Nice hotel and a positive experience.

Very nice hotel with friendly staff. Our superior non-smoking room was large, clean and tastefully decorated. We were to the rear of the hotel on the top floor and our room was very quiet. The area generally seems rather quiet I would assume other rooms would be fine also.

We had a great time in Brugge and would definitely use this hotel again should we ever return. The location is fantastic and literally 5-10 mins walk will take you to the heart of the town.

I'd rate this hotel as 'excellent' as I have nothing negative to report. If you have any worries about where to stay the Sofitel is a safe bet. The bar also has a large selection of Belgian beers and the staff are professional and friendly.

The one downside (as pointed-out by my girlfriend) is that the room had no kettle or iron. We didn't ask for these at the reception however so they may have been available.

Disappointed

I have stayed in several Sofitel around the world and the experiences have always been very positive. This is why I booked Sofitel in Brugge but I was extremely disappointed. I must say that the hotel was not up to the Sofitel standards I am used to. First of all I had to change rooms since we were put in a smooking room without asking us, and the smell was so strong you could hardly breathe despite my friend is a smoker too and myself I'm quite used to the smell at home! Room size was ok but nothing great, but the problem is that it really needed a complete renovation: dated decoration, furniture was old, damaged and scratched, funny smell.... Bathroom was really small for a Sofitel and old as well... The overall impression was of a hotel that has long passed its best days... Even breakfast was rather poor for a Sofitel... Best thing about it is its location next to the city center but being Brugge a rather small city this is not a particular advantage. If you are coming by car location is great since there's a public parking right next to the hotel.

For sure I will not go back again.

Perfect location

stayed at the Sofitel for our anniversary.Lovely room,great facilities,helpful staff.Would use again in the future.Within walking distance of the main square.car parking over night is free outside the hotel,then at 9 am must move into the pay parking next to hotel- very cheap and easy to do.Staff explained the parking and gave us a map of the city which was very helpful.The romm was quite large,the en-suite was very clean an well equiped-toiletries supplied and towelling robes and slippers!piping hot water all the time.didn't use the pool but it looked lovely,can't wait till our next visit!!

Very nice hotel

I stayed at the Sofitel for a weekend in June and I really liked it.

The hotel is well located, 10 minutes walking distance from the main square ( town hall ) and very close to the 2 shopping streets.

The staff are very friendly and helpful. The breakfast was nice and we appreciated the inside swimming pool. The only negative point was that the cleaning of our room wasn`t up to the same standard as everything else in the hotel and the view was not great.

However , I would go back to this hotel next time I stay in Brugge

LOVE this place

The Sofitel in Brugge, Belgium is one of my favorite hotels. (it helps that the city of Brugge is one of my favorite places) It's small and quaint and has lots of local flavor. It has 149 rooms and the property is a renovated 17th century monastery.

There's an indoor pool, fitness center with machines and a turkish steam bath. The steam bath costs about 5 Euro for 15 minutes, which I think is really odd. You'd think at a hotel as nice as that one, the steam bath would be complimentary.

My last room overlooked the courtyard and the indoor pool. I love that there are period tapestries hanging over the beds, with scenes of knights and horses. It gives the room so much feeling.

The rooms are pretty good size and have a desk with chair, and a small sitting area with a chair and table. All rooms come with internet access and there is a small business center where you can buy an internet card and check your email if you don't have a laptop.

The lounge, Jan Breydel is a small place with a fireplace and several small tables. Happy hour is from 5-7pm, 7 days a week and of course they serve local Belgian beer. I had a cherry beer that wasn't too bad. The bartender (Francis) serves you a small bowl of marinated black and green olives with your drink. And they are YUMMY!

The restaurant, Ter Boeverie is a great place to have dinner. (see my separate review on that) They have a daily breakfast buffet for 19 Euro per person. It's not bad, but I think too expensive....just take a short walk across the fountain park and you can have a less-expensive meal at a local place.

Off the lobby, there's a sitting area with nice fluffy chairs and couches and a fireplace. This room is nonsmoking. Theres a smoking area that overlooks the pool, just off to the right of the front desk. No fireplace, but nice, just the same.

The hotel is located 800 meters from the train station. I took a cab for about 5 Euro as I didn't want to drag my luggage down the cobblestone streets of the city. It is walkable if you don't have tons of luggage. Just take a left after exiting the train station, and you'll see it on your right, across the street from a parking garage.

OUTSTANDING

My wife and i have just spent xmas 2004 in the sofitel, Bruges

and i can honestly say it was the best time we have ever had in any hotel that we stayed in. Service/ rooms/ food/ ameneties were all worthy of being 5 star nothing was too much trouble for any of the staff, so good in fact that we have booked again for Valentines weekend.

Hotel Sofitel

We have jsut come back from our 6th trip to Bruges. I t never fails to please, the perfect place for a short break. We always stay in adifferent hotel, usuall in adifferent quarter, and this time we chose the Sofitel. The hotel is currently undergoing renovations so that all the rooms are of the same exectuvie standard. Althugh we paid for a standard room we were upgraded without charge to an executive room. We were very please we had because to be fair this was the stard of room we expected of this 4 star hotel. The renovations did not affect us at all and theywill be completed within the next few weeks. The pool and the buffet restaurant breakfast were excellent. We had 2 wonderful meals, 1 near the Minnewater and the other the back of Steven Stein square. There are so many really good resaurants at various prices, but I would avoid the main squares unless its for a break during the day to people watch! Visit the flower market on Saturday morning - just off Z'land. The price savings and quality are very good. Would we stay in the Sofitel again - yes, except we like to try something different every time. This is our order of hotels we have stayed rank according to value/expectation, depends how much you want to pay! - Accacia, Olde Burg, Novotel Centrum, Sofitel, Medici. The only one we would not go back to is Accacia

Fantastic location

Great location. Small pool. Rooms and corridors drab. In need of revamp. Nice restaurant and bar. Breakfast good. Worth it for location.

Bar and swimming pool the best bit

Lovely entrance, but dingy corridors and even darker rooms. No tea and coffee making facilities in the rooms and they urgently need bringing up to date. The swimming pool and steam room were however excellent and empty most of the time. The bar was an unusual U shape, with lovely decorations and a good range of drinks. Location a little out of the way.

Charming town, less charming hotel

Brugge is a must-see when traveling in Belgium but the Sofitel fell short of Sofitel standards. Upon check-in (at 2 p.m.) we were assigned a very spacious room that had seen better days. When the elevator made several stops on the lower floors, we realized we were in the only floor in the building that had not yet been renovated! The front desk informed us that all of the rooms had been already assigned and they were unable to move us into a newer room. I find it hard to believe that at 2 p.m. (when check-in technically begins at 3:00), the rooms were all occupied. Guest service was brusk and the large meeting taking place in the conference rooms with breaks and a reception in the lobby made the hotel seem very much like a business only place - not the most relaxing vacation experience.