A characterful appointment never to be missed again...

In the history of the Best Western Premier Hotel Navarra, there has been one missed appointment. It occurred in May 1810, on the occasion of the announced visit to Bruges of Napoleon Bonaparte who had just married Marie Louise of Austria. In honour of the Imperial couple, the owner of the mansion which formerly belonged to the consul of the Spanish province of Navarra, undertook nothing less than the construction of a magnificent staircase that led up to an equally impressive ballroom. Unfortunately though, the Emperor did indeed come to Bruges, paying a visit to the Church of Our Lady, where he prayed in Lanchals Chapel in front of the tombs of Charles the Bold and Mary of Burgundy, but failed to pay a visit to the mansion...

Two hundred years later, the staircase with its carved geese that support the balustrade and the ballroom (today the Napoleon Conference Room) continue to draw gasps of delight from guests, and the famous Madonna by Michelangelo that Napoleon took back to Paris as a trophy has been restored to the Church of Our Lady by Louis Philippe.

The weight of history can be felt right from the moment you enter the hotel's cobbled courtyard. The mansion's noble ancestry is as visible as is the soul of the town of Bruges (a Unesco World Heritage Site since 2000). The forty-seven bells of the famous bell tower can be heard ringing out the quarter hours very distinctly. The lattice windows of the façade, so characteristic of the 19th century, contribute to the unique elegance of this property, as do the two beautiful marble caryatids that flank the entrance staircase. High, lofty ceilings and marble and oak Hungarian stitch parquet floors bear witness to the establishment's exclusive character. The Best Western Premier Hotel Navarra's most appreciated quality, however, may be the extraordinary diversity of its amenities, ranging from the delectable patio in the shaded garden and the cosy Duke jazz bar where pianists perform live on a Steinway to the stupendous conference room and its moulded ceiling or the unexpected vaulted basement swimming pool.

A visit to Bruges is always a memorable experience, made all the more unique by a stay at the Best Western Premier Hotel Navarra. From the hotel, you can visit the town either on foot or by boat. Dubbed the Venice of the North, the town's name comes from a Viking word that means "embankment". Its initial vocation was as a merchant port and its canal network remains extremely dense. A fluke tidal wave opened a direct access to the North Sea in 1134, placing it at the heart of medieval Europe's most prosperous trades, particularly that of draperies. The town's economic prosperity was such that it treated itself to a stock exchange and was the richest city in the world in the Middle Ages. Today, magnificent traces of this fantastic past can be seen all around. It would be fruitless to try and draw up a list, suffice it to say that all you need to do is venture out into any street or onto any canal to discover a treasure trove of charm, sophistication and authenticity. In the image of the hotel, each façade, each bell tower and each gable has a story to tell, from the touching serenity of the Minnewater and monastic calm of the Beguinage to the tiny Saint Boniface Bridge, not the oldest, but undoubtedly the most charming.

Head back to the hotel after exploring this amazing heritage and relax in the stunning swimming pool or beneath the trees in the garden and savour this truly unforgettable experience. The Best Western Premier Hotel Navarra is now more than ever not to be missed...