Review of Royal Windsor, by The TI Review Team

By TI Reviewer Keely Tafoya

Belgium is known for its quaint towns, pretty scenery and amazing chocolate. But until you visit, you'll probably not realise that it has a kookier side. A mix of the eclectic and the traditional, Brussels is a welcome reprieve from some of the other classical European cities.

With a great location near Central Station, Royal Windsor Hotel Grand Place embodies this fusion of old and new. Built in 1973, the luxury hotel is close to the Centre Square markets, antique shops, the Royal Covered Galleries and Manneken Pis ( a statue of a fabled little boy who saved the town from burning).

The facilities

The communal areas, for the most part, are rather traditional in decor. The Salon Grand Place serves breakfast and brunch in an old-school setting, buffet-style. A large stained glass mural, in blues and greens, reflects beautifully around the room as it picks up the natural light.

On the other hand, Chutney's, located on the bottom floor of the luxury hotel, is something of a hotspot for the city's youth. Part-pub, part-brassiere, contemporary music plays, local specialties are prepared and exotic cocktails are served to the trendy and well-heeled.

If trendy with a colonial twist is not your scene, head back up to the lobby to enjoy the piano bar during the week. Or guests can get rowdy at Duke's, a nightclub located on the bottom floor. The club, open Thursday through Sunday until dawn, is the place of party people and socialites.

The perfect cure to a night out in Brussels is down the spiral staircase to the sauna and fitness centre. With up-to-date equipment, the gym offers machines and a TV for guests with separate dressing and sauna rooms for men and women.

The rooms

The 266 rooms of the luxury hotel are decorated with simplicity and homey touches. All rooms are cosy with beautiful marble bathrooms, lush down-feather bedding and flatscreen televisions personalised to display the guests' name. The Royal Suite is the biggest suite currently available; however, a Presidential Suite is planned for autumn '09.

What truly sets this luxury hotel apart are the Fashion Rooms. Designed by Belgian designers, there are 12 in total ranging from funky to functional. A lot like Brussels, these rooms have different influences and stories that make them special. For the whimsical and romantic, try designer Kaat Tilley's "the Bride of the Sea" room. Like a white magical land, with goddess statues as bedposts, the ceramic-like walls leave a raw and untainted naturalistic feel to the room. Hanging flower lights from cords designed like vines give an intimate lighting effect to this dream-like fantasy room.

Less quirky and exotic tastes can divulge into designer Pascale Kervan's black-and-white art deco creation. Kervan creates a space not solely for sleeping, but living and feeling with an all black astrakhan sofa-daybed, sleek Plexiglas bar and off-white velvet and black carpet.