Marx was introduced to Ostend by Friedrich Engels, who had stayed there several times before and organised accommodation for Marx and his family before they arrived.

Friedrich Engels, letter to Karl Marx, 27 July 1846:

I've been walking around for several days looking for places for you to stay, but I haven't found many. Either too big or too small. Rarely two habitable rooms together, the sleeping quarters mostly miserably cramped. Finally, yesterday I found 2 quarters au choix: 1. two large rooms, one and two floors up, respectively; in each a bed, for 95 fr. monthly, for the third bed 30 fr. extra, breakfast 1 fr. daily per head or stomach. 2. A small house belonging to the same propriétaire, a sitting-room downstairs, upstairs two connecting bedrooms, one of which is tolerably large, and a cabinet k 150 fr. monthly, breakfast même prix. Whoever takes the house gets the services of a maid. The two upstairs rooms are in a restaurant, au duc de Brabant, rue du lait battu, where meals could be taken at need. But you are quite independent in this respect there. In any case, you would do well to stay at the duc de Brabant if you were considering one of these lodgings; it is cheaper than a hotel, and if you do not like the rooms, you can ask the woman there to show you the house. It is at No. 5 rue des soeurs blanches, and if that does not suit you, I daresay you will find another. By the way, lodgings have risen horribly in price compared to last year, like everything, or rather "take it all in all". You will be able to afford dinner for the whole family for Fr. 5, beefsteaks Fr. 1, cötelettes idem, wine Fr. 2 - 3, beer bad. Cigars bad and expensive, you’d do well to bring yourself a few hundred from Brussels; if you do that, you may take the following estimate as correct:

In addition, fr. 100 for incidental expences would be desirable, because without them it is very boring here. You don't need to stay here for more than a month. Only those who are paralytic and stricken in every limb, inwardly and outwardly, stay longer. But you must rent in such a way that you pay for any time over and above the month à tant par jour, otherwise they will charge you for the full half month if you stay two days longer. [...]

There are no big men here. They won't come until August. There is no word yet on the names of the great Germans who will be coming here.

(These images could be enjoyed yesterday in the sea, by the gentlemen and ladies of the company.)