The hotel is situated alongside the canal in Mechelen, in easy walking distance to the the town centre.

Rooms are well-appointed and clean with en-suite and tea/coffee making, flat panel tv with English stations, phone and good internet access via wireless Swisscom (requires payment).

The restaurant offers a very good range of quality freshly-cooked food and prices reflect the quality, both of the food and the service, which is good. A set menu is also offered at around €25 (as at January 09).

There is a good bar that serves a variety of beverages. Staff are very helpful and polite and the hotel is overall good value.

I've been meaning to write about this hotel for a while. I stay in Mechelen often for business and of the "decent" hotels the Gulden Anker is my last choice.

The good stuff - reception is fine, the restaurant is EXCELLENT with beautifully prepared and presented food at very reasonable cost. Breakfast is OK, nothing special. Rooms are a decent size, well equipped and have internet access (pay).

The bad - The big problem with the hotel is the all pervading and strong smell of cigarette smoke - it is everywhere in the building (except, interestingly, the restaurant). Even in the non-smoking rooms, so strong is the smell that it seeps in to the room - yeuch!!! Maybe it is something to do with the design that the stairwell acts like a chimney disributing the smoke from the public areas through the building, maybe it is because the bearded guy at reception is a heavy smoker. I'm not sure, but if you don't like cigarette smoke don't stay here unless you have to (Mechelen hotel rooms are often at a premium and booking way in advance of your trip is a good tip).

Having stayed at the Gulden Anker for 4 nights found the hotel very good indeed handy for the center of Mechelen rooms excellent, food very good friendly staff, the lift is quite small and no disabled rooms but that can be overcome as you can get access via the restaurant and a nice location on the banks of the canel

Stayed here one night and wished we stayed longer! Good size room, but tiny bathroom (reminded me of a bathroom on a cruise ship). Our room was nice and clean, with decent toiletries and adequate water pressure in the shower. The elevator wasn't working the day we checked in, so we lugged our luggage up a few floors (the hotel staff offered to help, but we didn't take them up on it). Great location within walking distance to the main sights in the town. Parking lot was very small and street parking may be difficult to find. Not a lot of restaurants in the area. Very good breakfast in their restaurant was included.