Travel to Belgium

If you are lucky enough to be taking a trip to Belgium, there are multiple types of accommodation that is available. You can go with a four or five star hotel if you want the ultimate experience with charm and class. Many of these hotels are parts of a larger hotel chain, while others are boutique in nature. If you want to experience the best accommodations, than you will have to pay the price. You should expect to pay at least two hundred dollars a night for these rooms.

When planning a trip to Belgium you can also choose to save a little money and make yourself feel more at home by staying at a quaint bed and breakfast. These are the best value and experience as you get to sample the local food and meet new people in the area for anywhere from sixty dollars to one hundred and sixty dollars per night. Bed and breakfast accommodations often have a very relaxing, homey feel to them which is perfect for someone who is on vacation.

If you are going on vacations in Belgium and want to save as much money as possible for the amazing attractions and dining, than you should check out the many hostels that are available. These rooms will usually cost you around twenty to thirty five dollars per night, which is the perfect price for anyone on a budget.

One of the popular places to stay in Belgium is the Bedford Hotel & Congress Centre. This hotel is easily accessible from all major areas in the city. The rooms are decorated in warm tones with marble bathrooms, mini bars, cable TV, as well as wooden desks. All guests can enjoy the traditional delicious French cuisine and amazing panoramic views of the city while working out in the fitness room. This hotel starts at about ninety five dollars a night.

The Benelux countries play a heavy role in European business, industry and commerce, with thousands of high-profile meetings and conferences going on throughout the year. Political issues such as eco-technology are also high on the agenda. Naturally, these meetings attract delegates from across the globe. Belgium and the Netherlands ooze with history and culture, and they are popular tourist, as well as business, destinations. Quite often the fields cross over. CEOs take informal trips to look for possible new company sites; delegates turn tiring conferences into relaxing stopovers. Thus meeting rooms have to cater for both recreational and business users. We at Holiday Inn Meetings BE do this admirably, never forgetting that along with an efficient conferencing service, our clients want the relaxation and comforts of a good hotel.

Every country has its own way of doing things, and both Belgium and the Netherlands run on restrained efficiency. This extends to dress codes, presentations and, of course, business meetings. We at Holiday Inn have 29 Benelux meetings hotels, and we respond to our clients' needs and wishes with the same efficiency with which they conduct their own affairs. At the same time, we never forget the needs of foreign visitors – with tourists arriving from countries across the globe, every week of the year, this isn't a problem.

So, what does a client in the Netherlands or Belgium expect from venues like us at Holiday Inn Meetings? In the Netherlands in particular, meetings can be lengthy, drawn-out affairs. The meeting room is a forum for debate, and everyone is expected to contribute and be listened to. Although there will be a chairperson, the aim is a common unity and an agreed approach to solving a problem. Once this point is reached, things move very fast indeed. As you can imagine, constant replenishment of refreshments and stationery items is a necessity, as is overnight accommodation and a swift checkout system. An allocated PR who knows the hotel and area like the back of their hand is a definite bonus.

We at Holiday Inns BE provide all this and more, with our dedicated Meetings Host and repeat booking services ensuring that even the most complex meetings run smoothly and efficiently. One thing that works in our favour is the civilised way in which Dutch meetings are conducted, with established protocols of behaviour and abhorrence of underhand tactics like pre-meeting lobbying and hidden agendas.

In Belgium, each area has its own unique culture. Some areas are Dutch influenced, some German influenced and so on. However, when it comes to meetings, some factors are common to all. The Belgians have strong rules on etiquette, for example, and while meetings can be open and friendly, things like putting your elbows on the table, removing your jacket and unpunctuality are considered bad manners. We at Holiday Inn Meetings BE have a range of business hotels across Belgium and the Netherlands, from large cities like Brussels and Amsterdam, to charmingly historic towns like Moerdijk. All these areas attract tourism as well as international business traffic, making Benelux meetings very much cosmopolitan affairs.

Europe, a historical, cultural and geographical mammoth that squares up confidently to any other continent on earth. From its Northern Lights to its Southern shores, this drama queen keeps on thrilling, surprising and confusing with her extraordinary wealth of sights, sounds, peoples and parties Europe offers you a new and a  fresh experience. Europe having a proud cultural heritage, leads the others in fashion, art, music, architecture and design. Europe is a delight to tourists. 

 

The snow-covered Alps, the coastlines, the ancient cities like Rome, the Vatican, the Scottish highlands, the graceful canals of Venice, etc Europe has it all. Belgium is a low-lying country on the North Sea coast in the Benelux, northwest Europe. Sitting at the crossroads of Western Europe Belgium shares borders with France, Germany, Luxembourg and the Netherlands. Known for its medieval architecture and atmosphere cities like Brussels, Ieper, Antwerp attract thousands of tourists. 

 

Belgium got its independent status in 1830 after being freed from the Netherlands. It remained occupied by Germany during World Wars I and II. The city of Ieper and the nearby areas have many war graves near the battle zones. Belgium has central rolling hills, wooded hills, valleys of Ardennes Forest in southeast, flat coastal plains in northwest. Belgium comprises of three regions listed from north to south: Flanders, Brussels, Wallonia. Ieper or Ypres is a town in the Belgian Flanders endowed with wonderful architecture. Ieper is best known as the site of three major battles of the First World War.

The many memorials and cemeteries of the fallen in and around Ieper draw thousands of visitors each year. Ieper is the official Flemish name for the city while Ypres is its French name. Ieper has a wonderful countryside with many routes for cycling and walking. 

 

Ieper is generally very safe to live or roam. Some of the place which are a must visit are: 

 

1. Menin Gate- The Menin Gate is a Dedication to the commemoration of British and Commonwealth soldiers who were killed in the Ypres Salient of World War I and whose graves are unknown. 

 

2. Flanders FieldMuseum: Located in Grote Market or the Main Square, it is the most famous and a must see monument in Ieper relating to the First World War. It is said to be one of the world’s biggest war museums, located in the rebuilt colossal building Lakenhalle (cloth hall), topped by a 70m high belfry. 

 

3. Cemeteries in Ieper: Ieper has over 75 Commonwealth military cemeteries for the First World War soldiers. The Ramparts Cemetery which was founded in 1915, rests 153 Britons, 11 Australians and 9 Canadians. Even a memorial has been dedicated to the Indian Army which was erected recently in 2002 to remember the brave soldiers from India at the Ramparts. 

 

In Belgium people like to eat and hence is famous for its good cuisines. Some dishes considered as Belgian specialities include Mussels, Stoofvlees, Witloof met kaassaus, Konijn met bier and Waffles. Restaurants, pubs are very commonly found in Belgium as people like visiting them regularly. A bed and breakfast (or B&B) is a small lodging establishment which offer overnight accommodation and breakfast, but may not usually offer other meals. 

 

Generally, bed and breakfasts are private homes with around less than 10 bedrooms available for commercial use. Several establishments can be found easily in the Ieper marketplace that offer bed and breakfast services. Many old farms have been transformed to bed and breakfast establishments for the tourists. These bed and breakfast establishments also provide services like bicycles and vespa rentals.