Monasterium PoortAckere

Monasterium PoortAckere is a stay you won't find in an ordinary hotel — originally a 19th-century Catholic women's convent on Onderstraat in central Ghent, restored through the 2000s into a hotel that kept every part of the old structure: arched grey-stone gateways, covered indoor walkways wrapped around the central Cloister Garden, and an old chapel reworked into a handsome event space.

Rooms and decor

Rooms are scattered through the convent building, and each one is shaped by its position — some have vaulted ceilings, some tall windows, some look straight down onto the Cloister Garden. The decor is plain and understated rather than flashy, but it's clean and unusually quiet for a hotel in the middle of a city. Guests keep mentioning the best sleep of their trip.

Food and amenities

There's a bar serving drinks inside the building, and the old chapel doubles as the breakfast room, but no full restaurant on site — for meals you head out, which is easy given how many places sit within a short walk. The Cloister Garden, a stone-arched lawn at the centre of the building, is the thing guests remember most, and in summer you can sit out in it. The whole atmosphere is different enough that plenty of reviewers say they'd come back to this exact spot on a return trip.

Location and getting there

It sits a 5-minute walk from the Belfry, right in Ghent's historic old town, so the main sights are on foot. Despite the central address, the convent layout keeps it remarkably calm — you get the location without the street noise you'd usually pay for it with.

Things to know before booking

There's no restaurant on site, so plan to eat in the neighbourhood. Some rooms have no air conditioning, a consequence of the old convent building, and a few reviews note that certain rooms can feel cold in winter. There's no spa or pool either — this is a stay you book for the building, not the facilities.

Our take

Monasterium PoortAckere is best for solo travelers or couples who want a stay with a story rather than just a clean room — quiet, central, and fine without a spa, an in-house restaurant or a pool. From about $91 a night, the lowest rate among the old-town hotels here, the price is a bonus on top of the setting.