Hôtel George Sand
26 rue des Mathurins, 9e, Paris, 75009, FranceWhy We Like It
This cozy, well-run family hotel is a good option for travelers on a budget, who want to feel a little more coddled than at your average budget hotel, and have a soupçon of French literary history thrown in with the bargain.
Fodor's Expert Review
This small family-run hotel, where the 19th-century writer George Sand once lived, feels up-to-date, in its own French provencial kind of way, while preserving some of its original architectural details. Set on a small street between Blvd Haussmann and Place de la Madeleine, you'll hardly notice that this is one of the city's most trafficked pedestrian areas, right in the thick of the action. Shoppers will love the location, as will budget travelers, as the prices are quite reasonable for this central area.
You Should Know Reduced mobility guests may want to ask for a ground-floor room, as the elevator is quite tiny and the stairs narrow and steep.
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Room
Though more on the traditional side, in nostalgic Provencal-style fabrics and matching wallpapers, rooms are clean and comfortable, with up-to-date amenities, including coffeemakers, minibars, satellite TVs, and complimentary high-speed Internet.
Bathroom
Ample modern bathrooms are decked out in yacht-inspired wood flooring, most with shower-in-tub arrangements, and all the amenities.
Lobby
A small lobby includes a lounge area with bookshelves overflowing with help-yourself volumes in French and English.
Dining
A standard continental breakfast, with hot eggs, is served in the small, tidy breakfast room.
You Should Know If you don't plan to eat at the hotel you'll find plenty of cafés nearby, but beware on Sundays, when many of the cafés in this mostly commercial neighborhood are closed.
What's Nearby
Getting Around
Madeleine is a metro hub, serving three main lines, and Saint-Lazare train station serves four lines. At nearby Auber station you can get the RER A.
A unique mix of commercial and residential, this part of the Grands Boulevards neighborhood is shopping central, with two of Paris's historic department stores, Printemps and Galeries Lafayette ensconced on three long blocks. Nearby Gare Saint-Lazare is also major shopping center, with all the quality French chains (Petit Bâteau, Aigle, etc.). Running into Place de la Madeleine, the Rue and Faubourg Saint-Honoré, spanning the 2nd and 8th arrondissements, are home to literally hundreds of designer boutiques and gourmet shops. This is a cultural hub too, a few steps from the Opéra and close to the Jeu de Paume, Orangerie (home of Monet's famous Waterlilies) and the Louvre, and within an easy walk of the Grand and Petit Palais and the foot of the Champs-Élysées.
Restaurants
This bustling commercial neighborhood isn't overflowing with neighborhood cafés, that said, however, the wonderful Lazare brasserie, run by 3-star chef Eric Frechon,is a good option for any of your three meals, seven days a week, or a drink any time of day or night. The cafés at Galeries Lafayette are good for quick, decent meal, especially their rooftop cafeteria, where you'll get some stunning panaoramic views with your Ceasar salad.