Hotel Montanus

The upper-middle-range Hotel Montanus is on a quiet, mainly residential cobbled street in the south of Bruges center, surrounded by the quintessential gabled buildings that the city is famous for. Guests enter to a fairly simple lobby with a small reception desk. The adjacent 17th-century salon is an inviting space with high ceilings where guests relax, read, and converse. Done in an all-white color palette, the room features crown moldings, hardwood floors, and a fireplace, and is decorated with a large mirror, ceramic busts, an antique trunk, and art objects. The elegant lobby bar features cinnamon-red walls, a bookshelf, and fireplace, while the chic, contemporary restaurant is adorned with globe-style pendant hanging lamps, gunmetal gray walls, and orange-and-gray chairs. 

The contemporary breakfast room features big windows to let in lots of natural light. The highlight of the Montanus is its well-landscaped and well-designed garden, which is surprisingly large for such a centrally located hotel. It's a pretty space, and it gives guests a tucked-away haven in the city, with topiary, a lawn, trees, cobblestone paths, and a reflecting pool with a sculpture of a reclining man. Guests can take their breakfast on the terrace in warm weather. The Montanus draws mostly tourists, who like its style and comfort, tucked-away feel, and location near attractions like the Groeninge Museum and Beguinage. The multilingual staff is warm and friendly, and good at giving sightseeing recommendations.

The Hotel Montanus is situated on a quiet, mainly residential street in the southern section of Bruges center. It's an excellent location from which to explore the city by foot or bicycle. Shops, restaurants, cafes, and nearly all the city's main attractions are within walking distance. The Diamond Museum and Brugge Begijnhof bus stop are one block southwest. The area with the Beguinage Convent and Minnewater Lake is a three-minute walk southwest and the area with the Groeninge Museum, Gruuthuse Museum, and Church of Our Lady is a three-minute walk north. The St. Salvator's Cathedral is a seven-minute walk northwest and the area with Market Square and the Belfort medieval tower is a 10-minute walk north of the Montanus. Basilica of the Holy Blood is a 10-minute walk north, Het Zand bus station is a nine-minute walk west, and Bruges railway station is a 15-minute walk or five-minute drive southwest of the hotel. Ostend-Bruges International Airport is a 30-minute drive west of the Hotel Montanus. 

The Hotel Montanus has 24 non-smoking rooms, divided between a main building and a garden wing. Rooms come in Standard, Superior, Family Room, and Suite categories, with sizes ranging from 235 to 400 square feet. Rooms are clean and quiet, but do not have air-conditioning. Given the peaceful nature of the surrounding area, it’s possible to sleep with the windows open on a summer evening and the hotel has mosquito screens on the windows, a necessity in a city full of canals and water. Rooms in the main building have a more minimalist feel while garden wing rooms have a slightly cottage style. The color palette is some combination of white, beige, gray, brown, burgundy, orange, and pink. Some rooms have particularly charming elements such as exposed wood beams, attic-style ceilings, and wicker chairs, but all rooms come with in-room safes, minibars, free Wi-Fi, and 32-inch flat-screen TVs. Some rooms have wall-mounted flat-screen TVs, situated far from the beds, which makes them not easily viewable. Rooms do not have electric kettles or coffeemakers, but guests can get free coffee and tea all day in the breakfast room. Some rooms feature views of the hotel's garden or nearby Church of Our Lady. Garden rooms have exterior entrances opening to the garden, with a cottage-style chair outside each door. Bathrooms are clean, contemporary, and well lit, with decent counter space, good bath products, and heated towel racks. 

While it doesn't offer any leisure facilities, Hotel Montanus does offer full food and beverage service in several locations. The breakfast buffet (for a fee) features cooked-to-order eggs, bacon, sausages, Belgian cheeses, cold cuts, breads, pastries, cereal, fresh fruit, coffee, and juice. In good weather guests can take their breakfast on the gorgeous outdoor garden terrace. Free coffee and tea are available all day in the sunny breakfast room. The chic, contemporary on-site restaurant serves lunch and dinner with a fixed price menu, with dishes such as smoked eel, Irish sirloin, veal ribeye with sweetbreads and new potatoes, and lemon sole filets with mashed potatoes and a mousseline of pickles. The lobby-level bar has a decent selection of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. The hotel also has butler service upon request (for a fee), bicycle rental, and 24-hour front desk with multilingual staff. Public parking is available a short walk away for a fee. Wi-Fi is free throughout.

The highlight of the property is its stellar outdoor spaces, including a terrace, reflecting pool, and extensive garden. This is a rare feature given the city center location and provides a peaceful place for relaxing after a day of sightseeing.