HotelChatter - be

No More Creepy Couples Massages at the Kempinski Dukes Palace

juliab — 2009-11-02T14:14:21-05:00

<![CDATA[<img src="http://www.hotelchatter.com/files/21888/bruges.jpg" class="top"> Weve been itching to go to the fabulous-looking <a rhef="http://www.hotelchatter.com/tag/Kempinski%20Hotels">Kempinksi</a> <a rhef="http://www.hotelchatter.com/hotel-reviews/Kempinski+Hotel+Dukes+Palace/ian/263416">Dukes Palace</a> in a 15th-century castle in <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/hotels/city/be/Bruges">Bruges</a> since it opened, and every time we hear some more news about it, we get closer to opening up our wallets. This time its the new spa menu taking our fancy. Its using the French Thalgo line (nice) for some pretty well-priced treatments including a Detox (scrub, detox gel, sauna and massage, 85) for after you've gone overboard on the local chocolate, and the cozy-sounding Mothers Cocoon (massage, facial and foot treatment, 140) for the preggers among you. Best of all, theyre making an admirable break from the creepy couples massage their Harmony for Two treatment

The Bathroom Mirror at the NH Hotel Brussels Boosts Our Self-Esteem

amandak — 2009-02-05T08:55:55-05:00

<![CDATA[<img src="http://www.hotelchatter.com/files/3873/Friendly_Mirror_NH_Belgium.jpg" class="top"> Mirror, mirror, on the wall--or at least hanging in the bathroom in the <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/hotel-reviews/Nh+Brussels+City+Centre/ian/204915">NH Brussels</a> hotel. Apparently we're not the fairest of them all, but this mirror still has a friendly message for us:<blockquote>I see a lot of faces and I have never seen a smiling face that was not beautiful.</blockquote>The nice part is that <a href="http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g188644-d253185-Reviews-NH_Brussels_City_Centre-Brussels.html">guest reviews</a> make the NH Brussels sound like one of the best hotels in town, so we probably would be smiling at this mirror. And more so now that we've discovered a stay at this place won't break the bank, with rooms starting at 64.50 (a strangely not-rounded price but that's what the hotel's own website promises; it's less than

Seventeen Women Freed from 'Slavery' at Conrad Brussels

Jenna — 2008-07-03T14:15:09-05:00

<![CDATA[<img src="http://www.hotelchatter.com/files/admin/conradpropic.jpg" class="imgborder"> Holy crap. Dozens of police raided the <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/hotel-reviews/Conrad+Brussels/local/533">Conrad Hotel Brussels</a> (which has been called the "most exclusive" hotel in the city) and freed 17 people who were being held as slaves by a royal family living in the hotel. The <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/unitedarabemirates/2236851/Women-'enslaved'-by-Arab-royals.html">Telegraph</a> had the scoop: <blockquote>The operation was triggered by the apparent escape of a maid who was among 20 servants working for the widow of a senior royal figure from the United Arab Emirates and her four daughters who have rented the entire fourth floor of the hotel for the last year. The servants, dubbed "slaves" in the Belgian media, allegedly had to be at the service of the Arab royals 24 hours a day

Seize the Day at Manoir Carpe Diem in De Haan

mytwocents — 2008-05-16T09:14:40-05:00

<![CDATA[<img src="http://www.hotelchatter.com/files/admin/dehaanhotel.png" class="imgborder"> Ralph Waldo Emerson once wrote, "Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail." Well said, no? And this is exactly what our friends will be doing next month. Instead of traveling the well-touristed paths in Brussels and Bruge, they're heading to Belgium's North Sea coastline, to the village of De Haan. Never heard of it? Neither had we, but get this. This is where Albert Einstein and Marvin Gaye went to escape the madness. It obviously has just the right equation to get it on (sorry, couldn't let it pass without a plug for Marv and Al, rest their souls). Anyway, our friends will be

Snapshot :: Speaking of Brussels Hotels

juliana — 2008-01-17T17:47:30-05:00

While we were showing off our mini-hotel guide to Brussels, the TheNotoriousMEG was dropping off shots of her stay at the Sheraton Brussels in the HotelChatter Flickr Pool. While she has plenty of shots of the suite, we liked this snapshot of the bathroom. You gotta love those antiquated European hair-dryer systems.

[Photo: Notorious Meg]