Rue de la Sablonnière 30, Brussels 1000 Metro Botanique, Madou Bus 61, 65, 66 Tram 92, 93, 94 Tel (02) 218 0187 Websitewww.laj.be Emailbrussels.brel@laj.be
Price Dorm bed €18.50-20.60 (€15.50-17.60 HI/LAJ) Prices are in local currency and are inclusive of all taxes.
A great hostel...with wonderful bedrooms...Nice people, nice place (so near from Central Station).Just perfect for me...I'll back...
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(Review ID: 1657)
The best place!, June 5, 2005
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Anonymous
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In my trip, Jacques Brel Youth Hostel was the best place: near from bus terminal, free internet, showers inside the room, good breakfast, very nice staff, big lockers. That's my place in Brussels!
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(Review ID: 1658)
unhelpful staff, dirty, bad location, May 31, 2005
Reviewer:
littlefeelings
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I had the misfortune of encountering this hostel 5/21/05, as I had to overnight in Bruxelles whilst waiting for a morning train. Having read the reviews here, and in various other travel guides, it sounded about the best option... all things considered. After coming in from Brugge, I caught a taxi at the Midi station figuring it would be the quickest way there. Ha! Well, it probably was, but it's never a good sign when the driver can't find it - even with a map. Eventually got there, only to discover that it sits in a rather dodgy part of town (although from what I saw, most of Brux. is 'rather dodgy'); garbage strewn through streets, lots of graffitti, run-down buildings, etc...Anyway, the reception was closed by 18:00, so I had to check-in at the bar. Yeah... The place wreaked of urine and body odor, trash all over the floors - just bad. By the time the barman got around to me, he couldn't have been less attentive. Now, I had some difficulty reserving my bed online, but I'd managed to do it. I received my confirmation, and had even called earlier the day of my arrival just to re-confirm as their response had requested, yet the barman told me they had no record of me... eventually he found something penciled in somewhere, but then made me pay cash because of not having my credit card on record... all very confusing. But the kicker was when I told him how early I needed to check-out the next morning. His response was basically, Well... No one will be here that early and I don't know what you should do. (???) Eventually he said, Just keep the key card. Surely I'm not the only person who has left this hostel before 6:30. It's not that early... And what kind of employee is clueless regarding an early morning check-out policy? After getting to my room and smelling the state of the rest of the hostel, I decided to leave and stay elsewhere for the night. I called a hotel downtown recommended by Rick Steves, then called a taxi. Again, the driver couldn't find the hostel, so instead of the 10 minutes I was told by the company, I waited 25 minutes.If you find yourself in Bruxelles, do yourself a favor and avoid this place! I've travelled a great deal and have stayed in too many hostels to count, but J Brel was the worst experience I've had. Ever. And unless you've no choice, I'd say avoid Bruxelles altogether.
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(Review ID: 1659)
Not too bad, May 22, 2005
Reviewer:
Gemma
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Yeah I stayed in this hostel in April 2005 and its not too bad, its pretty much just your average hostel! It was clean, close to the center of town, and the bar staff were really friendly. I also stayed in some other hostels in Brussels, and my favourite was definitely Van Gogh, but if you can't stay there then this is the second best in Brussels.And they do do a fab breakfast, which is fairly rare in a hostel, they do eggs, cheese, real english bread... but there is no kitchen for cooking your own meals and their dinner is pricey.I'd say this hostel is probably great for larger groups. When I was there, so was a group of noisy French school kids, but if you're alone, this can be quite irritating!!!
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(Review ID: 1660)
STOLEN PROPERTY!, January 23, 2004
Reviewer:
Jessica
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We went to Jacques Brel on a Trip throught the EU,we were told the rooms were secure and valuables would be safe.. So we were on the top floor and were sharing with best friends... So how come did we return to find a phone stolen? Then to find out the other people we were with had had aphone stolen from there too. The we foundd out of another party they had a CD player stolen too!!!!!! Fishy?? We thought so we also reported this to recpetion immediately on return and were met with stark answers (not our problem-maybe you lost them!) We were then not given directions for the police station- we found it ourselves in the end..But overall it was dismall,breakfast was late being served we had to be out for 8 and struggled to do this due to breakfast (which was appaling), the rooms had I guess attempted to be cleaned they moved sheets onto the floor of the bed. The room when we first entered didint appear that bad, but they beds creeked, the matresses were uncomfatable (they needed to be wrapped in plastic why??) and the chairs were broken and damaged and half the plug sockets didnt work. We have refused to return to this Hostel purely for the the fact It was so bad.. Awful- Stay away.We heard of many other groups also at the EU they had many better hostles than we had... go to the other hostels, and you'll be better impressed...In one word- Shocking!
