crajoy

I have reviewed many three star hotels and the ones that I come up with for location, comfort and price are: (1) Academie Hotel Saint Germain on Rue des Saints-peres, two blocks from the Seine which seems very centrally located and close to a lot of sights. (2) L'Odeon very close to that Metro location and the Luxenbourg Gardens. (3) Villa des Artistes on Rue de la Grande Chaumiere located two blocks from Luxenbourg Gardens near Raspail and Montparnasse intersection, Vavin metro stop. We are staying for seven nights and wonder if it's feasible to stay in one hotel (Villa des Artistes for four nights and Academie for three nights. Academie doesn't have a deluxe for seven nights. Has anyone stayed in any of these hotels? We are in our sixties and do like to walk, but it appears that the Villa des Artistes is at least a forty-five minute walk to the Seine.
This our first trip and I'm sure all my concerns with be for naught as soon as we get there. But I do need a little input. Thanks! Joyce

Robespierre

I only walk if I don't have a destination in mind. To get from A to B, I use public transport. See the <i>Bus Paris (avec rues)</i> map at

<b>http://www.ratp.info/orienter/tous_plans_pdf.php
</b>

to help you select a hotel. Your main criterion shouldn't be proximity to the most sights, but rather how close you are to the means of getting anywhere in a few minutes. If you are traveling further than a few blocks, the <i>M&eacute;tro (avec rues)</i> map will show you what lines to take. A major sightseeing resource is <i>Bus touristique</i>.

elaine

Hi
as you know, there were a few recommendations on your other thread

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34681171

Perhaps if you could say what led you to the three you mention, as opposed to the other suggestions already made, it might be easier to comment on your choices.

crajoy

This was a last minute trip and some of the other recommendations are already booked. So going thru different sites and looking at photos, I picked the ones that were appealing to me and were near some metro stops. Even these choices have limited availability. I probably will use Expedia for this reason and they have limited inventory.
Maybe next time I'll have more time to plan. Thanks! Joyce

suze

Sometimes calling the hotel front desk directly brings better results than internet booking sites.

elaine

I agree with suze

Expedia won't necessarily get you a lower rate, or more availability, than contacting the hotel directly, and if you book with the hotel, you won't have to pay for the whole stay in advance
(which further limits your options for cancelling)

crajoy

I've been on tours to Europe, but have not booked a hotel. I'm not concerned about the airfare part, but being unfamiliar with the area, it's confusing. I did try to contact Hotel Pas des Calais on-line, but I'm not sure they received it. I, also, sent an e-mail to Hotel Saint Germain. There are so many Saint Germains, this one is Rue Four. Could not find a site for Danube on Rue Jacob. So that is where I'm at right now. Wish me luck. Thanks! Joyce

jody

Here's the du Danube site..It;s our favorite and we will be there next month for about the 12th time!
http://www.hoteldanube.fr/index-gb.htm

suze

When I said contact the hotel directly I meant by telephone or fax (sorry if I wasn't clear).

Email is still new-ish and not always tended to promptly in some smaller independent properties.