Hotel BLOOM

A brilliant boutique hotel has blossomed right next to the Botanic Garden. The four-star nhow Bloom Hotel offers 300 stylishly decorated rooms and upscale service at a fraction of the rate found at luxury establishments.

The hotel’s 280 rooms are incredibly spacious—the smallest clocks in at a whopping 35 square meters (258 square feet)—and stylish. The bedding is sumptuous, and rooms are equipped with a flat-screen TVs, free Wi-Fi, air conditioning, MP3 connectivity and mini-fridges. Bathrooms feature artsy decor, moody tiling, and the hotel’s floral-inspired toiletries, though they could use a bit more storage area.

The hotel makes up for doing away with stuffy extras like bellhops and room service with other cushy pluses. The top-floor gym is spacious and offers a panoramic view of the surrounding area. Downstairs is a breakfast restaurant, a lunch and dinner spot serving street foods, and a trendy bar. There's even a repurposed van that hosts a waffle-making station.

In case the Fashion TV blasting at the glittery reception didn’t tip you off, this is a very fashionable place, dah-ling. The young staff is efficient, even a bit cool. Look up, and you might see someone playing Wii in the mezzanine that doubles as a conference room.

The urban patchwork of Brussels’s diversity is right around the corner. You might stumble onto the red light district, then turn a corner and see a cathedral or a mosque. A quick tram or Metro ride will put you in the old city in less than 10 minutes.

With all this hip happening, Bloom wouldn’t be our first pick for family travel, but for trendsetters on a budget, the hotel offers fresh design and superb furnishing at a very reasonable price, especially if you book early.