Overall Impression Bruges is a city where Europe’s medieval past lives on. Suspended in time centuries ago, its historic center is a mosaic of willow-shaded canals lazily wending their way around ancient homes and public buildings. Humpbacked stone bridges lead to narrow cobbled backstreets that open onto picturesque squares and rows of whitewashed almshouses. Roofscapes of high-stepped gables bristle with towers and steeples. With most of its medieval architecture intact, the 430 hectare (1.6 square mile) center of Bruges was designated a United Nations Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Site in 2000.

Bruges owes its fortunes to the sea. The first records of its existence reach back to the first century B.C. and Julius Caesar’s conquest of the area. Fortifications were built to protect the coastal settlement from North Sea pirates. These would be expanded over the next millennium to create the most important citadel of the Flemish coast. By the time it received its city charter in 1128 Bruges was poised to become a major trading link between the Flemish countries and the Mediterranean. Huge amounts of capital flooded the city, heralding a golden age that would over the next three centuries develop Bruges into one of the commercial and artistic hubs of Europe. Until the late fifteenth century when the Zwin River silted up. Deprived of its access to the North Sea, the city became quite literally a sleepy backwater town.

Bruges slept for 400 years. With the advent of twentieth century mass travel came the realization that the city’s long-ago demise as a commercial powerhouse was posterity’s gain. Today, tourism is Bruges’ biggest industry, making it one of Western Europe’s most visited medieval cities and one of the biggest attractions in Belgium. It is estimated to welcome over two million visitors a year. Many come for the day to enjoy the unspoiled gothic architecture of its churches, palaces and public buildings and to bask in the romance of a bygone era. My personal preference whenever visiting is to plan for an overnight stay at the very least. The historic center is a treasure trove of centuries-old mansions reborn as cozy boutique hotels that combine the latest in contemporary comfort with timeless charm to enhance the romantic mood of the visit. As dusk descends on the city, the ancient buildings are bathed in the glow of soft floodlights, their reflection mirrored in the stillness of the canals. The daytime visitors ebb away. In the quiet streets, the echo of steps on cobblestones and muted voices of occasional passers-by mingle with carillon chimes marking the evening hours. This is when Bruges most reveals itself as I imagine it to have been at the peak of its medieval grandeur.

I have visited Bruges on several occasions over the years and find it an equally charming destination, whether for a family excursion, a romantic weekend or a relaxing solo retreat. I especially enjoyed my most recent visit, a three-day late-winter girlfriends getaway when we had the city virtually to ourselves. The magnificent gothic rooflines were detailed against a crystalline blue sky. Regal swans were gliding undisturbed along the canals. In every park and garden, the first daffodils peered among wisps of tender new grass and the still barren trees were filled with birdsongs. This timeless bucolic serenity will now remain my favorite memory of Bruges, until I find yet another opportunity to return.

Currency Euro

Electrical Current 220 Volt

How To Get There The easiest access to Bruges was by train. There were frequent trains throughout the day between Brussels and Bruges. The journey took one hour. Trains from Amsterdam or Paris took three hours. A number of international air carriers offered direct flights to Brussels, where the airport had its own railway station.

Location In the northwestern part of Belgium, Bruges is 55 miles (90 kilometers) northwest of Brussels, the capital of the country. It is 167 miles (270 kilometers) northeast of Paris, France, and 106 miles (171 kilometers) southwest of Amsterdam, Netherlands.

Technology High-speed Internet connectivity was widely available. There was GSM cell phone reception wherever I went.

Time GMT/UTC plus one hour (e.g. Central European Time)

Transportation The best way to get around Bruges was on foot. The historical center was sufficiently compact as to make it easily walkable. Visitors arriving by road were urged to park their vehicles outside the city from where bus transportation was available. Within the city, the only mode of public transport was by buses operated by the Flemish public transport company (De Lijn) . There were taxis stands at the train station and at the market. Bicycles were a common sight around the city center, where a number of areas were restricted to foot and bicycle traffic only.

Shopping And Souvenirs Bruges was full of shops catering primarily to tourists, ranging from the usual souvenirs places to elegant antique shops, galleries and fashionable boutiques. The town specialties, chocolate and lace, were ubiquitous in the center of town, each sold in dedicated stores and reasonably priced. However, virtually all the lace now sold in Bruges is machine made in the Far East. For the real thing, it was necessary to go to the boutique of the Lace Museum or the lace school, and be prepared to pay considerably more. On the other hand, most chocolates were produced locally and their standard was consistently high, whether I indulged in the national brand name stores or one of the reputed local artisanal shops such as Chocolatier Van Oost or Stephan Dumon Chocolatier. My biggest challenge in Bruges was never to find great chocolates but to keep away from them!

