When my mum saw the size of my hotel room and my bed in Amsterdam, she was upset with me. It was difficult for her to understand why I chose to stay in such a place. I couldn’t justify it myself since I was really pissed off for choosing such a terrible place. Well, that is the reality of travelling and sometimes you are stuck with a bad deal.
The thing about being part of an affluent family is that I never got to stay in crappy places when I was younger and we were travelling as a family. It was only when I started travelling with my hard-earned money, I realised that I could travel more if I stuck to a budget. But even now there are days when I choose luxury over budget.
For my European trip, I decided to do a combination of hostels, budget hotels and luxury hotels. This was random and I chose ones after carefully combing through many hotel booking sites.
So after the worst hotel experience in Amsterdam this time around, I landed in Brussels hoping that I would not be disappointed. I headed over to the Dominican hotel Brussels and I was swept off my feet from the minute I landed there.
Dominican, Brussels is a 4-star boutique hotel right in the middle of Brussels city centre. It is at an ideal walking distance from many well-known spots like the Grand Place, Central Station, Manneken Piss, Les Galleries etc. Since it is part of the Carlton collection, everything is top notch. As mentioned before, I always consider Safety, Accessibility and Cleanliness as the topmost priority while choosing a hotel.
Table Of Contents
Dominican Hotel Brussels Review
Dominican Hotel Brussels Lobby
Dominican satisfied all my above criteria and even ticked many others. As soon as you enter the lobby, you are struck by the grandeur and elegance of the place. There was no doubt in my mind why it was chosen as one of the ‘TripAdvisor’s Travellers Choice 2016 Winners in Belgium’.
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| Lobby, Dominican, Brussels |
Checkin at Dominican Hotel Brussels
Check-in was relatively easy and when I told them that I had lost all my credit cards in Madrid, they did not even take the 50 Euro mandatory payment as was customary in all my other hotels.
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| Hallway, Dominican, Brussels |
Room at the Dominican Hotel
Soon I was on my way to my room. The hallways and the entire hotel is designed in a contemporary but elegant style. The black/greyish setting with dashes of colour was something I really loved about this hotel. The room itself was one of the biggest rooms I stayed in Europe. It had a huge king size bed and it was a stark contrast to the bed I had slept in Amsterdam. In addition, it had a sofa, a reading table, a well-equipped mini bar, a Nespresso machine with a wide array of tea and coffee choices to choose from.
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| Room, Dominican, Brussels |
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| Room, Dominican, Brussels |
When I walked in, soothing music was playing and then I realised that it was coming from the Plasma Tv which is typical of all luxury hotels around the World. The bathroom was equally stunning and clean, complete with your own robe, hand picked toiletries and sandals. To add a personal touch, a hand written note was placed on the reading table.
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| Nespresso, Room, Dominican, Brussels |
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| Bathroom, Dominican, Brussels |
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| MiniBar, Dominican, Brussels |
Gym Facilities
The first thing they mention to you while you check in is the Gym and Turkish bath facilities available inside the Dominican hotel. Out of curiosity, I headed over there and was really impressed with the boxing room, gym and spa facilities. Due to lack of time, I was not able to use them and that was one regret I had while leaving Brussels.
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| Gym, Dominican, Brussels |
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| BoxingRoom, Dominican, Brussels |
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| Spa, Dominican, Brussels |
Food experience
As a foodie, this review would be incomplete if I did not comment about the dining experience. Breakfast was the highlight of my day and the huge continental spread at the Dominican was a delight every morning. I had my share of everything from freshly prepared Belgian waffles to French toast.
I even ordered room service one night and they took special care to prepare a delicious vegetarian meal, exclusively for me. Also as per my tour guide in Brussels, the Dominican has one of the best cocktails in the city. My other tour guide kept praising the Dominican and it is not often that locals also find a hotel classy and unique. Service was impeccable and they had friendly staff who catered to your every whim and fancy.
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| Dining Area, Dominican, Brussels |
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| Dinner, Dominican, Brussels |
Overall I was delighted with the Dominican and I would stay here again if I got the chance. Dominican also ranks as one of my favourite hotels in Europe this time. Also just to let people know, it is not as expensive as you think.
Disclaimer: I was offered a discounted price to stay at ‘The Dominican, Brussels’. All opinions are my own. It was my favourite hotel this time around and you can see from the pictures why.
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Awesome picture. Seems to be beautiful and lovely hotel 🙂
I loved the dark decor and the splashes of color in your room but most of all, I loved that music was playing in the background. So relaxing and romantic.
Thank you for sharing this: my husband travels often to Brussels but hasn't found a great hotel so far – this might change now 🙂
Looks like a lovely hotel and love that they have a gym and Turkish bath. Will check it out 🙂
Your right about sticking to a budget. Whenever I travel, I prefer hostels and backpacker's inn but if I have extra cash, I would certainly consider this hotel. This hotel looks great!
Great hotel review, looks lovely.
Great hotel review, looks lovely!
Accommodations are always hit and miss, you never really know what to expect until you're physically there. This one looks perfect though! 🙂
It sounds like a place I would be happy to stay. Thanks for detailed description and nice pictures.
I LOVE a good hotel! Totally makes my trip staying in luxury. Living in Dubai we often just go away for the weekend to stay in a nice hotel haha! lovely photos!
Thank You. Yes it was a lovely hotel.
Yes it was a nice touch. Something you rarely hear these days.
Yes I am sure your husband would love this hotel.
Yes they do have a gym and a Turkish bath. You should definitely check it out.
Yes once in a while I find it necessary to splurge and then I find places like these.
Yes Lisa it was lovely.
Yes this one was perfect.
Brussels indeed has some really exquisite hotels and it seems you did find one of them. I usually prefer hostels because I travel alone, but from time to time I do treat myself with a nice stay at a good hotel too.
Thank You Anita. You should definitely try this out.
Dubai has too many fancy places and it is always difficult to choose. 🙂
Yes sometimes we need some pampering. Hostels are a great way to meet people but sometimes you need the luxury too.
Love the Dominican. What were the rates like when you stayed? What kind of discount did you get? Was it through a travel app or an offer or was it extended by the Hotel?
Gorgeous place, looks absolutely incredible! I wouldn't want to leave.
Wow this looks quite luxurious can't say I blame you!
I love that they didn't take the mandatory payment! The hotel looks absolutely spectacular and the photo of the club sandwich is making my mouth water!
Boutique hotels sometimes win on all accounts. This place looks lovely! Shame you couldn't try the Turkish bath. Thanks for introducing me to a new gem!
Yes it was extended by the hotel. Hence I will not be able to disclose the rates. You can find the usual rates in the links mentioned above. Thank you for understanding. 🙂
Thank You. Same here. If I hadn't planned tours to Bruges and Luxembourg in advance, it would have been very difficult for me to get out of bed.
Yes guilty pleasures once in a while.
Yes they were very sweet about it. I had other mouth watering pictures of Belgian waffles and other items. Can't seem to find them now. I am sure it will turn on some folder in my laptop soon. 🙂
You are welcome Eulanda . I love Boutique hotels in Europe. In India we do not have too many of those.
I do like a luxury hotel – every type of accommodation has its place though, but the little luxuries like the Nespresso machine are great. A good bed is a must though!
Looks like such a nice hotel – I need to get back to Brussels and find time to relax in the Turkish bath 😀
With a hotel like this, I wouldn't even want to leave the hotel! Looks great
Yes good beds are a must. I stayed in hostels too. But the bed in Amsterdam was tiny and horrible. So this one was a relief.
Yes you need to. 🙂
I didn't want to leave either.