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Paris Hotel: Narrowed it down to 6 choices, which to pick?

Paris Hotel: Narrowed it down to 6 choices, which to pick?

Old Jun 30th, 2007, 05:25 PM
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Paris Hotel: Narrowed it down to 6 choices, which to pick?

After an exorbitant amount of research, I've narrowed my choices of Paris hotel down to 6. I'm in my mid-20s and will be in Paris for 4 nights in August with my boyfriend, and this is our first trip to Paris. I'd want to spend about half my time walking to various sites and the other half just sitting at cafes and wandering about, and nightlife close to my hotel is important. Please let me know which you would pick, mainly based on how nice the hotel is and where it is located (all have AC). Thank you SO much!

1) Hotel Tourisme (66, Av. de la Motte-Picquet; about a block from the Eiffel Tower): 85 Euros, corner double room with bathtub

2) Le Relais du Marais (76 Rue De Turbigo; Marais area): 87 Euros, standard double room with shower

3) Grand Hotel Leveque (29 rue Cler; Rue Cler area): 90 Euros, standard double room with shower facing back of hotel not Rue Cler - I heard it can smell like cheese in the summer from the fromagerie close by??

4) Hotel des Mines (125, Boulevard Saint Michel; Latin Quarter): 85 Euros, double room with bath

5) Hotel Residence Monge (55, rue Monge; close to Notre Dame): 88 Euros for small double room with shower, 100 Euros for larger room with bath

6) Atel Louvre Marsoiller Opera (13, rue Marsollier; 5 min walk from Louvre): 100 Euros for double room with shower
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Old Jun 30th, 2007, 05:37 PM
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1 and 3 are out in the 7th arrondisement? That is a bit removed for what I like. I would pick the others for a more central location. I sent a girlfriend to Hotel Monge on the recommendations here on Fodor's last summer and she liked it fine.
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Old Jun 30th, 2007, 05:44 PM
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I haven't stayed there myself, but family, friends, some with kids,-- have stayed at number 3 - several times in fact - and have been very happy with the hotel and the area. I've looked in on it and it seemed quite comfortable and of good value.
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Old Jun 30th, 2007, 05:50 PM
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Thanks for the input so far. 1 and 3 are indeed in the 7th. I assumed being close to the Eiffel Tower meant there must be nightlife and lots of people nearby, but what do I know As for 3, according to Rick Steves guide the Rue Cler street itself is interesting since it has lots of open-air markets (not sure if those happen in August) and a wine store, fromagerie, and a couple cafes, but I'm not sure about the area around this little street.
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Old Jun 30th, 2007, 05:54 PM
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I would skip 1 and 3 if you want a little night life. Very dead in the evening.

And you can find great markets all over Paris.

The Marais has a certain amount of nightlife, but I think for your age and interests, the Latin Quarter would be best.
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Old Jun 30th, 2007, 06:02 PM
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Skip # 1 for sure. # 3 is fine, but don't know about the smell of the fromagerie - I rather like the smell of cheese (one reason I love Pienza in Umbria - the whole flippin' town smells of it!). And rue Cler is NOT "an open air market," no matter what Rick says. It's a pedestrian-only street with shops whose wares sometimes spill out into the street - quite different from an open-air market. It's aslo a street crawling with Steves fans, if that makes any difference to you (doesn't to me - I discovered the place long before Rick found it and still like to shop there, as does Catherine Deneueve FWIW). I love the 7th arrondissement - it's not all quiet and residential. In the rue Cler area there are numerous cafés and restaurants and shops and whatnot and it's only 10 minutes on the métro into "central" Paris.

That said, for a first trip to Paris and at your age, I agree you might prefer being in the Latin Quarter or the Marais.
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Old Jun 30th, 2007, 07:05 PM
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I would also echo the thoughts of posters -- the 7th is a nice residential area, but if you want nightlife, I wouldn't go there.

I also wouldn't really recommend #6 for that same reason. I personally loved being nearby the Louvre at night - after kids were in bed, I would walk to the Louvre or the Seine and shoot sunset photos. As for nightlife ? I would think LQ or Marais would be better.
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Old Jun 30th, 2007, 07:54 PM
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I stayed at the Monge recently. My room was small, but my friend's room for (I think) 85 euro was smaller with a double-size bed. The hotel is in a great location and the air conditioning works. Just expect a tiny, tiny room, and a tiny shower (great water pressure, though).
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Old Jun 30th, 2007, 11:48 PM
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We have stayed at the Monge on 2 occasions, 2003 and 2005, both times in a street facing room with bath. Both rooms were quite a decent size, and a/c works well, also rooms have minibar. Julie is wonderful to deal with, and we like the location.
The last trip to Paris we stayed in the 6th, but met a couple of people from England who always stay at Hotel des Mins and like it very much.
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Old Jul 1st, 2007, 01:05 AM
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Just back last night and a trip report in due course .We stayed for 2 weeks in Paris in the Marais at a friends apartment and even in a Hotel I strongly recommend it as the place to stay .I do so because it is a really vibrant place with lots of interesting small shops ,a good supermarket for bits and pieces in Rue de Rivoli ( Monoprix ) well served by the Metro ( St.Paul and Sully - Morland ), easy lovely walks to the Ile St Louis , Notre Dame ,Sainte Chappelle , Pompidou Centre , cafes , bars, Place de Vosges , Picasso Museum , Museum Carnavalet , etc . Just walking and browsing etc was a pleasure everyday . It is an area that escaped Baron Haussmans demolition of much of Paris which created the grand boulevards and as a result the streescape is 17th and 18th century buildings .That sort of amenity is not around the Eiffel tower .Best of luck and check out if there is airconditioning in your hotel as August can be very hot .
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Old Jul 1st, 2007, 03:12 AM
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Hi L,

