The Boatel Hotels in Ghent – GayOut Guide
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The Boatel

Google (190) 4.8
Tripadvisor (108) 4.7
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What reviewers say

Visitors consistently praise Captain Sven's friendly hospitality, the boat's unique charm, cleanliness, and hearty breakfast, along with its convenient location. While most experiences are positive, one reviewer mentioned an issue at the end of their stay, though details were not provided.

95
/ 100
GayOut Score
G4.8 🦉4.7
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Address
Voorhoutkaai 44, 9000 Gent, Belgium
📞
Phone
0477 59 06 42
🌐
Website
www.theboatel.com

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About this place The Boatel

The Boatel is a small hotel on a converted riverboat moored at Voorhoutkaai, in the Portus Ganda area on the eastern side of central Ghent. It is a mainstream hotel, listed here as gay-friendly; it is not a gay hotel. Rooms are on board, and reviews mention the unusual setting and the breakfast. The medieval centre around the Gravensteen and Korenmarkt is about 15 to 20 minutes on foot. Cabins on a boat are compact, so check room sizes on the website if you need space.

Features

Gay-friendly (straight venue) LGBTQ+ Mixed LGBTQ+ Card payments accepted Walk-ins welcome WiFi Year-round Gay-popular

Insider Tips

Community Reviews

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Google Reviews

Verified by Google
4.8
★★★★★
190 reviews

Based on 190 Google reviews.

Nico Otte
Nico Otte May 2026
★★★★★

Fantastic houseboat in a central location! Clean rooms, a lovely sun terrace, delicious breakfast, and a very friendly host. Highly recommended!

Bastiaan Dumont
Bastiaan Dumont Apr 2026
★★★★★

Beautiful room, excellent location. We had a great time and were warmly welcomed by Sven. Breakfast was very extensive and super tasty. Excellent service. You can enter and exit the hotel through a separate door. We will definitely be back!

John Cristiaens
John Cristiaens Apr 2026
★★★★☆

Nice room Spacious bathroom Good breakfast Very friendly welcome by Captain Sven.

Daniel Ivey
Daniel Ivey Mar 2026
★★★★★

Absolutely charming accommodations on the canal in Ghent. Spotlessly clean, wonderful host, and a great Belgian breakfast. The location and view beats anything else in Ghent. Excellent value for the price. Ghent has many beautiful options for accommodations, yet I will stay again on my next visit.

ina ten hove
ina ten hove Dec 2025
★★★★★

A warm welcome from Captain Sven, with immediate additional explanations about the city. We received a map with information about the various neighborhoods and suggested walking routes. Room (5) was very spacious and cozy with a view of the water. A very delicious and extensive breakfast, with a personal touch. Eggs for breakfast? You name it, boiled? Soft, medium-soft, hard, or would you prefer fried? Homemade jam, delicious. And just three cups of delicious coffee, no problem at all. Everything is neat and very tidy. And you can come and go as you please with your own key. Top location. Thanks, Sven. You deserve a big compliment.😀

Özge Yurdakul
Özge Yurdakul Oct 2025
★★★★★

Lovely place, with very nice breakfast and manager :)

Christine Ludwig
Christine Ludwig Oct 2025
★★★★★

Sven, the captain, was incredibly friendly and helpful from check-in to check-out. Upon arrival, he greeted us in German, explained everything about the Boatel and Ghent, and provided lots of useful information about sights and the best way to get to the city center/old town. He even carried our luggage to our room and showed us around – a truly attentive host! Our triple room was perfectly adequate for three adults. Breakfast was small but delicious – everything was lovingly prepared, with very tasty pastries and cakes. We parked in the Gent Zuid parking garage, which is about a 15-minute walk away and very reasonably priced. Overall, it was a wonderful stay – we felt very comfortable and would highly recommend the Boatel!

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Last updated on 17 October 2026

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