Sofitel Europe or Radisson SAS EU???

Hello

We are hoping to go to Brussels at the beginning of May and we can%26#39;t make up our minds about which hotel to stay in. We narrowed it down to either the Sofitel Europe or the Radisson SAS EU. For both, we can get good deals although the Radisson is much cheaper if we don%26#39;t take breakfast. Both hotels have reasonably good reviews on TA which makes it difficult to decide. The Sofitel is newer but both look nice. I realise that both hotels are in simiar locations but from the reviews on TA I understand that the Sofitel is located better. Am I right? Is there much difference between the two in terms of location and standards?

We should be arriving at Brussels airport at about 22:30 so I am a bit worried that it is going to be difficult to get to the Radisson so late since I am not sure the Bus no. 12 (or 11) operates so late.

Many thanks for any advice given!

Roni

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As you would normally also get to the Sofitel Europe on the airport bus (at weekends no. 11 terminates at Schuman, while on weekdays no. 12 stops at Schuman and terminates in Pl. du Luxembourg), this is a factor for both hotels, not just the Radisson EU. As it happens the last no. 11 is at 23.10, the last no. 12 at 23.15, see: …irisnet.be/TimeTables/…9600F.htm

If you are later than this and want to take the airport train rather than a taxi, the last trains on a weekday are at 23:52 (arr. Gare centrale at 00:08) and 00:26 (arr. 00:44); in the first case you could still reach the Radisson on the no. 60 bus, which continues until around 00.30, in the second you could still reach the Sofitel by metro which continues in that direction until almost 1 a.m.

In terms of reaching them by public transport, the Radisson is better located if you will be arriving/leaving on a weekday, because the airport bus stops very close to it; and even on a weekend, when you would have to take the train to Gare centrale and change to the no. 60 bus direction Vivier d%26#39;Oie, the %26quot;Luxembourg%26quot; stop is very close to the Radisson so still the best choice to avoid a bit of a walk. However, if you don%26#39;t mind the 10 minute walk, the Sofitel is better located, in terms of taking a single means of transport from the airport, if you are coming on a weekend, when the bus terminates at Schuman.

I can%26#39;t comment on standards as I live here and so have never entered either hotel. As for location, it depends on what you want to do and where you want to go: both hotels are near office areas that are deserted at weekends although this isn%26#39;t true of either Place Jourdan (Sofitel) or Place du Luxembourg (Radisson) themselves. Both are not on, but near, metro lines: the Sofitel near Schuman on line 1, the Radisson near Trône on line 2 and not too far from Maelbeek on line 1. Place Jourdan (Sofitel) s also served by the no. 80 bus to Porte de Namur in one direction and Mérode (Cinquantenaire museums..) and Montgomery in the other; while the Place du Luxembourg (Radisson) has numerous buses, e.g. 60 to Gare centrale, 95/96 to Bourse (for Grand%26#39; Place) and 27 to Place Royale (museums), Sablon and Gare du Midi in one direction and Mérode (museums) and Montgomery in the other - as well as the railway station, should you happen to be going to, say, Walibi (formerly Six Flags), Luxembourg or Strasbourg.

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Thanks very much for the detailed reply! We will actually be arriving on a Friday night so I guess this is still considered to be a weekday?

We are still debating but I suspect we will go for the Radisson since it is not so complicated to get to and is cheaper.

Thanks!

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The no. 12 bus timetable for which I gave you the URL is headed %26quot;du lundi au vendredi%26quot; which means %26quot;from Monday to Friday%26quot;.

For the full STIB network map see http://www.stib.irisnet.be/FR/34000F.htm and click on the middle square which contains %26quot;Luxembourg%26quot; (incidentally the B in an oval is the sign for Belgian Railways, i.e. railway station).

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