wtggirl

I just came upon a hotel in the latin quarter called the Saint Jacques on Rue de Ecoles that actually rates on Trip Advisor at #42 out of over 1500 hotels. I am surprised there is not a lot on this board about the hotel. It looks to have a lot of parisian charm. I have had my hotel choice of the College de France come back not available and was considering the California St. Germain across the street, but think the St. Jacques is a better choice. Anyone stayed there before or know of it?

francophile03

I just know the area near the hotel. It's on a busy street but the location is really good. The Seine and Musee de Cluny are a few blocks away. A nice restaurant, Le Coupe Chou, is practically around the corner.

susanna

I haven't stayed here, but, it was recommended and I have it bookmarked with other inexpensive hotels, one of them being your other choice, College de France...does this help at all...no.

Mara

wtggirl - I stayed at the St. Jacques a couple of years ago after reading about it here. If you search for it by name, some old posts will come up. I had one of the single rooms on the top floor - you have to walk up one flight of stairs - I was notified of this when I made the reservation. It was the best two-star room (of about six hotels) I have had. There was a room safe, lots of storage space, nice bathroom with tub and shampoo, etc., a looseleaf book with neighborhood info. I was there in April and it was a bit warm so I don't think I would do it in the summer. Other than that I would definitely recommend it.
Mara

Barb

I love this hotel. I stayed there in 03. I had a small single room facing the back, but my friend had the single on the top floor (very large)with a little balcony and you could see the Pantheon from there. Staff are great, location is good and the price is right. I would definitely stay there again.

DeborahAnn

wtgtirl, sorry the College de France didn't work out, my daughter and her friend stayed at the St. Jacques a couple of years ago and really enjoyed it. It has been featured in travel books in the past so hopefully it will have availability.

There are a couple of hotels near the College de France location. Claude Bernard is one and a less charming one is Le Home Latin, which is larger and should have rooms available. We had a triple at the Le Home Latin that gave my sister some privacy and saved us from her bad sleep habits Good luck, Deborah

Jim_Tardio

I stayed there for 4 nights in June, 2004. The staff was pleasant & helpful, the rooms clean & bright, and it's in a great location.

And the price is reasonable. I'd stay again without any hesitation.

ira

Hi wt,

The St Jacques is where they filmed "Charade".

It isn't often recommended here because it lacks AC.

BabsB

Hi wtggirl
I love the Hotel St. Jacques and have stayed there 3 times over the years and as recently as last month. They have totally renovated the lobby area and breakfast room and it is quite lovely. The breakfast was good and served to the tunes of a player piano. They have an elevator, though small, which is nice. Our room was pretty with two beds, table, chair, TV and nice view. Only problem was we had to unplub the fan in order to plug in the recharger. The weather was cool so the fan was not important but I imagine it would be if it were warm. Bridgette and in fact all the hotel staff are very nice and very helpful. They made dinner suggestions and ordered taxi's for us, all with a smile. You can also buy an internet access card and they have a little room with a computer set up. This was a "life saver" for my teenage son. It is close to the Maubert Mutualite metro station and within walking distance to many, many sites. I definitely recomment it and will stay there again myself. I have also stayed at the Hotel California, but like the St. Jacques better.

elaine

haven't stayed there, read good things all the time, comments have included that their breakfast is good.
Note that "Charade" was filmed there in 1963, there have doubtless been changes since then, one hopes
Here is some info, street-facing rooms can be noisy
www.hotel-saintjacques.com
Breakfast can be served in the room.
all the attic rooms are said to be the smallest & cheapest
12 rooms have views of Panthéon &/or Notre-Dame, the higher the floor, the better the view
hair dryers, elevator, which goes to the 5th floor, there are 6 floors

wtggirl

Thanks to all your help, I have reserved 2 rooms at the Hotel St. Jacques. I was a little confused about room choice. Bridgett and I went back and forth by email and she was very helpful and good with English. I booked one twin at 118E for my daughter and mother as they needed two beds. I first had booked the cheapest double at 90E on the top floor for my husband and I, but noted that I wanted a large window with view or small balcony. Bridgette talked me into the medium priced double at 108E saying that on the top floor I would not be gtd a window or balcony. Any comments? I just hope my extra 18E a night are worth the upgrade. Either way, I am sure I made a good choice. Hopefully, this thread will encourage others to do business with St. Jacques!

isabel

There have been several threads about this hotel, but probably a year or so ago at least. I have stayed there and loved it. Great location, great ambiance, good value. I will definitly stay there again.

Jim_Tardio

You made the right choice. Just in case it is on the hot side, the top floor is not where you want to be without air conditioning.

I'm sure you'll enjoy it. Right down the block they had a little street market set up each morning.

blh

We stayed at the St Jacques last October. We were in one of those small attic rooms, and I would prefer one of the larger rooms next time. We enjoyed the St Jacques - they were in the process of remodeling the lobby area when we were there. The breakfast was simple, but good. We ate there a couple of mornings to save time. I think you made the right choice to get the larger room The main problem was the bathroom - had those funky attic ceilings - made it very difficult to use - and it was very very small. Also, no outlet to plug in anything. It is a great location - think you will be happy there.

francophile03

I'm not sure about Hotel St. Jacques if it was a private home in the past. But I read that many homes that have been converted into hotels, the top floors used to be the servants' quarters so they were very small rooms.

wtggirl

Thanks! You are all very helpful. I am happy with my choice. I am traveling first of November so I don't have to be worried about air conditioning. I did a search for hotel st jacques and saint jacques and for some reason I only saw one small thread. I will respond when I get back about the rooms.

isabel

I also stayed in one of the top floor rooms at the St Jacques and did not find it to be unuaually small. I was there as a single but it did have a double bed. I suppose with two people it would have been a touch cramped, but I have certainly stayed in much smaller roooms (even those that were suppossed to be doubles). So don't everyone assume that if you stay in the St Jacques you should not take a top floor room. I actually liked my room. I do agree that in the summer it might be hot though. I was there in March so it was not an issue.

wtggirl

I just returned from my trip and stay at the hotel St. jacques. My extensive research payed off for sure this time. This Paris oasis has charm, great location and value. There are some minor inconveniences that you might expect with a two star hotel, but don't let them scare you away. I might consider another hotel mid summer for air conditioning. We had two rooms, both on the 5th floor (23 and 24) and they were attractive with molded ornate ceilings, step out balcony and charming decor. The only set back was lack of electrical plugs for curling iron or any electrical appliance. I had to unplug my TV each day to curl my hair. The walls were a bit thin as well. But, you could not have a better location in the Latin quarter. One block from metro (three blocks to major metro station), tons of restaurants everywhere and great night life about 3 blocks away. I can't wait to return and stay at the Hotel St. Jacques again!

BabsB

wtggirl, glad you liked the Hotel Jacques, it's one of my favorite places.

deavs

Help! I am trying to make a reservation at the St. Jacques, and I requested an upper floor, preferably the 5th or 6th for the view, but they emailed me back and said they only have two floors. Does anyone know of another St. Jacques? I emailed them back and requested their exact address--have not heard back yet.