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(Review ID: 1661)
check in at three in the morning, December 11, 2003
Reviewer:
Enrico Tonazzo
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Bruxelles is one of the best places to visit in Belgium. The city is really fantastic, and no one should miss it. I really recommend, if it's possible for you, to rent a car, because it's the best, the cheapest and the easiest way to discover the city. The signs, especially for the ring, are clear, impossible to get lost. If you like the music, try Dos Santos CDs, near the Manneken Pils. Bruxelles, with its nightlife, is also a good place to be drunk all the time, like me. The hostel is good. I appreciated very much the flanders paté. We came in three hours after the check in limit (24) and we didn't have problems to get in the hostel. Recommended!
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(Review ID: 1662)
Lovely hostel, October 31, 2003
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Anonymous
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I stayed here in 2002 and i had a lovely stay. The staff were very nice and helpful and the hostel was located in a historic building and had heaps of charm with a little courtyard in the middle. The rooms were clean with a bathroom attached and very secure. The best part about my stay is the night in which the hostel organized a choral/singing group to come in and perform for an hour in the courtyard at sunset with a BBQ- just fantastic...... close to transport/internet/ cafe's.
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(Review ID: 1663)
Great Hostel, clean, good location and cheap!!, October 31, 2003
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I have just recently returned from a little tour of Europe and found Brussels to be one of my favourite places! Beer drinking capital of the world it definately is!! I booked this hostel online from the YHA website for two nights and found myself and 2 friends checked-in in no time at all. It's easy to find and is nearer the Metro than the website tells you. It's also only 15 mins walk from Grande Place. The hostel itself is very clean and has excellent facilities. They have good lockers in every room (remember your padlocks),and a very good left luggage room. There's also a small bar, table tennis tables and internet. You get a free breakfast which is basic but pretty good. The room we stayed in was very big with 3 bunk beds and a big shower room with sink but no toilet (strange). There was a toilet straight across the hall, so that wasn't a problem. My only real gripes about this place were the hard plastic matresses, and the fact they kick you out of your room for 2 hrs between midday and 2pm! How's a man meant to recover from a Belgian Beer induced hangover! Especially when the pubs never seem to close!! Still this hostel comes as highly recommended and only loses a star for the matresses and 2 hr lockout.
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(Review ID: 1664)
Keep the windows closed!!, September 14, 2003
Reviewer:
Kirsten
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This hostel was not necessarily the worst hostel that we stayed in on our trip, but it was the worst experience. The hostel doesn't have a very nice feel to it, and you notice the plastic matresses on the ugly bunk beds right away. I didn't feel all that safe there and it turned out to be with good reason. Someone broke into our room in the middle of the night and stole some guy's bag. Apparently they've had this happen quite often. The main thing is, LISTEN TO THEM when they tell you to keep the window closed. It gets hot in there, but people can't break in that way. Otherwise, stay somewhere else, there are nicer places.
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(Review ID: 1665)
Excellent Choice in Brussels, September 1, 2003
Reviewer:
B. Makk
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My family and I stayed at the Jacques Brel Hostel on 05/08/03-07/08/03 and we were all very happy with it. We arrived late in the evening and had not had dinner. The bartender gave us directions to a small grocery store and then let us heat up food in the microwave. He was very helpful. Our room was very clean and looked out towards the front of the hostel. The first night was rather noisy as the garbage trucks paraded up and down the street all night long. We had to keep the terrace doors open as we were in Europe during the recent heat wave and the rooms were very warm. Our room had an "ultra-cool" bathroom according to my 14 year old son. It was located right in the room and it inclued a sink, shower, and toilet in a very small circular space. We had problems with a sink that wouldn't drain but it was taken care of as soon as we reported the situation. The breakfast was comparable to what we had received at other Belgium Hostels and it included bread, cereal, cheese, meat, tea, and coffee. My children loved the ping pong table and the terrace with the small tables where they could read, eat , or write postcards. The location is very close to two Metro stops but it is not well marked if you do not know where you are going. We got lost trying to find the hostel once we left the Metro station and it was difficult trying to find people on the street that spoke English so I had to resort to school French. The hostel has a very large luggage storage area that you can leave your bags in while you sightsee before your departure to your next location. It was an easy walk to many sights including the Grand Place. All in all I would say that this hostel was very clean, well run, and good value for your money. My sons, Andrew and Alex, gave this hostel two thumbs up!
