The hotel is quiet and tucked away, yet only a stone's throw from the Grand Place, Cathedral etc., as well as the bars and restaurants. It's about a 20 minute walk from the railway station if arriving that way (most of it direct, but do look on the map (one is located in the main Rue Royale on the way from the station) to make sure you don't, like us, get within spitting distance and then take the wrong road! A great hotel, laid back from the road, in a splendid old building. Rooms are in three grades and we had a grade 2 which was simple but spacious with a king sized bed. A comfortable easy chair (rather than the hard upright chairs) would have made it perfect, but it was comfortable enough. The rooms all seem to be themed, and we had the 'Rock Room', conveniently situated on the ground floor, which for an ageing rocker was a good allocation!

The hotel is clean and roomy, the breakfast very good, epecially the fresh orange juice given to everyone, and the staff friendly. If you don't see any bread rolls, croissants etc when you arrive in the breakfast room, don't panic - they are brought to each table individually - a nice touch.

Tournai itself is a very attractive town, with the Grand Place, Bell Tower and adjacent Cathedral the central part, surrounded with many bars and restaurants. A possible disadvantage for shoppers is that there are no departmental stores (M&S, C&A etc). The skyline is wonderful, but the down side is that if you spend too long looking upwards you are likely to step in a pile of dog excrement! Why people think it is OK to allow their dogs to foul the pavements and simply ignore it is beyond me. The earth surrounding the great catherdral is worse - it's just like a dog's toilet and I watched people take their dogs there just to defecate. I suppose they are too close to France and have absorbed their habits in this regard, but to me it was a disgusting downside to what is a beautiful little town.

But back to the hotel. A very good find and I would unhestitatingly return.

Nice staff and a lovely old building made it an ideal place to stay. Very convenient for the historic centre of Tournai but tucked away in a quiet part of town. Lots of quirky touches like the bedrooms named after famous painters and interesting objets dotted about. Spotlessly clean and lovely fresh bread, pastries and fruit for breakfast.

Our family recently stayed at this hotel and it was a joy to be there. This was a quirky type of small hotel which was very clean, spacious and excellently positioned. The continental style breakfast was superb with plenty of options for adults and children alike. Parking on the street is VERY limited so I would suggest booking the parking space at the hotel for a few extra euros.

The only comment I would make is that the hotel was difficult to find so ensure you have done your research before hand!

Tournai itself is a beautiful place and seemed to be a treasure which has not often been unearthed by English speaking tourists.

If in the area again, I would definately stay at the Hotel d'Alcantara. Well recommended.

We stayed just one night in a triple room ( double room type 2 with an extra-bed).The room was very clean,spacious,comfortable and quiet.The only downside was the shower which change the hot water in cold water every second!
The location is perfect to explore Tournai...few steps from the Main Square,the Cathedral,the river and all restaurants and cafes.
The hotel itself is beautiful decorated,in special the lobby and breakfast area.
Good breakfast ( very good indeed for French hotels!).The staff was very helpful and kind everytime.
I think Hotel d`Alcantara is the best option to stay in this beautiful little city close to the French borders.We flew to Lille and got a train from Lille Flandes Gare,direct to Tournai ( about 20 min.)