One of the worst parts of traveling, IMO, is trying to figure out the details like where to stay. Because when you get it right, it’s great, but when you get it wrong… it can ruin your whole trip (Venice was ruined by a bad hotel experience for us, sadly). So when you find a gem, it’s good to share that info far and wide.
Enter Hotel Ter Brughe in Bruges, Belgium.
The oldest known reference to the building that houses the hotel is from 1470. It’s a gorgeous little stone building right on one of the canals, and less than a 10 minute walk from the center of Bruges. Some of the amenities were a bit dated when we visited in 2013 (and from reviews online, it doesn’t look like anything has been updated), but we appreciated the aesthetic of the place so much that it didn’t bother us. The rooms were large (even for US standards, let alone European ones), the hotel had an old world feel, and the beds were comfy. Who cares if the television was tiny and from the 80s? We never turned it on anyway.
Bruges should most definitely be on your list of places to visit. And if you do make it there, try checking out the Hotel Ter Brughe as your base of operations.