Shelter 7

Shelter7 will appeal to the sophisticated visitor who appreciates art, architecture and interior design in the wabi sabi spirit. Vincent was a superb host. The bed was also very good. High-end toiletries. The location, very convenient. The experience will stay with me a long time and I am grateful for it. The designer made many aesthetic choices that others might question and some may even ridicule. I loved the overall look myself. The worn-out things add tons of character. But you soon realize it was not designed for the traveler.

Quite simply, this is not a comfortable or practical place to stay, nor is it big on health and safety. Be prepared for fireplace smells, uneven floorboards and uncomfortable furniture. The shower and bathroom sink is in a tiny room with minimal surfaces for your things. The noren in the bathroom doorway is gross. And the stairs to the bedroom are just plain murder. The flaws are not deal-breakers, just things to beware of. Shelter 7 rocks hard despite them.

Location is fantastic and the city is really great. The apartment has some nice stylistic features and the main bed is comfortable. The terrace is a pretty nice place to sit and relax if the weather is good.

This apartment is falsely advertised almost to the point of being a scam and it really ruined my enjoyment of it. The host's attitude was awful. I was visiting Ghent with a friend, so I filtered for 2 bedroom places. This came up and looked good, when booking it I clicked to option for 2 people, 2 double bedrooms (although even the 1 person option showed 2 double bedrooms). We get there in the afternoon and are getting shown around, get to the end and I'm asking, where's the second bedroom? The response I get from the host is "if someone books for 2 people we assume they're a couple so we don't make up a second bedroom, you need to click 3 people to get the second bedroom. I can make it up for you tomorrow but you'll have to pay another €30 per night". I said I've read the listing cover to cover and it doesn't say any of that, just 2 double bedrooms. Basically didn't agree but said he'd check the listing and revert back. Never heard a word from him. I checked the listing even then and it still said 2 double bedrooms (although no doubt they'll change/deny it after seeing this review). We just got on with it as we didn't want it to dominate our trip, but every time I was in that place it just made me angry. If it was an assumption they made and they made it right the next day I wouldn't have minded too much, but the attitude of the host was rotten. I simply wouldn't have booked it if I'd have known it wasn't 2 bedrooms as advertised. Other than that, the three flights of steep stairs get old very quickly, and there's very limited amenities (didn't spend much time there so that wasn't the end of the world).

The property has a really unique design and layout that really adds to your stay in Ghent. The interior is comfortably furnished with a relaxing feel. The terrace is also a lovely spot to sit in the sun. Finally, in terms of location, you are a stone’s throw away from the very centre of the city.

The location, the inspiring deco, the unique aesthetic, and our host was so kind and welcoming. Very interesting learning about the space through the eyes of the decorator. The beds were by far the BEST on our long trip, very comfortable and relaxing. The view from bedroom is superb.

The tea pot was moldy due to previous tenants, just one inconvenience as we couldn't have tea in the morning. Be wary the floor is made up of natural buckwheat grains, and so if you had a baby, it probably wouldn't be ideal. Also the bathrooms could use with better air filter as it does get humid and smelly. would be nice to have a foot towel for shower. Just a little more care to the functional aspects of the apart for a better stay.

The property was visually beautiful. You could really appreciate the work that had gone into creating it. The road itself was very quiet, peaceful and the only 'disturbance' was the lovely chiming of the clock tower.

Although it was such a beautiful property, sadly it lacked a few essentials and practical necessities which made it difficult for us to fully enjoy our stay. Upon checking in, there was some confusion about previous guests who'd left their luggage to collect later, and the cleaners were leaving as we checked in. Therefore it was perhaps human error that hand towels were missing in all the bathrooms and kitchen, making it awkward to dry your hands or dry any dishes in the kitchen. It was also missing a shower matt for the floor after you'd had a shower. Despite booking the accommodation for 4 people, it was missing extra cups/glasses so it felt perhaps a little disorganised? The kitchen was tiny, and we had initially hoped to cook that evening, but it really wasn't set up to prepare anything more than hot drinks and maybe something small. It was a pity as we were only staying one night so wanted to enjoy the property the entire day/evening without needing to venture out for food at an additional expense. Overall it wasn't a big issue, but perhaps we may have booked somewhere else with a bigger kitchen if we'd known we couldn't cook in there. The bathrooms, again very pretty, but maybe not practical in terms of how small the sink was and the bathroom mirror not ideal if you are getting ready and it was obscured by frosting. Parking seemed a bit awkward. On the initial listing it said it came with parking but upon further inspection it was 40€ for the day, but we managed to park in the multi-story car park around the corner which was 20€ for the day, so perhaps a little expensive? Vincent checked us in, and he was very polite, showing us around, however as it was time dependent on our check-in perhaps self check-in would be 'easier' but the opening/closing of the entrance door would make this difficult [but it was also a little difficult to understand].

Located very well.

It was not tidy at all. E.g. Check the toilett downstairs.

The experience the owner created

It was a long-awaited vacation in Europe, Ghent was the first city on our route, the flight was in the evening, Christoph met us at 11 pm, was in touch all the time and was so kind that he walked us to the parking lot and explained and showed us everything. Ghent is a fabulous city, the apartment only strengthened this impression, it is not just an apartment, it is a work of art, harmonious, worthy of Ghent. Not only did we get comfortable accommodation, the comfort of the bed was beyond anything we could have hoped for, our son was delighted with the secret bed... but also an adventure beyond the ordinary, a different way of looking at life. We drank all the wonderful coffee and no less wonderful tea that Christophe left for us on the terrace overlooking the carillon tower. I think that this housing can be considered one of the attractions of Ghent.