Tourism Highlights My favorite pastime was to simply stroll along the picturesque streets and take in the architectural wonders, from the charming to the grandiose, revealed at every turn. However, “guidebook musts” included:

Burg Square While the Grote Markt was the commercial hub of the city, the Burg (Town Square) was, and remains, its administrative core. It is also a showcase of Europe’s various architectural styles. Its gothic town hall dates back to 1376 and is one of the most striking buildings in Bruges. Next to it, the Old Civil Registry completed in 1537 is a fine example of renaissance style. On its left is the former Court of Justice, a neo-classical building (dating back to 1727) while on the opposite side of the square the Deanery (dating to 1662) the former home of the Deans of the Saint Donatius Church is in the baroque style. Meanwhile, tucked away in the corner next to the town hall, the Basilius church (1149) is recognized as one of the best-preserved romanesque churches in West Flanders.

Church Of Our Lady This grand gothic church (built in the thirteenth through fifteenth centuries) is especially notable for its brick tower. At 401 feet (122 meters) it remains to this day the tallest structure in Bruges, and the second tallest brickwork tower in the world (after the Saint Martin’s Church in Landshut, Germany). The church is home to a white marble sculpture of the Madonna and Child by Michelangelo.

Cloth Hall And Belfry By far the most easily recognized site in town was the Lakenhalle (Cloth Hall) with its iconic 272 foot (83 meter) belfry that has dominated the Grote Markt (Market Square), the grandest square and commercial heart of medieval Bruges since the thirteenth century. Used as city archives and watchtower at the time, the belfry is now open to the public. The hardy souls who climb the 366 steps of its narrow wooden stairs are rewarded with a spectacular view of the city and surrounding countryside.

Greoninge Art Museum The cradle of Flemish Art during the northern renaissance, Bruges has retained many works of master painters known as the Flemish Primitives such as Jan van Eyck, Rogier van der Weyden, Hugo van der Goes and Gerard David. While some their paintings are sprinkled around the churches and public buildings of the city, the most important collection can be seen at the Groeninge Museum.

My personal favorites included these less frequented gems:

Jerusalem Church Located in a quiet neighborhood north of the city center, this small church with its unusual octagonal tower is still privately owned by the descendants of the Adorni family, merchants from Geona, Italy who settled Bruges in the thirteenth century. Completed in 1470, the church is a replica of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem (including a faux tomb of Christ). It consists of a nave, with the tomb of Anselm Adornes (who died in 1483) right in the center of it, and a high choir. It features an elaborately carved pulpit and lovely late fifteenth century stained glass windows. There was a small entrance fee that also covered the visit of the Lace Museum in the former Adornes mansion next door.

Beguinage An walled religious community founded in the thirteenth century by beguines (women who wanted a life dedicated to God without retiring from the world), the Beguinage is a pastoral retreat at the southern edge of the historic center. It is surrounded by a canal straddled by a humpbacked bridge leading to the gated entrance. The interior consists of a park shaded by soaring trees, surrounded by some 30 individual homes, many with small walled-in front gardens, and a sixteenth century church. The park was open to the public, as was the church and grandest of the homes (formerly the home of the Grande-Dame who ruled over the Beguinage). The Beguinage is now inhabited by Benedictine nuns. Silence was required from all visitors, making the park a serene and meditative haven within an easy walk from the city center.

Cost of visiting For American travelers, with the exchange rate of the dollar versus the euro very unfavorable at the time of this writing, prices were generally expensive.

Date Of Last Visit March 2010

Reviewers Article and photographs by Josette King

Would You Visit Again? Yes

Overall Impression I arrived in Bruges on a day when a furious late-winter storm was making headline news across Western Europe. The one-minute walk from the train station to the cabstand was sufficient to seal the fate of my umbrella. A short ride later I was delivered damp and chilled at the Romantik Pand Hotel. My spirits soared as I stepped into the foyer. The gracious home-like atmosphere and welcome had the warmth of a summer’s afternoon.

Nestled in a tiny side street of the historic center of Bruges, a few steps away from the city’s legendary canals, the Romantik Pand Hotel was the epitome of timeless elegance, modern comforts and flawless service. This intimate family-owned and managed property was the brainchild of its founder, Mrs. Chris Vanhaecke, originally an international tour guide. Having observed in her extensive travels the complex elements of successful (and not so successful) hospitality, she translated her expertise, and her passion for antiques, into an intimate luxury property that has retained all the charm of its origins as an eighteenth century private residence. When I visited the property, although Mrs. Vanhaecke had transferred the management of the hotel to her daughter Lyne, she still oversaw the decoration and personally created the exquisite flower arrangements scattered around the common areas.

