The Bar Towel

rfrf wrote:

atomeyes wrote:

rfrf wrote:Any recommendations for hotels in area around Cantillon?

http://www.sweetbrussels.be/

it was really great. breakfast was great. rooms were great, hostess was great.

keep in mind that, unless you're getting a place in the middle of nowhere (like i did the 1st time i was in brussels), everything is close to everything. so this B&B is a 15 min walk from the Grote Markt and, i think a 7-8 min walk from Cantillon

booked into this bnb for a couple of nights in april. thanks for the recommendation.

remember: it's beautiful in the inside, breakfasts are great and it's a 10 minute walk to the train station, grande place and cantillon.

if you want any food tips, let me know

Any recommendations for places to stay in the Ghent/Ypres/Passendale region?

Also, is there any point in going to the Abbey of Saint Sixtus if I don't have a beer reservation? Is there a café or anything there (where I can buy a bottle to drink on-site at least)?

Ceecee wrote:Also, is there any point in going to the Abbey of Saint Sixtus if I don't have a beer reservation? Is there a café or anything there (where I can buy a bottle to drink on-site at least)?

http://www.indevrede.be/home.php?lang=en

I've never been, but I'm pretty sure the cafe will sell you bottles to drink on-site. They sometimes have take-away six packs too, but that's not guaranteed.

atomeyes wrote:

rfrf wrote:

atomeyes wrote: http://www.sweetbrussels.be/

it was really great. breakfast was great. rooms were great, hostess was great.

keep in mind that, unless you're getting a place in the middle of nowhere (like i did the 1st time i was in brussels), everything is close to everything. so this B&B is a 15 min walk from the Grote Markt and, i think a 7-8 min walk from Cantillon

booked into this bnb for a couple of nights in april. thanks for the recommendation.

remember: it's beautiful in the inside, breakfasts are great and it's a 10 minute walk to the train station, grande place and cantillon.

if you want any food tips, let me know

by all means. tip away.

Craig wrote:

Ceecee wrote:Also, is there any point in going to the Abbey of Saint Sixtus if I don't have a beer reservation? Is there a café or anything there (where I can buy a bottle to drink on-site at least)?

http://www.indevrede.be/home.php?lang=en

I've never been, but I'm pretty sure the cafe will sell you bottles to drink on-site. They sometimes have take-away six packs too, but that's not guaranteed.

I went to Belgium in May of last year with In de Vrede being one of my stops, and I'd definitely recommend if you get a chance. The cafe will sell you any of the Blond, 8 or 12 to drink onsite at fairly reasonable prices (maxing out at a little under 5 Euros per bottle for the 12).

I was also lucky enough to have the shop inside the cafe selling 6-packs of the 12 for take-away, so while it isn't guaranteed that they'll be selling the 12 when you're there, there's probably a decent chance you'll get to walk away with some beer.

I stayed at a pretty good hostel in Ghent, took the train from there to Poperinge, then biked out to the cafe, so I can pass along any of that info to you if you need it.

Cheers!

rfrf wrote:

atomeyes wrote:

rfrf wrote:booked into this bnb for a couple of nights in april. thanks for the recommendation.

remember: it's beautiful in the inside, breakfasts are great and it's a 10 minute walk to the train station, grande place and cantillon.

if you want any food tips, let me know

by all means. tip away.

http://www.ratebeer.com/p/nuetnigenough-brussels/15910/

love their food and they have Fantome saison in bottles.

also, wander over to rue Saint Catherine. there are some fish shacks and oyster stands.

mussels = only eat them when the month ends in R. otherwise, they're imported, so you may as well eat them in toronto.

chocolate tour - walk the route. there are some amazing shops.

http://www.foodrepublic.com/2014/04/28/ ... russels-be

i wanted to go to #5 on that list. hard to find horse prepared nicely.

Chocolate tour? Do you have the route?

walz22 wrote:I stayed at a pretty good hostel in Ghent

I'm too old for that. Plus I'll have my wife and toddler in tow. I was thinking B&B/holiday rental/hotel in Ghent or Ypres.

Ghent is actually my favorite city in Belgium.

Hotel - Sandton Grand Hotel
Restaurant - Volta
Cocktails - Jiggers (don't miss this one)
Bottle Shop - De Hopduvel (epic bottle shop)

cveerman wrote:Ghent is actually my favorite city in Belgium.

Hotel - Sandton Grand Hotel
Restaurant - Volta
Cocktails - Jiggers (don't miss this one)
Bottle Shop - De Hopduvel (epic bottle shop)

Great! Thanks for the recommendations.
The beer list on the de Hopduvel website is incredible.

Going to visit WWI memorials, cemeteries and battlefields in Ypres and Passendale but use Ghent as a home base. I hope to spend at least a day exploring the city as well.

Ceecee wrote:

cveerman wrote:Ghent is actually my favorite city in Belgium.

Hotel - Sandton Grand Hotel
Restaurant - Volta
Cocktails - Jiggers (don't miss this one)
Bottle Shop - De Hopduvel (epic bottle shop)

Great! Thanks for the recommendations.
The beer list on the de Hopduvel website is incredible.

Going to visit WWI memorials, cemeteries and battlefields in Ypres and Passendale but use Ghent as a home base. I hope to spend at least a day exploring the city as well.

Ghent is a great city. I love it.
Food's a bit better than Bruges.
Bars are not as good as Bruges.
For family, i'd suggest Bruges over Ghent. Bruges is safer and really, really clean and pretty.

if you're doing a WWI hop, then duh, go to Westvleteren and Oostvleteren (Struise brewery). Struise's taproom's open only on Saturdays, i think. They aren't far from Ypres.

what month you going? I may be in Oostvleteren for June.

Chocolates: read this. http://yummy-planet.com/en/top-10-place ... e-brussels

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/luxury/trave ... ssels.html

I think Passion Chocolate was our favourite. the woman working there's supernice. basically, she gives you a shitload of chocolate to try.

don't sign up for a tour. i don't remember if you can get maps at the shops to do the route or if i had something already prepared. you'll walk for an hour and hit the stores.

just remember: they can confiscate chocolate at Customs since it may have milk.

Heading over in August. It's a whirlwind European tour. A wedding in Scotland then visiting family in Paderborn, Germany (ex pat Scots living on the base), probably going to Koln and Dusseldorf. Then it's 5 or 6 days in Belgium split between Brussels and Ghent. Then off to Treviso, Italy for another wedding. Gonna be exhausting but fun.

Just noticed that de Struise is only open on Saturdays. Shit. I'm not in the region on a Saturday.

I plan on visiting Westvleteren, however, and maybe De Ranke in Dottignies.

Ceecee wrote:Heading over in August. It's a whirlwind European tour. A wedding in Scotland then visiting family in Paderborn, Germany (ex pat Scots living on the base), probably going to Koln and Dusseldorf. Then it's 5 or 6 days in Belgium split between Brussels and Ghent. Then off to Treviso, Italy for another wedding. Gonna be exhausting but fun.

Just noticed that de Struise is only open on Saturdays. Shit. I'm not in the region on a Saturday.

I plan on visiting Westvleteren, however, and maybe De Ranke in Dottignies.

if you're coming from Germany, see if you can stop off in Maastricht for 1 day. It's a really neat town with one really great bar (Cafe Frappe) to eat/drink at. their good beer's not on the menu. you just have to ask them for their good De Struise stuff.

De Struise has a bottle shop in Bruges and you can drink their beer at De Kelk.

Having been to Belgium twice, I'd still suggest being based out of Bruges vs Ghent. All you need in Bruges is 2 nights and days. Better bars, better shopping, better everything in Bruges except food. Food was bloody tough to find w/o being ripped off.

Is Ghent unsafe? It just seems quieter and less touristy than Bruges. I'm not looking for nightlife or even shopping per se (flying all over the place, keeping things light-ish). I doubt I'll be able to get out to any bars at night anyway. Grabbing a few bottles for the hotel is more my speed. Just leaning toward Ghent because I abhor tourist traps.