The best romantic hotels in Brussels, including beautiful gardens and exotic rooms

This upbeat boutique hotel, plumb in the middle of one of the most attractive parts of central Brussels, combines suave interiors with charm. There’s a comfortable, personal feel to the place, subtly orchestrated to make guests feel as if they are in a home from home. Rooms are light and airy, with high ceilings, free-standing bathtubs meant for two, and interesting retro furniture, the majority of them overlooking the Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert. The hotel has its own restaurant on the ground floor, Le Comptoir de Galeries, with an open kitchen and a massive medal-press (dating from 1845).

This is the first choice of moguls, film stars and presidents, but also of couples who don’t mind splashing out on staying somewhere special for a trip. It’s about as close to the historic city centre as possible, within walking distance to the Grand Place, Cathedral and Monts Des Arts. Many rooms look directly out onto the roofs of the Hôtel de Ville; cast your eyes upwards and you can see the gilded St Michael slaying the devil on the tip of its spire. All the rooms are spacious, and stylish, with marbled bathrooms. Other exceptional touches include a sumptuous buffet breakfast and a very stylish bar.

Glamorous in itself, the hotel is also well located for visiting the historic centre of Brussels and key Art Nouveau sites close by. The hotel interiors were dreamed up by famed designer Antoine Pinto, and carry his whimsical, theatrical touch, such as bold furniture, eye-catching colours and Piero Fornasetti’s famous ‘face cushions’. For couples looking for a truly special stay, invest in an upgrade to the So Well Suite, which comes with its own hammam and fitness equipment. Crystal Lounge is a gourmet restaurant offering a broad menu, from cheeseburgers to tapas and caviar, while the bar serves award-winning cocktails.

Behind the ivy-clad façade here is a romantic, stately home, with glittering chandeliers, Neoclassical columns and Louis XV furniture. Rooms have a classical elegance, with antique furniture, and gold-framed paintings and prints. The Lella spa comes with a luscious, Alhambra-inspired Turkish hammam, with a turquoise whirlpool plunge bath and treatment rooms. Outside, the garden is like a miniature park, with mature trees, waterfalls and ponds. The Kolya Restaurant offers inventive European cuisine with Asian influences, as well as a copious buffet breakfast. The cosy, club-like bar is known for its herbal cocktails.

The ‘Louise’ here refers to Avenue Louise, the chic shopping hub just to the south of central Brussels – and this boutique hotel, in a quiet street close by, is every bit as stylish. It is family-owned, which lends it a personalised charm. The core building dates from 1911 and still retains its historic charm, with an original six-storey stairwell, but everything has been upgraded with the flourish of a designer’s eye mixed with beguilingly ‘homemade’ touches seen in the individually styled rooms. There is a leafy courtyard at the back, and the ‘Made in Bar’ is a great spot to enjoy wine and Belgian beers.

The hotel building was the site of not just a Dominican Abbey, but also the home Jacques-Louis David, painter to Napoleon, in the early 19th century. The aesthetic is set by the flaming torches at the entrance, and the suite of stately, stone-flagged public rooms set around a courtyard. Yet there’s also an emphasis on modern comfort and ease, as seen in the sleek bedroom furniture and extensive facilities. The Grand Lounge offers a fine-dining Food Book menu throughout the day and evening, for meals that can be eaten anywhere in the suite of public rooms.

Exotic travel is the theme at this hotel, where a wonderland lies behind the rather plain façade. Each room is designed in the style of a different destination, inspired by the travels of the owners (including China, India or Kenya). They have gone to great lengths to source authentic fittings – all put together with a fine attention to detail, and without compromise to hotel standards. Two suites (Silk Road and Egypt) have massive bathrooms with double whirlpool baths. The location, close to Rue Antoine Dansaert and the Grand Place, is another boon. Not the place for those who prefer hotels to be bland and anonymous.

9Hotel Sablon trades on its intimate scale and refreshingly vibrant yet coolly understated design panache. “A place of inspiration and creation”, suggests the hotel, and it’s a fair claim. The pared-down rooms have studiously high-quality beds. The hotel has an attractive wellbeing space in the cellar, with a Finnish sauna and a large plunge pool; a small outdoor terrace is a great spot to catch the afternoon sun. The hotel is close to the bohemian Marolles district, with its junk shops, bars and daily flea market, and within easy walking distance of the Grand Place and most of the main museums.

This b&b is an Art Nouveau gem that offers a rare opportunity to inhabit an authentic and beautifully maintained mansion, built by Ernest Blerot, a leading Art Nouveau architect. The interior is elegant and spacious; the spiral staircase a unique beauty. Unique and wonderful features are found in each room, from fireplaces to stained glass panels. The massive Suite Royale comes with a vast shower room (as well as a free-standing period bath), decorated with original mosaics. The maison is an oasis of calm, with a breakfast lounge overlooking the ponds of Ixelles, yet it’s just two miles from historic heart of Brussels.

This hotel is a celebrated institution, famed for its vast, soaring atrium under a glass roof, with tiers of greenery like an interior hanging gardens of Babylon. For an impressive view, take one of the three glass-walled lifts in the atrium to whiz up and down the building. Rooms are suites are presented in vastly different styles; some rooms with views over the atrium; others look out over the city. It’s home to the Sea Grill restaurant, helmed by two-Michelin starred chef Yves Mattagne, which offers classic French seafood with a twist. Be sure to try the langoustine cuite sur galet: langoustine baked on a stone and flambéed in saké.

This top-of-the-range b&b, conveniently located close to the centre of Brussels, is a popular option for a romantic city break. It has the kind of beautifully presented rooms you might expect in a five-star hotel, yet also the warm hospitality associated with the best guesthouse experiences. The house was originally built as a family home in 1885, but the rooms are sleek and stylish, with modern furniture and objets d’art; some still have the original fireplace. A studio occupies the huge space under the roof and provides a special romantic cocoon. The minibar with free wine, beer, soft drinks and water is another lovely perk.