Hotel Mozart (Hotels in Brussels in general)

Member Name: Ric!

Product:	Hotels in Brussels in general
Date:	30/10/01 (232 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Centrally Located, Reasonable Price

Disadvantages: On Kebab Street, Awful Bed

On a recent trip to Brussels myself and my girlfriend stayed at the Hotel Mozart. I found the hotel by doing a google.com search for hotels in Brussels. Hotel Mozart is in an excellent location, being only 20 metres from the Grand Place - the main square in the town. The prices were reasonable and the photos on their web site made the place look pleasant.

The web site of the hotel is: http://www.hotel-mozart.be

Their email address is: hotel.mozart@skynet.be They are extremely quick to reply and are very helpful. Making a reservation via email could not have been easier.

So, we set off, and while at Stansted Airport we decided to buy the Lonely Planet Guide to Brussels, Bruges and Antwerp. They describe the Hotel Mozart (in their Mid-Range section) as having "seductive, salmon-toned rooms with beamed ceilings, period paintings and a mix of antique and modern furnishings." This is all very accurate, although I wouldn't go so far as to call it seductive. The furniture certainly is antique. Several of our draws either wouldn't open or had no base! It also took me 10 minutes to unlock the wardrobe which had a misbehaving lock on it. But no complaints on that score - the furniture added to the character of the place - all except the bed. The bed was absolutely awful. It wasn't an antique - just a cheap modern bit of junk with an extremely thin matress which gave me backache and interrupted sleep.

In the room, you get a television with cable TV (including BBC1 and BBC2 - vital for not missing Eastenders), a fridge (not stocked anymore, so you can fill it yourself) and a telephone. The room is clean and acceptable.

The ensuite bathroom in our room was VERY small. People of a wider build may have had trouble sitting on the toilet. The shower was powerful but the temperature fluctuated between cold and scolding - not good if a child was in the shower. There is also a hairdryer.

Th
e Lonely Planet Guide goes on to say, "However, it's on a noisy nightlife street and there's a club opposite; if you plan to sleep in the day and rage all night it's perfect." This worried us slightly as we didn't want to rage all night. Obviously the hotel's own web-site hadn't mentioned this, and we were dreading what we would find. As things went, noise wasn't a problem. Our room wasn't on the front of the hotel, so maybe it was just good luck. The road certainly is quite vibrant at night - it is full of kebab shops which come to life later on. (Rue du Marche aux Fromages.)

Breakfast was a hard boiled egg, bread roll, croissant and jam, with orange juice, tea and coffee. A little disappointing, but then again, nothing quite matches up to bacon and eggs!

The price of the double room with ensuite bathroom was 3500 Belgian Francs per night, which works out at about £54.

Other prices:
Single room with ensuite bathroom = 2800 BF (£43)
Triple room with ensuite bathroom = 4500 BF (£69)
Quadruple room with ensuite bathroom = 5500 BF (£85)

So, as you can see, for the location, the hotel is reasonably priced. The staff are quite pleasant and helpful, and the standard of the room matches up to the price paid considering it is in the heart of a European capital city. My main complaint is the awful bed! Maybe they are better in other rooms?! Also, I cannot comment on the noise levels in rooms at the front of the hotel.

To be honest, I wouldn't stay there again. It is nothing special, and I would rather stay in a hotel 10 minutes further away and maybe pay less, or get better quality for my money. However, it is a reasonable choice for anyone that wants a centrally located hotel.

Summary: