– On my trip, I was lucky enough to be a guest of the Made in Louise hotel, but all opinions presented in this post are mine and mine alone. –
Welcome to Brussels! Finding hotels is always one of the toughest aspects of any sort of vacation planning, so this week, I’m going to give you some amazing options for Brussels. I was there for two nights and the first night of my stay, I stayed with the Made in Louise Hotel. It’s a gorgeous little boutique hotel in Ixelles / Louise, one of the neighbourhoods of Brussels. I was lucky enough to stay there with a friend, so instead of this being a solo review, I’m telling you how it is sharing a space with someone.
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The Room
I’m a firm believer that less is more and the Made in Louise really takes advantage of that. While the room was not a passive penthouse suite, it was the perfect size for two people, with a bathroom that was big enough for a full size bathtub. I don’t need a 10 m2 room, and the size was really nice for me. Brussels is the second greenest city in the world, so the Made in Louise generates much of its own energy to power the hotel, so I was happy to do my share and benefit the environment and not abuse the power.
The hotel does come with an elevator to get to the rooms, but the stairs are not very steep and I chose to take them to get to my second floor room. My only pause is that it can get very hot in Brussels in the summer so the room can get very hot, but if you open one of the windows, it will cool down very quickly. The sun comes up incredibly early during the summer (I believe it was around 5:30am during my stay), so the hotel has black-out blinds to keep the summer sun out of your eyes until you want to get up in the morning. I tried them out in the middle of the day and it was impossible to see, and they definitely worked wonders in the morning!
Did I mention that all of the toiletries are Clarins products? I love Clarins so being able to try out their other products was such a nice touch. Each room is different from the next, so unless you stay in the same room as I did, your room will have it’s own little charms. There’s WIFI throughout the entire hotel that works like a dream, so no problems for anyone who is there for work or who wants to just have a little city break in Brussels. You can book a Cozy, Comfort, Charming, or Executive room depending on your liking.
Reception/Lobby
I couldn’t resist doing a specific section on the lobby and reception because I was really in love. The hotel has a lobby/bar where you can buy drinks or dip into their complimentary corner. After walking 8km a day around Brussels, it was a nice place to grab a glass of water or a coffee and relax before going back out for dinner or to the room to sleep. The “Made in Bar” is the bar where you can buy things like bottled soda, a glass of wine, or snacks. No need for a minibar in the room as the bar is open 24/7 and everything can be taken back to the room to enjoy.
The receptionists were all lovely and helpful. Brussels has some rainy weather at times, they even offer umbrellas in case of rain. The Made in Louise is a brother/sister team and they’ve done an amazing job at crafting a hotel where the people and the say are near perfect! I loved the dark grey and monochromatic aesthetic of the hotel overall and the lobby has some amazing pieces of art and a style that is unparalleled at other hotels. In the lobby area, there’s a meeting area as well as a pool room, so you can use it for work meetings or a nightly game of pool if you wish!
Location
The hotel is located in the Ixelles district, near the Louise station. It’s a stunning area and really centrally located near many attractions. I don’t walk that fast. We were able to walk to the Cathédrale Saints-Michel-et-Gudule de Bruxelles in about 15 minutes. We also made it to the Palais de Justice in about 7 minutes. That’s pretty central! There’s a lot to eat in the area, as well as bars and markets. There’s no shortage of food. The hotel worked with Deliveroo to create a list of recommended restaurants in the area! They won my heart over the second I saw that, I with I could have used it!
There’s a map above, so you can check out all that the location and area more for yourself! Around the hotel, you can easily catch the tram, buses, and trains, but I definitely recommend walking if you can! It’s about 20-25 minutes from Bruxelles Midi, which is where I came in from via the subway. It is also 30-45 from Bruxelles Nord, which is where Eden took the train from. The hotel also can help you hire bikes during your stay. This is a big help in getting around Brussels, but be wary of cobblestones!
Cost & Value
The value of the hotel really comes out with breakfast. At just 12.50€, the breakfast spread has really anything your heart desires! It does switch but you can get bacon, eggs, mini pancakes, waffles, granola and yogurt, cereal, pastries, and so much more all in one space! The breakfast is from 7-11 on M-F and 8-11 on Sat-Sun, so it’s perfect for most people’s wakeup range! It’s a great value for everyone involved and I really recommend it!
Rooms start around $80 a night during the low season and increase. This is a fantastic price for Brussels, especially for the location.
Overall
Overall, the Made in Louise hotel is definitely one I’d come back to, especially with family or friends. The atmosphere is welcoming and beautiful, and while I only spent one night there, it’s a fantastic space. I can see myself coming back and playing another game of chess on their massive chessboard. That and sitting down for breakfast again. The staff go out of their way to make people feel welcome. It was definitely a fantastic stay that I can’t imagine replicating! I definitely see the hotel as one more for families over business travels. It can definitely accommodate anyone for a fantastic stay.
