Enjoying some winter wonders in Brussels… COMPLETED - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
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Enjoying some winter wonders in Brussels… COMPLETED
Enjoying some winter wonders in Brussels…
Pre-trip report: well, a deal turned up…
Dates: Saturday 6 – Sunday 7 December Adventurers: Me, Cheryl (41) and DH Mark (49) Destinations: Brussels, Belgium Resorts: The Metropole Hotel Celebration: Mark’s Christmas present
This trip wasn’t even a blink in the eye literally a couple of months ago, but then a deal turned up in my inbox… and heck, I’m sure you all know that feeling, as no doubt many of you will have gone through that when Disney comes up with an offer… The offer I got was from Eurostar, which runs trains from London, Ebbsfleet and Ashford in Kent, both of which are near where we live, to Paris and Brussels.
Now just to put this in context, we haven’t been to Brussels since…. Well, I’ll be honest, I’m not entirely sure when. I think it might have been as far back as 2001, when we took a holiday in Belgium through our beloved Tesco Clubcard vouchers. Whenever we were last there, let’s put it this way – we were way overdue for a return visit.
Something else I need to say at this stage is that I hadn’t yet got Mark a Christmas present. I had thought about many things, but couldn’t make my mind up. Well, this deal was good before Christmas but expired a few days beforehand, so I’d have to ask him if he’d be happy to have that as his present, so that’s what I did, and he said
Now which weekend to go? Well, there wasn’t much choice really, given that the offer ran from early November until the middle of December. We’re taking our niece to swim in the Olympic pool in London the first weekend in November the offer applied, then we’re away in Disneyland Paris the next weekend, then have friends round for dinner the one after that, then we’re off to Longleat for the weekend for the next one. Are you keeping up? That left the first two weekends in December, and I knew we couldn’t do the second weekend, as I’d got Mark tickets for the War of the Worlds for his birthday… and he wouldn’t know that until the day, so the first weekend of December it will have to be!
The offer applied to both ordinary Standard and Standard Premier classes on the Eurostar, and as I knew Mark really liked Standard Premier, which gives you food at your seats, I had a look at prices for that. They were reasonable, so I went ahead and booked us both ways on Standard Premier, although he doesn’t have a clue, so ssssshhhh… don’t tell him! Fortunately, he doesn’t have time to get on the boards these days, so I doubt he’ll see this.
I knew immediately which hotel we’d be going for, and that’s the real reason I thought of this as a Christmas present for Mark. We’d watched a programme maybe a year or two back about rail travel around Europe, and the guy had stayed in the Metropole Hotel, and wow, it looked amazing! If you go on to the website, and have a look at the photo gallery and the section on the public areas, you will see the lobby, which is just stunning. The accommodations aren’t exactly shabby either and best of all, it includes free Wi-Fi, and a breakfast buffet, and it cost less than you’d imagine. The hotel is even mentioned on the map in my guidebook, which tells me something… I can’t wait to sample it for myself!
The one thing we know we definitely do want to see while we’re out in Brussels is the Winter Wonders Christmas celebration that they have out there. The light show you can see on the buildings in the video is the Grand Place, the central square in Brussels, and doesn’t it look like something really special? As for anything else, well I think we’ll have to see when we get there. It’s still a very foreign concept to me to wing things in this way, but we’ll be there from Saturday lunchtime until Sunday evening, and one thing I know is that we won’t be short of things to do!
I stayed in the Metropole in the early '70s! I'm sure it's had more than one refurbishment since then, but I remember that the common areas were really nice and the rooms were not large, but comfortable. Great location. I'm sure you'll have a great time. Hope the weather cooperates.
I stayed in the Metropole in the early '70s! I'm sure it's had more than one refurbishment since then, but I remember that the common areas were really nice and the rooms were not large, but comfortable. Great location. I'm sure you'll have a great time.
Oh wow, I'll be sure to take lots of photos for you, so you can see what it looks like now, compared to your stay.
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Hope the weather cooperates.
Tomorrow looks fine, although Sunday doesn't look that good sadly - lots of rain in the forecast but heck, we'll make the best of it - as we always do!
Oh wow, I'll be sure to take lots of photos for you, so you can see what it looks like now, compared to your stay.
Tomorrow looks fine, although Sunday doesn't look that good sadly - lots of rain in the forecast but heck, we'll make the best of it - as we always do!
I have memories of it being very nice, but not specifically about how it looked, so we'll see if your photos jog my memory!
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Nice start to this TR and hope the two of you are having a wonderful time!
Like the little teasers! Now do you find macaroons or do they find you?
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October 6, 2017-Enjoying an amazing dinner at Victoria & Albert's with PP's Dot and Drew
My TR from my most recent trip is now underway. Includes: Universal Studios Florida, Disney World and Sea World Orlando Trifecta TR -Updated December 10th! TR is now COMPLETED!
Ok, you're there already, and I'm finally here to read all about it upon your return!
I love your few words.... each one of them!!
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Tanya
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I think it might have been as far back as 2001, when we took a holiday in Belgium through our beloved Tesco Clubcard vouchers. 
Whenever we were last there, let’s put it this way – we were way overdue for a return visit. 
Fortunately, he doesn’t have time to get on the boards these days, so I doubt he’ll see this. 
If you go on to the website, and have a look at the photo gallery and the section on the public areas, you will see the lobby, which is just stunning. The accommodations aren’t exactly shabby either 
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Thank
Pixie Dust
Have a fabulous time! 
Parlor Panther in 'stalking mode'
but heck, we'll make the best of it - as we always do! 
Waiting for our next adventure after enjoying our Alaska cruise. 
Now do you find macaroons or do they find you? 
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