Hôtel Bastille de Launay
42 rue Amelot, 11e, Paris, 75011, FranceWhy We Like It
Finding a hotel under the 100 euro mark isn't easy in Paris, especially in this lushly endowed neighborhood. If you're not planning to spend much time in your hotel, this is a clean and comfortable place to lay your head, with friendly, efficient service thrown into the bargain.
Fodor's Expert Review
The no-frills decor might seem spartan at first, but this boutique hotel also offers some creature comforts and modern amenities, like free Wi-Fi, and a perfect location a few blocks from the regal Place des Vosges.
You Should Know This is a god place for travelers on a budget who want all the basic amenities in a great neighborhood without spending their travel budget on lodging.
Recommended Fodor’s Video
Room
Small rooms are cheerful, calm and quiet, with comfortable beds, double-glazed windows—though the hotel is on a quiet street—plus a minibar.
Tip Street-facing rooms on the higher floors have nice views over the rooftops of the Marais.
Bathroom
Small but modern bathrooms are spotless and totally functional, with a shower-in-tub configuration or a walk-in shower with good water pressure.
Lobby
The compact lobby offers lounging areas where you are welcome to make use of a computer and printer, order a hot drink, and help yourself to a bowl of candy on the house.
Dining
Breakfasts are quite good for the price, with fresh croissants and some little touches you wouldn't expect in a budget hotel.
Tip There are some excellent barista coffee shops nearby, including the tiny Boot Café (19 rue du Pont aux Choux), with a single outdoor table and a couple of indoor seats, where you can snack on some great pastries too. Gourmet grocer Maison Plisson's café, a few minutes away on Boulevard Beaumarchai, is also a great place for breakfast (they open at 8:30), especially on the terrace in warm weather.
Drinking
The tiny lobby bar offers a small selection of soft drinks and wine for a minimal price.
Shopping
The Blvd Beaumarchais, a minute from the hotel, is Paris’s newest fashion street, lined with cool one-off and French chain boutiques, plus the hip, “downtown” concept store Merci, with one of Paris’s best vegetarian cafés (downstairs in kitchen wares) overlooking a pretty garden.
What's Nearby
Getting Around
At République you'll find four major metro lines that will take you pretty much anywhere you need to go. This is a fabulous address, on a quiet street at the border of the Marais and the Bastille, near all the transport at République, and within easy walking distance of super hip Canal St-Martin. There's so much to see around here you're best off getting a guidebook and just wandering. But highlights include the chic Marais for some of the city's best shopping and excellent museums, Bastille's lively nightlife, and the leafy Canal St-Martin's boutiques, vintage stores and bar and restaurant scene. You're also within a lovely walk on the Île Saint-Louis: just head straight down the rue Vieille du Temple, over the Pont Louis-Philippe and you're right at the Île and Notre Dame.
Restaurants
Not far from a lovely park, Le Servan is one of our favorite lunch or dinner spots in Paris (weekdays only), with a young, up-and-coming chef, who trained at the legendary gastronomic restaurant Arpège, serving superb Asian-inflected French fare. On Rue Paul Bert you'll find tons of great bistros, including the beloved Bistro Paul Bert, a neighborhood stalwart. On nearby Passage Saint-Sébastian, don't pass up Au Passage because of its no-frills decor, this is a wonderful little neo-bistro with deliciously innovative small plates and fabulous natural wines all at a price we can only smile at. And you can't go wrong at any one of Merci's three cafés (especially the basement garden café, it's vegetarian).