The Colourful World of Mondo Hotels in Belgium

Many hotels these days look the same. Don´t get me wrong, I like minimalist chic but sometimes it is fun to have a little colour around. People who stay in hotels frequently sometimes forget their room number, the name of the hotel or even the city they are staying in! One hotel room looks just like the next.

If you would like to stay somewhere a little different, then I suggest you look at Mondo Hotels. They are a privately-owned group of four hotels in Brussels, Antwerp and Ostend in Belgium.

I love all three cities. Quirky Brussels with its Mannekin Pis statue, the most beautiful square in the world, the Grand Place/Grote Markt, the Tintin museum, great shopping and some wonderful old bars where you can relax and enjoy Brussels beers eg Gueuze, Faro, Lambic and Framboise. Of all the 500 odd beers produced in Belgium, these four are some of my favourites. In fact, there are several varieties of Gueuze. More info on my Squidoo site.

Antwerp has its fantastic harbor with bars lining the old quaysides, or Kaai in Dutch, the new MAS – Museum Aan de Stroom overlooking the inner harbour, even better shopping and unbeatable nightlife.

Ostend (Oostende) is loved by Brits and it is easy to see why. A beautiful golden sandy beach, go karts of every sort to hire, a fresh fish market and stalls selling small platters of seafood, some expensive gin palace boats to drool over in the Mercator yacht harbor, more great shops and a never-ending choice of restaurants. That is if you are not full from all the delicious seafood on the harbour front. Of course, there are plenty of bars for enjoying Belgian beers. I spent four nights in Ostend in August on our own boat and did not want to leave. The luxury residential cruise ship “The World” also visited for two nights whilst we were there.

Mondo Hotels offer a colourful location in each of these three cities so whether you are visiting on business, a one night stop-over or want to make a weekend city break, I recommend Mondo Hotels.

Have a look at Mondo Hotels

Mondo Leopold Brussels is near the European Commission & Parliament but also within walking distance of the Royal Palace, the museums and the Grand Place/Grote Markt.



Mondo Eden Antwerp near the sublimely beautiful Centraal Station which is next door to the Zoo.




Or Mondo Empire Antwerp in the middle of the famous Diamond district.







Mondo Hotel Ostend is a hip and trendy art deco hotel near the seafront, Casino, shops and the beach.





Learn all about Gueuze beers.

Read about my visit to the MAS-Museum Aan de Stroom in Antwerp.

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A Visit to the MAS in Antwerp

You may know Antwerp in north Belgium for its diamonds. In fact 70% of the world’s diamonds hail from Antwerp.

It is a vibrant city (population 470,000+) for shopping, fashion, business, culture (theatre, opera, museums) and nightlife. Now there is a new reason to visit.

Antwerp has developed part of its harbour and port area into the fashionable “Het Eilandje” (The Little Island). The centrepiece is the 60 metres high MAS – Museum Aan De Stroom (Museum on the River MAS www.MAS.be) which cost 33.5 million Euros and opened to the public on 13 May with a four-day long festival of dance, theatre, films, tours and free visits to the 10-storey urban icon. The MAS is a collection of 470,000 pieces in permanent museums plus temporary exhibitions eg diamonds and silver, a gift shop and museum square for open-air events or just to rest and watch the world go by. The harbour museum shows a non-stop 360° panorama film of shipping movements in the harbour via webcams. There are plenty of choices for good food and delicious Belgian beers. Don’t miss Felix Pakhuis and Het Duvels Genot.

I took my sons on 15 May. We saw exhibitions containing collections from the city’s museums: Life and Death – myths, religions and the impressive collection of Paul and Dora Janssen-Arts with relics from Latin America; A World Port (fantastic collection of ships); Metropolis; Power & Prestige and a temporary exhibition “Masterpieces in the MAS" (until 30/12/2012) with classical and modern art. There is also a floor of storage showing collections which do not fit into the other exhibitions. Plenty for everyone to see and find their favourites.





On the 9th floor is a viewing platform giving an impressive 360° roof panorama over Antwerp through 6m high glass with the occasional open circle to give the best quality photos.

The building itself is built from hand-cut Indian red stone and designed as a giant storehouse with stacked containers or boxes to create a spiral tour with constantly changing views from the curved glass panels on each floor adjacent to the different museums. 3,000 aluminium hands, the symbol of Antwerp, adorn the stone. It is a striking design.


Antwerp is the second most important port in Europe, after Rotterdam, and the 13th busiest worldwide, handling an average volume of 160 million tonnes of international maritime cargo. Its location 80km inland offers the most environmentally-friendly means of cargo transport saving on the carbon footprint of truck movements. 14,000 ships and 55,000 barges call at Antwerp every year. The River Scheldt has been deepened to give a 15m draft.

The MAS has been built between Antwerp’s two oldest ports which have been totally renovated. There is an inner harbour in Willemdok with a high class of boats. Bonapartedok next door will be a museum dock for historic ships.

Antwerp on Wikipedia

You can also fly to Antwerp (Deurne) from London City or take the Eurostarto Brussels then change and arrive at the truly impressive Antwerp Centraal Station which is right next to the city zoo and round the corner from the Diamond centre. Have a look at the flash mob video on YouTube which took place in the station in 2009 to “Do-Re-Mi” from “The Sound of Music”. This promoted Belgium’s own search for a Maria to star in their Flemish speaking musical.


Antwerp is over 500 years old. Have you visited yet?



© Antonia Harrison 2011

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