If you have the money to stay here, then the Amigo is definitely the number-one place to stay in Brussels. It's got it all: the best location in the heart of Brussels, beautifully decorated rooms that look out onto the rooftops of the Hotel de Ville, great service from a well-trained and charming staff, and great Italian food  at the Ristorante Bocconi. It also has an intriguing history dating back to the 16th century, when it was the home of a wealthy merchant and his family. The handsome facade gives no clue as to its former function as the city prison ("amigo" was the ironic nickname for the prison when Belgium belonged to the Spanish Low Countries). In 1957 it was bought and converted into a hotel. The rooms are decorated in a sophisticated mix of bold colors and stylized furniture, including some from local antiques shops and markets. There are Magritte prints in some of the rooms, and the large and eccentric but delightful wooden apple-and-pear sculptures in others remind you that you’re in the city of the famous Surreal artist. The suites come in a variety of sizes, with interconnecting rooms, some of which have a small hall between, echoing the original prison layout. The marble bathrooms, with large soft towels and powerful showers, are suitably grand. All this comes at a very hefty price, of course, though there are often good weekend offers in the off-season.