Anselmus Hotel

The lovely three-star Anselmus offers 16 comfortable non-smoking rooms on Ridderstraat, minutes from the central square. With doubles ranging from €105-125, it isn’t cheap, but it’s reliable and comes with an interesting story, to boot!

The Anselmus’ building was once the home of famed scientist Boetius de Boost, who wrote “Gammadum et Lapidum,” or “How to Cut a Diamond.” Today, diamond cutters still refer to this acclaimed manual. However, the hotel’s owner Ronny Cobbaert points out that, unfortunately, “no guests have found any diamond dust in their rooms... yet!”

Rooms at the Anselmus are attractively decorated in green carpets, cream wallpaper and striped bedspreads. Prints by Belgian painters are hung throughout (hello, Memling!). Bathrooms are rather spacious and all rooms come with bathtubs.

Downstairs, the breakfast room is richly done up in deep reds and chandeliers. A plush sitting room makes a nice first impression.