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Accommodation
HOTELS: Belgium has a large range of hotels from luxury to small family pensions and inns. The best international-class hotels are found in the cities. For more information on hotels in Belgium, contact Belgian Tourist Office – Brussels & Ardennes or Tourism Flanders-Brussels (see Contact Addresses section) or one of the three regional hotel associations run by Horeca: Brussels-Flanders offices, BP 4, Ansplachlaan 111, 1000 Brussels (tel: (2) 513 6484; fax: (2) 513 8954; e-mail: fed.bruxelles@horeca.be or fed.vlaanderen@horeca.be; website: www.horeca.be); Ardennes office, 83 Chaussée de Charleroi, 5000 Namur (tel: (81) 721 888; fax: (81) 737 689; e-mail: info@horecawallonie.be).
Grading: The Belgian Tourist Board issues a shield to all approved hotels by which they can be recognised. This must be affixed to the front of the hotel in a conspicuous position. Hotels which display this sign conform to the official standards set by Belgian law which protects the tourist and guarantees certain standards of quality. Some hotels are also graded according to the Benelux system in which standard is indicated by a row of 3-pointed stars from the highest (5-star) to the minimum (1-star). However, membership of this scheme is voluntary, and there may be first-class hotels which are not classified in this way. If an establishment providing accommodation facilities is classified under category H or above (1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 stars), it may call itself hotel, hostelry, inn, guest-house, motel or other similar names. Benelux star ratings comply with the following criteria:
5-star: Luxury hotel, meeting the highest standards of comfort, amenities and service, 24-hour room service, à la carte restaurant, gift shop, parking and baggage service, travel and theatre booking service. 4-star: First-class hotel, with lift, facilities for breakfast in the room, day and night reception, telephone in every room, radio, bar. 3-star: Very good hotel, with lift (if more than two floors), day reception, guest wing (food and drink optional). 2-star: Average-class hotel, with private bath and WC in at least 25 per cent of rooms, baggage handling facilities, food and drink available. 1-star: Plain hotel, washstand with hot and cold water in every room, breakfast facilities available. CAT H: Very plain hotel, meets all the fire safety requirements and provides moderate standards of comfort, at least one bathroom for every ten rooms and accessible to guests at night.
FARM HOLIDAYS: In some regions of the country, farm holidays are now available. In the Polders and the Ardennes visitors can (for a small cost) participate in the daily work of the farm. Further information can be obtained either from the Flemish Federation for Farmhouse and Rural Tourism, Minderbroedersstraat 8, B-3000 Leuven (tel: (16) 242 158; fax: (16) 242 187; e-mail: hoevetoerisme@boerenbond.be; website: www.hoevetoerisme.be) or Belsud, 61 rue du Marché-aux-Herbes, 1000 Brussels (tel: (2) 504 0280; fax: (2) 514 5335; e-mail: belsud@opt.be; website: www.belgium-tourism.net). Belsud also provides information on bed & breakfast and self-catering accommodation.
SELF-CATERING: There are ample opportunities to rent furnished villas, flats, rooms, or bungalows for a holiday period. There is a particularly wide choice in the Ardennes and on the coast. These holiday houses and flats are comfortable and well-equipped. Rentals are determined by the number of bedrooms, the amenities, the location and the season. On the coast, many apartments, studios, villas and bungalows are classified into five categories according to the standard of comfort they offer. Estate agents will supply full details. For the Ardennes region, enquiries should be made to the local tourist office or to Belsud (for contact details, see above under Farm Holidays). Addresses of local tourist offices and lists of coastal estate agents can be obtained from Tourism Brussels-Ardennes/Tourism Flanders-Brussels.
YOUTH HOSTELS: There are two youth hostel associations: the Vlaamse Jeugdherbergcentrale (VJHC) (website: www.vjh.be) which operates in Flanders, and the Centrale Wallonne (CWAJ) (website: www.laj.be) operating in the French-speaking area. The hostels of the former are large, highly organised and much frequented by schools and youth groups; the hostels of the CWAJ are smaller and more informal, similar in some ways to those in France. A complete list of youth hostels and other holiday homes for young people can be obtained from Belgian Tourist Office – Brussels & Ardennes or Tourism Flanders-Brussels (see Contact Addresses section) or from the following website: (website: http://brussels.youth-beds.be).
CAMPING/CARAVANNING: The majority of campsites are in the Ardennes and on the coast; many of these are excellent. A list of addresses, rates and other information can be obtained from the Belgian Tourist Office – Brussels & Ardennes or Tourism Flanders-Brussels (see Contact Addresses section). The local Verblijftaks or Taxe de Séjour is a tax usually included in the rates charged. On the coast during the summer season a supplement of about 25 per cent is charged on the majority of tariffs. Camping out in places other than the recognised sites is permitted, provided the agreement of the landowner or tenant has been obtained.
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