Hotel Amigo, a Rocco Forte Hotel

Character and identity

Set one corner from the Grand-Place, Hotel Amigo occupies a 1522 building whose past life as a prison has been layered over with five centuries of Brussels history: 17th-century flagstones underfoot, 18th-century Flemish tapestries on the walls, and original works by René Magritte scattered throughout. Olga Polizzi's interiors give the 174 rooms and suites a relaxed, art-led personality (one decorated in Tintin imagery, another in painted greenery). Ristorante Bocconi, under Fulvio Pierangelini, turns out precise Italian cooking in a Fornasetti-decorated dining room, while Bar Magritte mixes surrealist cocktails to live music. A modern fitness centre and family amenities round out the picture.

Who's it for

Bottom line

What you're really paying for is the address and the art-historical texture: nothing else in Brussels puts you this close to the Grand-Place inside a building this storied, with cooking and cocktails that hold their own. Book a room with a balcony over the cobbles, and target shoulder season when European city rates soften and the old town is walkable rather than packed.