After an efficient check-in that included a quick recapitulation of the welcome amenities available to me, also documented in personalized formal invitations, I was escorted up a tiny elevator to my suite. On the way, I glanced at the richly paneled library where an inviting log fire danced in the antique fireplace. My suite was a cozy retreat tucked in the gables of the house, tastefully decorated in a neutral palette of designer fabrics and wall-coverings. Even on that gloomy afternoon, light streamed in from large windows on two sides of the room, which also offered commanding views of the peaked roofs of the medieval city. Looking at the comfortable armchairs, inviting four-poster bed, roomy writing desk and oversized whirlpool bathtub (also with a view), I fleetingly wished the storm might stick around so that I could nestle into my luxurious cocoon without any thought of setting foot outdoors. It didn’t. By the next morning the sky had cleared to a translucent robin-egg blue, and after a sumptuous cooked-to-order champagne breakfast that is a trademark of the hotel, I was ready to explore the historic gems of the city.

I loved the Romantik Pand Hotel for its refined elegance, intimate atmosphere and superb service. With the added lure of the romance of medieval Bruges just a few steps away, it definitely made my short list of places to revisit, whether for a relaxing personal break, a friends’ or family get together or a romantic weekend.

Children Children of all ages were welcome.

Class Of Accommodation Four-star boutique hotel

Connectivity There was complimentary WiFi Internet access in the room. For guests traveling without their own computer, a desktop computer with web access was available in the common areas.

General Manager Lyne Vanhaecke

Handicapped Access The facilities were not enabled for disabled guests.

Length Of Stay Two nights

Location In the heart of the historic center Bruges, Belgium, a 15-minute taxi ride from the train station and a five-minute walk from the city’s two main squares, the Grote Markt (Market Square) and the Burg (Town Square).

Owned-Managed The Vanhaecke family

Size The three-story mansion housed all common areas, 11 junior suites and 15 rooms. It could accommodate up to 60 guests and employed a staff of 15.

Year Opened-Renovated The eighteenth century property opened as a hotel in 1982. It was acquired by the Vanhaecke family in 1985, who gradually undertook a complete renovation. It remained the object of ongoing upgrades.

Lobby And Common Areas The long foyer and reception area with its pale marble-tiled floor and sparkling crystal chandeliers offered no hint that it had once been the carriage entrance of the house. Like the common areas it was decorated with elegant antiques, mostly from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The creamy beige walls held a variety of hangings such a tall painted wooden triptych and a tapestry of a medieval forest scene. A vintage suitcase sat on the floor beneath a gate-legged mahogany table that held a tall table lamp with a black ceramic base, a large basket of spring flowers, a bowl of apples and a child-size seamstress mannequin dressed in a formal eighteenth century suite of crimson velvet, complete with faded pink silk waistcoat and black leather boots. The cream paneled reception desk was topped with a black granite countertop. Behind it, the wall was covered with the traditional rows of room-key and mail receptacles of hotels of a bygone era.

To the right of the foyer, a few steps led up to the lounge and library to the left and the bar to the right, with the elevator beyond. Against a backdrop of pearl gray walls, the cocktail lounge was dominated by an L-shaped mahogany bar topped with pale gray marble, and three bar stools. Behind it, a tall glass-fronted sideboard held an assortment of bottles and glasses. Three lights with deep fuchsia shades hung above the bar. A sectional sofa wrapped around the opposite corner of the room and a brown leather Chesterfield armchair provided seating space. Two tall windows overlooked the street. Their draperies, as well as the sofa and barstool upholstery were in various shades of purple velvet. Two cocktail tables were covered with white linen cloths. A large oil painting reminiscent of seventeenth century Dutch flower paintings completed the décor.

Across the corridor, in a grand double parlor divided by tall French doors, the sitting room to the front and the library to the rear flowed into each other. Soaring ceilings featured elaborate molding; in both rooms, elegant chandeliers hung from central medallions. Hardwood floors were covered with room-size Aubusson rugs in mellow shades of taupe and rose. Tall windows elaborately draped in coordinated taupe and rose damask opened onto the reception area below. The cream to taupe color scheme offered a serene backdrop for the antique pieces scattered around both rooms. Framed centuries-old deeds hung on the walls. In the sitting room, two wingchairs slipcovered in natural canvas and a long Chesterfield sofa upholstered in tan suede provided seating space. A large square hassock upholstered in matching suede served as a coffee table and stacks of vintage Louis Vuitton suitcases doubled as end tables. An elaborately inlaid gate-legged table was a striking focal point between the two windows.

