Here we go again. We have finally booked our trip for April 10 thru 20 2008. So far here are the places that I have booked or am planning to book. I know I know this is not slow travelling but its a way for us to get a taste of different cities and plan our slow travel in the future in those towns that we feel are our favorites .

Brussels (April 11 -13) Hotel Le Plaza - great deal for 90 Euros per night directly at the hotel website

Brugge (April 13-15)
This is a great hotel and was offering us a rate of 90 Eu without breakfast http://www.adornes.be/

but I think we will end up with this B&B place instead for only 76Eu per night

http://www.bruggebedandbreakfast.be/

Antwerp (April 15-16) I am still awaiting a response regarding the rate

http://www.intro04.be/thebigsleep/

The Hague (April 16 thru 18) Still searching

Amsterdam (April 18 thru 20) still searching

you did not share your likes and dislikes but go those places often on business and pleasure trips, I always use the Accor Hotels chains. Very dependable service and centrally located hotels in all price ranges.

I'm very familiar with Den Haag, actually more than Amsterdam. I had an apartment there for 3 months. Most of the hotels I'm familiar with are business hotels, but I'll look around.

Have you seen Hotels.NL website? It looks good. BTW Scheveningen is at the coast and is an easy tram ride from central Den Haag. It can be cold and windy out there because it is on the North Sea but you might find more tourist hotel options instead of in the Center which is more business focused.

Here's an interesting B&B - Columbus B&B for The Hague. It is a little bit away from the center and train but not far. Bus and tram transportation is great in Den Haag and all of Holland for that matter. It is a small B&B so it may be booked.

One area I would not recommend to stay is between central area and the Holland Spoor train station. There are two train stations in Den Haag, Centraal and HS (Holland Spoor). HS is on the main line so you usually have to change in Leiden to get the Den Haag Centraal train. But the area between HS and Centraal is not real good. I usually would only go into the area if I had to go the the HS station to catch a train to Belgium.

I'm sure you chose the Hague and Amsterdam order to save train time. But Amsterdam is often more expensive on the weekend, so you may end up paying more for this arrangement.

A compromise would be to stay in Leiden for four nights, and then you'd sort of be more or less half-way between den Haag and Amsterdam, and you'd not have to change bases. Leiden is a lovely town.

What a fine trip - but I don't envy you the choice of which to choose for a longer visit. Just to add to the problem, I think probably Gent would be my favourite.
However the good news is that the Belgian rail service is something else and it's both easy and quick to visit any from any.

Pedmar - There are common characteristics in hotels/B&Bs that I choose. First of all the price has to be right. I would like to spend less than 100 Euros per night if possible, if its really a high end place with a good deal I can splurge up to 120 but will never pay more than 150. Next I want it to be strategically located which means it is within 5-10 min walking distance to the areas of interest, most of the places I choose have gotten good reviews from bookings.com or tripadvisor.com, I also have a love for modern contemporary design. Regarding my dislikes, hmmm Ill write back after April when I get back

Marta - We did hear about an area that we should avoid but were not certain on the exact spot, thanks for clarifying that. I will check that hotel website. We might end up staying at the IBIS in The Hague for 99 Euros.

Will - Let me tell my BF about Leiden. He is the one who creates the itinerary, im just the bargain hunter We are flying out of Amsterdam so we ended up in AMS on a weekend.

David - We are visiting Gent but only a day trip from Brussels. I did hear its beautiful.

Leiden is a university city. The center is very compact. It has a nice lively buzz but not as busy as Amsterdam. I've stayed at The Minerva and the Mayflower although it has been a few years. I've also stayed at the Golden Tulip for business. The Golden Tulip is a dutch chain.

I'd probably recommend the Minerva over the Mayflower. Both were fine but very Dutch. I'd check for some current reviews on both the hotels because it has been a while since I've stayed at those. The Mayflower does face a busy square and the McDonalds was nearby (or next door) so there is a lot of activity. Our room was in the back so it wasn't noisy.

The Golden Tulip is very close to the train station in Leiden, so convenient if you plan to do a lot of train travel, but just outside the city center. The Mayflower is right in the city center and still an easily walkable distance from the train station. (I didn't notice the Minerva, but I imagine it is also convenient.)

Before I wholeheartedly endorse staying in Leiden (although I'd love to do so myself), be sure to check the cost of train tickets for this plan. There are some deals, including a 24-hour ticket for travel in the Netherlands, which might be helpful, but you want to be sure to be including the cost of trains when making any decision about accommodations. If you are flying out of Amsterdam, Leiden is also very convenient for the airport.

I'll second the Scheveningen suggestion for your Den Haag base. In April you might find some real bargains.

RobinD,
the Accor hotel chain fits your schedule, some of the brand name hotels are Novotel,Mercure,Ibis,all within your budget and centrally located.
try
www.accorhotels.com

I love the mercure hotels. I stayed in those hotels in germany and the one in Munich was just fabulous. It beats your typical Marriots and Hiltons as far as that munich mercure is concerned. I ended up booking at the Ibis in the center of the Hague for 102 euros per night. Im not too keen about it but its the cheapest so far that meets my criteria. I will still keep looking.

have you try the Novotel at city center Brugge, long street name NOvotel centrum i think they call it. We booked for 90 euros last year.

and yes Mercure are wonderful, I just took on two of them in France. Orleans and Fontainebleau. always great service.

Hotel Adornes is my home in Brugge/Bruges. We stayed there a gazillion years ago and have returned many times. To us, it is perfect. No criticism of others, but I think it has SO much more atmosphere and local flavor than a Novotel or Mercure.

I would like to hijack this thread momentarily and point it specifically to Antwerp. We hope to spend 4 nights there in very early June, after Ghent and before Paris.

We are looking for 1) well located to explore the old town on foot, 2) preferably locally owned, and 3) not too much over $150/night. I checked reviews but hope someone may have an update or a lead on a gem.

Kendal, I did see hotel Adornes for 90 Euro per night without breakfast which was ok for me until I found this great bed and breakfast for only 70 Euros per night that I mentioned abovbe
so I ended up with B&B but I definitely would have chosen Adornes otherwise. BTW the BB I have chosen is a few feet away from hotel Adornes so I know the location is great.

Cubbies, I chose a B&B in Antwerp, see above, the rate is 60 Euros per night. The other place i was looking at was Hotel Matelote but it was more expensive.

Robin, thanks. I'll check them out.