Palace of the north

Thermae Palace Hotel in Oostende, Belgium, is a very welcome effort to bring to life one of the most beautiful buildings in that region. At this stage, it is work in progress, which will unfortunately influence my posting.

The rooms are fantastic (the attached photo is taken from my room), the brasserie is great, and the numerous staff members are generally friendly.

But the building needs a lot of further work and, in fact, no spa is available, let alone a swimming pool.

Three stars.

PS. This blog will return from a summer break in late August.

http://www.thermaepalace.be/en/

Des kilometres de vie en rose

Molitor Hotel in Paris is close to perfection when it comes to using an existing space creatively for utmost pleasure.

Almost everything is perfect: the rooms, the rooftop terrace and restaurant, the pool, the decor and the staff. Small minuses (again) for a strange small lift that squeezes party-goers and old people like me in bathrobes into the same small space. And the poolside bar should open before noon.

Four and a half stars.

http://www.mgallery.com/gb/hotel-7326-hotel-molitor-paris-mgallery-collection/index.shtml

Même si un jour à Knocke-le-Zoute

I'm a great fan of classic hotels and resorts. I'm glad to see that many of them are being renovated. The user experience is not always perfect but at least there is a tradition being followed, for better or for worse.

I'll start my reviews of them with La Réserve in Knokke, Belgium: three and a half stars out of five. Major problems with insufficient lift capacity and mediocre service but a great location between a small lake and the sea.

I emphasize the fact that this blog is not sponsored by anyone and that fact will not be repeated during subsequent postings.

http://www.la-reserve.be/