eating in the restaurant at the usual hotel, I jumped at the chance and got my booking changed to the Beau Site in Brussels.

~Why this hotel?~

My colleague Joep lives about 200 m from this hotel. He started out by ringing a bunch of hotels in the area eliminated the expensive ones and the ones that seemed to want to rent rooms 'by the hour' rather than by the night. With those factors combined, the Beau Site was his choice. He knew he could park up outside when he collected me the next morning and it was so close that I couldn't get lost on the way there. Now I realise that nobody reading this has a clue where Joep lives - myself included - so 'round the corner from Joep's apartment' isn't much use. I'd better give you a better idea of where the hotel is located.

The hotel has a corner plot on a street that runs parallel to the Avenue Louise, one of the main roads in the centre of Brussels. It's not far from the European Parliament buildings and many of the central attractions. I have to say that I was there for only a few hours and didn't really get a feel for the area however, the hotel website - www.beausitebrussels.com - gives detailed instructions how to get there from just about anywhere you are likely to come from and by just about any transport method including the airport, the Thalys rail station and from four other Belgian cities. This is clearly a hotel that cares that you should find it.

~ Checking In ~

I didn't roll up until about 10.30 pm and I'll confess I was a bit worried that I should have called to warn them that I'd be late. I had intended to but after the first glass of wine my attention drifted to playing with Joep's kids and I just forgot. However there was no need to worry as I think the hotel didn't have a lot of guests and the welcome I received was remarkable. That might sound like a strange comment but I spent a lot of my life in hotels and I'm very used to the bored disinterest of most hotel receptionists - sometimes even outright hostility - so when I get a really good welcome I notice and it puts me in a positive mood about a hotel if it's my first visit.

The receptionist was very smiley, was expecting me and had everything ready and after he'd made a photocopy of my passport he told me he didn't need my credit card and went on to give me a code for the free Wi-Fi in the room and to tell me all about how to get breakfast in the morning and how to find my room. It may sound like this should be entirely normal and expected but sadly I'd have to say that it's not the case. Some receptionists treat you like a criminal or someone they'd really prefer not to have to talk to.

~Off to my room~

I could tell this wasn't going to be a fancy hotel even before I got there and I wasn't expecting much at all. The lift was tiny - about the size of an old telephone box - and the theoretical capacity of 3 passengers would have meant three very skinny people with no bags. I headed up to the 4th floor, got out of the lift and found myself in near total darkness and had to fumble around for a light-switch. My room was close to the lift which might have been a problem if the hotel had been more busy since I'm very sensitive to noise - just keep that thought in mind when we get to later in the review!

With the door opened and the light-switch found, I was quite surprised by what I found. It wasn't a luxurious room but it was a big one, especially for a city like Brussels where floor space comes at a premium. Straight ahead of me was a good sized bathroom with plenty of space. There was a bath with a shower over it and a shower curtain, a sink and a toilet and a hairdryer. It was a hot night so I climbed into the bath to open the window above it and get the air moving.

The main bedroom had a blue carpet (just like at home - less of a problem now my old ginger Maine Coon cat has been put to sleep but still not a great carpet colour), a blue bedspread, a green armchair and some rather ugly patterned carpets. There was a small desk with a big old TV that seemed to need some kind of set-top box to get it to work (who can deal with TWO remote controls in a hotel room - not me). The mini-bar was under the desk and magazines were scattered on top. The bed was two singles pushed together and had sheets and blankets which always surprises me in a hotel. There as a large wardrobe, two bedside tables and a suitcase stand - everything I needed and not too much I didn't and everything was clean and neat.

I mentioned already that it was hot whilst I stayed there so the absence of air con was a bit of an issue. I'd opened all the windows before going to bed but hadn't counted on quite how noisy it would be. My room overlooked a side road which didn't have a lot of traffic but someone nearby was having a bit of a party and there's only so much gangsta rap (in French) that anyone can be expected to put up with. I prepared myself for a long and sleepless hot night and then promptly fell asleep within a few minutes.

Next morning I was up and about, into the shower which had good power and effective temperature control, and I managed to find enough time to go for breakfast which was held in a small, bright room on the ground floor with about a dozen small tables and a young smiley waiter who looked like a young Michael Jackson. I had an orange juice, a pain au raisin and some shockingly good strong coffee and grabbed an apple to take with me. Back in my room I packed up, fought my way into the little lift and was down, paid up and out to meet my colleague on the dot of 7.30 am.

~Overall Impressions?~

I paid 75 Euros for my room including breakfast but I did only book it the day before. I loved the staff I met, all of whom were smiley, polite and very welcoming and efficient. It's not a hotel I'd probably book if I didn't need to be in the area but I would consider it if I wanted a weekend break without paying over the odds. However, I might need to check I couldn't get something with air con for a similar price if I needed a room in the middle of summer.

~ Facilities ~

There's a computer in reception that offers free internet access, and if you have any valuables there's a safe at reception. Ironing boards can be borrowed if you need one as can cots and extra beds

From journal Belgium - A Funny Sort of Country

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