Castle Ten Berghe Hotel

We have just returned from a wonderful short break to Bruges and felt we had to comment on the accommodation we had there. Bruges itself was absolutely beautiful and our hotel matched it.
The Castle Ten Berghe is a wonderful Gothic style castle hidden away behind some fields down a long driveway and surrounded by its own moat and is crammed full of charm. Great beds too, slept like log!
The owner of the business (Luc Hyndryckx) spoke excellent English and was so helpful and obliging and helped make our stay very special. For example, the bar was a "help yourself affair" and you were just asked to keep a note of what alcohol or soft drinks you had drunk and hand it in when you checked out. It was so lovely to feel like a trusted guest rather than just a faceless customer in a soulless hotel.
On the top floor there is a great setup for families, an enormous master bedroom with soaring ceilings and a wonderful four poster bed and the biggest en-suite I've ever seen. This was attached to a private corridor which leads to 2 connecting rooms that are great fun for children as the beds are hidden away behind doors in the space under the eaves, it sounds a bit funny but was really charming, a bit like something from the Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe!
Although the castle is situated just outside of the city it's only a few minutes away with easy access, yet it felt you were way out in the countryside.
We ended up at the Castle almost by default because we were finding it hard to find accommodation for 7 people in the centre of Bruges, but were so glad we did find it, as it really is a magical place.
We were honoured to be the first English people to stay there, apparently most of the guests are European with occasionally a few Americans.
We drove over to Bruges - £49 for a car and 7 people on the Norfolk Line Dover Dunkirk route using their lovely refurbished luxurious ferries. Quick motorway access from the Port to Bruges. Parking on the very edge of Bruges city centre is cheap, plentiful and easy to find and only a short walk to the centre. Much cheaper and less aggro than taking trains.