Ypres … It's a lovely friendly town -- great place to stay.
Bruges … Great place. We would love to go back there. We definitely recommend the canal tour -- sit up the front of the boat as it adds to the experience going under the low bridges. The food is also great -- many a quality bakery and some great little pubs too.
International Youth Hostel Groeninghe in Kortrijk … Our school, South Huron District High School, found this hostel the most accommodating site. Johann and his wife, Christine, were the most gracious managers we met on our battlefields tour of Europe. The food was wonderful and the hospitality unforgettable. The students had nothing but good things to say about their stay at the Groeninghe Youth Hostel.
Kosmos Hostel in Ypres … This place had very clean facilities with friendly staff and a good price. The owners acknowledge that the property IS getting tired and are still awaiting planning permission to renovate. But for a budget price hostel this IS an excellent value. We'll certainly return next year.
International Youth Hostel De Peerdevisser in Oostduinkerke … The hostel is very nice, friendly and very clean!!! It's the best location I've ever seen. The hostel is near the beach and Centrum.
St. Christopher's Inn - Bauhaus Hostel in Bruges … Great place, although the breakfast (which costs €3) could use some more variation. There's a nice atmosphere in the bar, which also offers relatively cheap but good dinners. When you're early, your bag is put in the restaurant, which is not used during the day. If you take out your passport, ticket, money, etc., then it's safe to leave the bag there. At night, the noise of the bar is not heard in the room. But hey, who wants to get an early sleep on the weekends anyway? :) I stayed here during the weekend and found it worth the money. €11 is not much; I've stayed in hostels double this price which were far worse! I also think 10-15 minutes walking to the square is not that much. Anyway, Bruges is a city where you'll never be bored. One tip: there's a nice tapas place in front of the bus stop next to the hostel (Sol y Sombre).
Art Hostel in Bruges … The rooms are good, bathroom facilities quite standard, free internet a definite plus! Not much happening, but this was october. People are unable to understand a non-smoking sign, but that is no fault of the hostel. The hostel is a tiny bit out of the centre, but once you know where you are going that is no problem. Good price to stay close to such a wonderful town!
The Menin Gate B&B Ypres in Ypres … i stayed at the menin gate hostel for the full month of september with a whole group of people with whom i was on a course with. it was a lovely place and i enjoyed my stay immensely. i would go back 2moro! the rooms were clean and tidy and the people very friendly. we all had great time and made some great friends.
Lybeer Travellers' Hostel in Bruges … We got a little lost trying to find the Hotel Lybeer, but it was probably due to the pouring rain and the dark. It has a great location (close to all things touristy, like the Chocolate Museum and the Diamond Museum) and a friendly staff. It seemed like one guy was running the show, but he does a great job!
Snuffel Backpacker Hostel in Bruges … Very laid back and cool, at least in february. Pretty clean as well!
HI - Bruges - Europa Hostel in Bruges … This hostel is clean and has nothing especially wrong with it. It's a good 15 minute walk to the centre though and has a boarding-school atmosphere.
Charlie Rockets in Bruges … Well, the good news is that this place does indeed have a nice bar; the bad news is that management seems more interested in running a bar than a hostel. There's no check-in desk -- you have to get the bartender's attention when you want to sign in or retrieve your key, which can take quite a while if the place is busy. Also, all the money for repairs and maintenance seems to have gone into the bar -- upstairs the corridors are poorly lit and the place seems generally in bad repair, although it's reasonably clean. If your room is located over the bar, you can expect to hear music until all hours.
HI - Oostende - De Ploate Hostel in Ostende … The accommodations (rooms and furniture) are outdated. The staff are friendly though, and the meals are good. If you want to go out, you get the key, which is nice.
International Youth Hostel De Wullok in Blankenberge … I stayed there 3 nights in August 2002. The location is a 2-km walk from the city center on a busy street. Rooms were full of mosquitoes splashed on the walls and others that hit you all night. A good thing was the Ping-Pong table, free of charge!!
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