My favorite place to linger was the library. It was entirely paneled in pickled pine, including the large fireplace framed by ceiling-height bookcases filled with leather-bound volumes. A long curved bench upholstered in black wool was wrapped around the hearth. It was an especially cozy spot to relax in front of the open fire with one of the many books lying about the room. Two tufted brown leather wingchairs sat at either end of the bench. On the opposite side of the room, in front or the windows a deep rolled-arm sofa covered in natural canvas with taupe, rose and sage green accent pillows faced the fireplace. A long rectangular taupe suede bench doubled as a coffee table. It held a butler’s tray and a low rustic basket filled with an arrangement of twigs, nuts and colorful dry pods. An eighteenth century spinet and a tall Regency bookcase with drop front writing desk completed the décor. Throughout the two rooms, table and floor lamps provided warm indirect lighting.

Deep inside the house, at the far end of the reception area, the long-ago carriage yard had become a charming breakfast room. Morning light streamed in through an oversized central skylight and French doors opened onto a paved patio where guests could be served al fresco during the summer. The walls were a combination of white clapboard and Victorian wallpaper with large sprays of faded pink roses splashed against a white background. A long bench upholstered in coordinated chintz ran the length of the right wall. The remainder of the seats around the crisp linen-clad tables were white wicker armchairs with matching seat cushions. The floor was tiled in dark gray ceramic. White-lacquered storage drawers and open shelves, and a black granite countertop with a built-in professional Aga stove lined the back wall. To the right of the entrance door, a white cabinet held additional breakfast service pieces.

Bathroom The 90 square foot (eight square meter) bathroom featured a deep whirlpool bathtub and a separate glass-fronted shower. The water closet was concealed in a walled enclosure behind the tub. The floor, shower walls and vanity counter top were of black granite. The bathroom fixtures were of white porcelain. The wall above the vanity was covered with a mirror with recessed lighting above it. On the opposite wall, a window ran the length of the bathtub. A heated towel rack hung on the wall dividing the tub from the water closet.

Room My 350 square foot (32 square meter) junior suite, Number 106, was a romantic nest under the eaves with a sweeping view of the of red-tiled roofs and needle-like belfries of the medieval town. The color-scheme was predominately white and gray, with anthracite wall-to-wall carpeting setting off the white lacquered wainscoting, and above it there was Victorian-style wall paper of bold floral bouquets etched in gray against a white background. Most wooden furniture were white lacquer, including the built-in corner sideboard, the small two-drawer chest that served as a base for the flat-panel television, the bombé writing desk and the medallion back desk chair upholstered to match the wallpaper. Two small armchairs covered in medium gray wool and a mahogany pedestal side table were angled on either side of the sideboard. The king-size four-poster bed headboard, bed skirt, coverlet and decorative pillows were covered in heavy white matelassé, as were the draperies of the two tall French windows. The four corners of the bed were draped in pearl gray cotton with white lining. Black upholstered stools served as bedside tables. Two white silk-shaded reading lights on adjustable arms were fitted above the headboard. A pair of brass candlestick lights sat on the desk, with a black-framed hexagonal mirror hanging on the wall between them. Additional spot lighting was recessed in the ceiling.

Food And Restaurants The breakfast room was the domain of Ignace and Sandra, a dynamic couple who cheerfully prepared, on the superb Aga stove, any conceivable variation on the traditional full English breakfast, served with a baskets of freshly baked French croissants and brioches. At the Pand, Champagne was the breakfast beverage of choice, served with or without fresh-squeezed orange juice; and the fragrant morning coffee or tea tasted all the better for being served in a gleaming silver pot. For guests in a denial mood (none were in sight at the time of my visit), there was also a small buffet of cold cereals, fresh fruit salad and yoghurt.

Amenities Welcome amenities included an invitation for a complimentary glass of champagne any time during the stay, and a complimentary two-hour guided tour of the historic town center. Room amenities featured an electronic safe large enough to hold a laptop computer, a television set with 25 international channels, a DVD player, a clock radio and an ironing board and iron. There was a tray with a complimentary one-liter bottle of sparking water and two stemmed glasses, and a stocked mini-bar with an array of glasses appropriate to the various beverages in the bar (there was a charge for the use of the mini-bar items). The room was serviced twice daily, including turndown service.

In the bathroom there were two bathrobes as well as an ample supply of bath and face towels and washcloths, two shower caps, a shoehorn, a make-up magnifying glass and a hair-dryer. Personal sizes of Annick Goutal toiletries included shampoo, shower gel, facial soap and body moisturizer.

Facilities In addition to the bar and breakfast room there was a sauna.

Cleanliness Excellent

Date Of Review March 2010

Reviewers Article and photographs by Josette King

Service The service was superbly attentive. Late on the afternoon of my arrival, with the rainstorm having dwindled to a misty drizzle, I bundled up and ventured out. I had only taken a few steps outside when the young man who was manning the desk came running out to hand me an open golf umbrella. The reception desk was staffed around the clock, with the reception staff member on duty also serving as a knowledgeable concierge, often discretely anticipating questions and making thoughtful suggestions.

Would You Stay There Again? Yes