The Monge has gotten good reviews here.

I also recommend staying in the 4th or 5th.

Enjoy your visit.

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Old Jul 1st, 2007, 03:46 AM
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Ditto everyone's advice. We love to stay in the 7th, having graduated from 5th and then 6th. The Latin Quarter is busy, busy, busy and we love to head over there for the street life. Then we like to go back to the 7th for some sleep! You are on the doorstep of the Eiffel Tower for sure but if I was your age, I would want more than that. The 7th is very "genteel", very classic, tres chic - Catherine Deneuve just about somes it up. (ooh, do I have lofty aspirations or what??)
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Old Jul 1st, 2007, 03:47 AM
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"sums" it up. doh, it's still too early
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Old Jul 1st, 2007, 06:59 AM
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The Marais is the place to be, especially if you are urban people. But the hotel you have chosen is quite remote, and not in the area most of us consider the "Marais". Officially it is, I know, yet you might be happier in the 4th eme, closer to the Place des Vosges and Bastille etc.
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Old Jul 1st, 2007, 08:13 AM
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I guess I must have stayed at the Monge at the wrong time. Yes, my room was small - actually I had to climb over the two beds that were pushed together to get to the other side and then the window was right there too. The mattresses were close to being on the floor! The bath was all right, clean, no shower curtain and no window curtain.

But one of my biggest hangups was what was right outside the hotel. On two occasions when I went out at night there was a guy right in front of the door urinating at the curb. The area around the hotel seemed very isolated with few people.

This is what we experienced for a couple days at the Residence Monge. I'd never stay there again.
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Old Jul 1st, 2007, 08:29 AM
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#1 is actually in the 15th (although close to the 7th).
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Old Jul 1st, 2007, 08:30 AM
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Thank you everyone for your responses so far. It sounds like the Latin Quarter or Marais area is the place for us to be. Since as oakglen mentioned, just being in the neighborhood or a specific arrondissement doesn't necessarily put you in the heart of things, would anyone be able to provide some street borders that I should try to stay within for the LQ and Marais? I think that would definitely help in trying to pinpoint a good location to stay in.
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Old Jul 1st, 2007, 08:46 AM
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For what you want, I would definitely mark off the two in the 7th as they are not near "night life". I like the location of the Monge, but it is not near Notre Dame. It is near some night life around place Contrescarpe and rue Mouffetard, but I don't know what exactly you are looking for in terms of night life. There are people walking around those areas at night (the hotel itself is on a street that is not particularly exciting at night right around that hotel, as someone noted), and some cafes and restaurants, if that's what you mean. I think you'd like it okay, but it may not be what you are looking for in terms of night life. I don't know exactly where that one near the Louvre is, but I don't hang around that area at night to know what it would be like.

I'm not even sure that one named Relais du Marais is really in an area considered the Marais -- it's near the Arts et Metiers and Temple metro stops. It's not what most people refer to when they say the Marais, or how much they like to stay in the Marais. For the Marais, I think you'd want to be either in the 4th arrondisement or the 3rd south of rue de 4 Fils la Perle or rue St Gilles (which is an extension to the east).

The Hotel des Mines isn't really where a lot of people want to stay in the Latin Qtr, either, as it's near Val de Grace. That isn't near a metro stop, only two RER stops (between Luxembourg and Port Royal). Most people want to stay north of about where Luxembourg RER stop is (say a line extending east of it), or right around it.
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Old Jul 1st, 2007, 09:03 AM
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Hm, I guess those borders do cut out the choices that I listed above. I'm now considering Hotel du 7eme Art on 20 rue St.-Paul, or Hotel Lyon Mulhouse on 8 Beaumarchais, which is about 2 blocks north of Bastille. I think those are within the region you are all mentioning in the Marais.
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Old Jul 1st, 2007, 03:29 PM
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OK, the hotel near the Place Bastille is on a very busy street; the one on St. Paul will be more quiet yet still in the middle of a very active area. I know nothing of these hotels but the one is close to the St. Paul metro, the main metro line(#1). If the hotel checks out well on the various rating systems I would opt for it. Good luck!
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