2 Best Hotels in Brussels, Belgium

This boutique stay lies on place des Martyrs, a historic location that contains a monument to the 445 patriots who died in the brief but successful 1830 War of Independence—many are buried in a crypt below the cobbles. The Juliana's grandeur certainly befits this hallowed setting. Its rooms are sold as "apartments," highly stylized and continuing the neoclassical design that courses through the building. A beautiful pool and wellness area (gym, sauna, hammam) keeps up the general air of moneyed luxury, which filters down to everything from the Molton Brown bath products to the rather fine in-hotel brasserie. 

This upscale hotel has expansive terraces, a rose-filled garden populated by waterfowl and songbirds, and a good restaurant, Kolya. Roman pillars and classical scenes painted on the walls give the lobby a slightly kitsch vibe. The well-appointed rooms have Louis XV and Louis XVI-style antiques—even the TVs are set in distressed-looking picture frames. The sauna (in a design about-face) has a Moroccan flavor with tiling and arched doorways.