The best boutique hotels in Brussels, including designer suites and subterranean spas

‘Louise’ here refers to Avenue Louise, the chic shopping hub just to the south of central Brussels – and this boutique hotel, in a quiet street close by, is every bit as stylish. The core building dates from 1911 and still retains its historic charm with an original six-storey stairwell (there is also a lift), but everything has been upgraded with the flourish of a designer’s eye mixed with beguilingly ‘homemade’ touches: white, black, cream and grey contrast with the bold wallpapers and calligraphy directions on the walls. Each of the 48 rooms is different, but all are well presented, with pastel colours and a pared-down neatness.

This upbeat hotel, bang in the middle of one of the most attractive parts of central Brussels, combines smart hospitality with character. The building itself is old, but a stylish makeover has placed a strong emphasis on contemporary design and art. Original, antique touches survive in the wide wooden floorboards, the window ironmongery and notably the huge medal-press (dating from 1845) that has been preserved in the restaurant. There are 20 individually styled rooms on four floors – all light, with high ceilings, edging towards minimalism, but with interesting contemporary and retro furniture.

9Hotel Sablon trades on its intimate scale and refreshingly vibrant yet coolly understated design panache. ‘A place of inspiration and creation’, suggests the hotel, and it’s a fair claim. The overall effect is elegant, yet also welcoming and intimate: the lobby/lounge is decorated with glass cases containing African sculpture, beside shelves of books on art, fashion and travel; the 34 rooms pared-down effect of white walls, white resin flooring and large grey headboards is subtly humanised by a distressed-look coloured carpet. There’s an attractive ‘wellbeing space’ in the cellar, with a Finnish sauna and a large plunge pool with whirlpool jets.

Design is very much at the fore here, combining modern with vintage and antique, spiced with the exotic and a bit industrial chic. The 19th-century brick walls, stripped bare, are a constant theme, along with simple wooden furniture from Rajasthan. It’s an intriguing and successful mix, creating a casual, loft-style elegance. The maroon landings open onto the contrasting rooms: clean, crisp-white, yet stylish and welcoming. There are 47 in all, ranging in size from Single to Junior suites. Rustic, bare-wood Indian buffet tables, serving as desks, and fruitbox-style clothes storage add an artisan touch. Open hanging rails serve as cupboards. The flooring is wood parquet or sisal.

Exotic travel is the theme at the Brussels Welcome Hotel, where a wonderland lies behind the rather plain façade. Each room is designed in the style of a different nation or destination, inspired by the travels of the owners, Sophie and Michel Smeesters, who have gone to great trouble not only to create theatrically themed rooms (‘destinations’ include China, India or Kenya), but also to find authentic fittings – all put together with a fine attention to detail, and without compromise to hotel standards. The lobby has a library of travel guides and leaflets, and staff are happy to advise about bars, restaurants, jazz clubs and other activities in the vicinity.

With its stylish, mildly provocative black-and-white photography and its silver and black colour schemes, Be Manos has the cool buzz of a fashionable gallery or nightclub. There’s more than a hint of glamour here – if you’re not a star, you begin to feel like one. The striking 1920s Art Deco exterior heralds the razzmatazz inside: all glass and mirrors, black and white and silver, punctuated by bright spots of red, yellow, orange, green and mauve, and counterintuitive post-modern furniture – unremittingly contemporary, with a slight retro nod to the 1970s. The hotel has a more intimate feel than its 60-room total would suggest.

Behind the ivy-clad façade here is a miniature stately home, with glittering chandeliers, Neoclassical columns and Louis XV furniture. It is grand but relaxed, and guests can bask in the welcome of a family-owned hotel, with its luxury rooms, spa and hammam, gourmet restaurant and large garden. The 50 rooms all have classical elegance, with antique furnishings, and gold-framed paintings and prints, while Kolya Restaurant offers inventive European cuisine with Asian influences, with dishes such as octopus carpaccio with yuzu pearls and fillet of sea bream with wild dandelion panna cotta.

This grand Neoclassical mansion is said to have been the Spanish Ambassador’s residence in the 17th century, but – like the Grand Place – the building was reconstructed after central Brussels was demolished by the French army in 1695. The main staircase dates from this time, and the décor of the primary building reflects the era, with antique furniture, chandeliers and marble floors. Another, newer wing, called the ‘Patio’ section, is built around an inner courtyard, and the most recent extension, built around a second courtyard and called the ‘Garden’ section, occupies a former recording studio. The overall mood is tranquil and restful – remarkable for the hotel’s central location.

Built on the site of a Dominican Abbey in the centre of historic Brussels, The Dominican has style and swagger – a tone set by the flaming torches at the entrance, and the suite of stately, stone-flagged public rooms set around a courtyard. Respect for this historic legacy is part of the design: the high arches around the courtyard follow the ground plan of the cloister, and the Dominican symbol is woven into the carpets. In the 150 rooms, modern renditions of paintings by Jacques-Louis David are a unifying theme, along with the Empire Style of the Napoleonic era evoked in lamps and chairs; but much of the furniture is also sleekly modern.

The interiors here were designed by Antoine Pinto, famous in Belgium for his visually stunning restaurants, converted from buildings with other histories. The décor in the 169 rooms is spare, almost minimalist, largely black and white and beige, punctuated by vivid upholstery. A distinctive feature is the cushions with faces printed on them, by the Italian designer Piero Fornasetti. The atmospheric, chocolatey-dark Crystal Lounge is a gourmet restaurant offering a broad menu, from cheeseburgers to tapas and caviar, and the Crystal Lounge Bar is celebrated for its cocktails created by its award-winning mixologists.