1st visit to Paris in April--hotel help please
 

My wife and I are off to Paris for a 1st time visit in early April. We will have our adult daughters (27 and 29) with us. We need help with a hotel as we are basically clueless.

I won't bore you with details, but we are looking for location and comfort. We've traveled quite a bit throughout Europe and chains or boutique hotels are fine. We just need really good beds and a solid location for walking the city's sights for our 1st time visit.

We'll be there for 5 nights and I'd like to budget $500 or less per room per night.

I am very appreciative of any advice you can provide

I have a feeling that you really want something more than just a good location and good beds, given your budget. I have the feeling that if someone tells you about some basic budget 2* hotel with tired or ugly decor and small rooms, but claims it has a great location and nice beds, that you really are not going to want to stay there if that's your budget per night.

ALso, it's not clear to me what that budget is for -- that you are looking for two double rooms (which would be what I'd wnt for four adults) and then you mean $250 each or do you really mean you'll pay $500 each in that case. With that budget, I am sure you do not want to cram four grown adults into one hotel room (and there wouldn't be any reason to).

I usually stay in a hotel that does have great beds, that's one reason I like it, but it's not in that price bracket (it's a 3* hotel) and is in MOntparnasse, so while I think it's convenient, I imagine you might want St Germain or something very central if you expect to walk to a lot of tourist sites. YOu can certainly afford it with that budget. That will get you two rooms in a nice 3* hotel in St Germain, such as the Madison.

Great reply thank you! Yes, I can afford two nice rooms, but do not need the amenities (ie, gift shop, exercise room, etc.,) that often come with a large Hilton-like hotel. We really love to walk so the central location is a must and our tired bodies will need really good beds. I will look at the Madison and thank you again for your quick response1

I have read very good things about the Hotel Delavigne. It's a 3-star. I've peeked into the hotel when I've been down that street (rue Casimir Delavigne) and that street is small and quiet.
Some of the hotel's rooms face rue
Monsieur-le-Prince; those could be noisy. The location is near both the
Luxembourg Metro/RER stop, and also the Odeon Metro stop. From what I've read, there is a lot of variation in room size, but the hotel is pretty and well-maintained. The lobby certainly looked modern but charming. For your budget you could have two of their best rooms (two bathrooms).
I'd suggest an even fancier hotel like the 4-star Aubusson in the same neighborhood, but with your budget you won't get two rooms.
Also look into the Lenox St-Germain. Some rooms are pretty small, but the last time I stayed there it was a very nice hotel. I think they have a suite or two, but I believe your budget might allow for two rooms.

LE RELAIS SAINT-GERMAIN

This hotel is way over my budget, but we've visited friends there last year. It's really beautiful, more "boutique" than "tourist". Upscale furnishings and atmosphere. I didn't test the beds, but I know they raved about the hotel.

Since then, the hotel was bought by one of the most renowed chefs in Paris who has installed a top-tier restaurant that's open all day (a rare find).

Location is perfect: Blvd Saint-Germain at Rue de l'Odeon.

PS, all of these hotels have been mentioned here before. You can search on them by name, or also take a look at the reviews in fodors.com hotel lsitings (click above) or at
tripadvisor.com

Ooops, hit the button too soon.

I'm having trouble opening their website
http://www.hotel-paris-relais-saint-germain.com/
Maybe it's under construction.

But there's info and a few photos here.
http://www.france.com/hotels/hotel.cfm?hotel_id=829

And several good trip advisor reviews here
http://tinyurl.com/ym65pl

I'm a France specialist and help so many clients with hotels for Paris and thereabouts. Here are some spots (Right and Left Bank) that I enjoy staying in or have had happy clients stay:

Hôtel de l’Odéon: (Left Bank/St. Germain): http://www.paris-hotel-odeon.com/index.htm

Hôtel Louvre Saint Romain (Right Bank): http://www.louvre-saint-romain.fr/

Hôtel Tronchet (Right Bank/Madeleine-Opera): http://www.hotel-tronchet.com/page0.htm

I have a gazillion more and hope you'll connect with me for your trip!

:)

I stayed at the Louvre Saint Romain several years ago and thought it had a perfect right-bank location but that it was a shabby, 3rd-rate hotel, and not a good value for its price.
Unless it has been gut-renovated and upgraded recently, I wouldn't recommend it to someone whose hotel budget is $500 per night.

We stayed at a small boutique hotel on the Left Bank on a very narrow busy street - St Germain de Pres - Ist time was in 2004 and have been returning ever since - Hotel Buci. Rooms are small, but quiet. We had a room facing the street and our daughter stayed next door. They don't have connecting rooms. Comes with breakfast and some of the best brioche and croissants I've ever tasted. Very french, great beds and a good size bathroom.
Good restaurants close by and if you like tea, Mariage Freres is right around the corner.

Hi

My wife and I went to Paris in April this year and I have posted a trip report with pictures and links on my homepage http://gardkarlsen.com/Paris_France.htm . We decided to stay at a "cheaper" hotel since we were staying a week and we ended up at a place called Timhotel Tour Eiffel. I have posted a review of the hotel in the trip report. Hope that you can find some useful info in the trip report :-)

Regards
Gard
http://gardkarlsen.com - trip reports and pictures

We just came back from our second stay at the Hotel Pont Royal in the 7th...just off the Rue du Bac. We're (ahem) older.. so love the neighborhood, but it's within walking distance of everything.... Louvre, Orsay, St. Germaine, etc., etc. Joel Robuchon's Atelier is adjacent to the hotel. Our rate ( mid Oct.) was 350 Euros w/breakfast. Other times of the year was 400 E.

PS I meant to add that the staff at the hotel was very helpful. Rooms are small vis a vis what we get in the USA but very comfortable with good amenities. Small, low key, very nice hotel.

I would second the pont royale suggestion.Rooms were very comfortable,had great beds, and the hotel was eminently convenient to museums,restaurants,etc.

Thank you all so much for the replies and the suggestions! We have confirmed a Junior suite and twin room for April at Relais Saint-Germain and shall report back on our rooms and dining experience at the hotel's restaurant. Merci, merci, merci!

The last time we visited in Paris (last October)we had two rooms at Hotel Pas des Calais. Right off the blvd St. Germaine and near famous restaurants and the Metro.
Another time (with just my wife and myself) we stayed at Le Sainte Beauve. Both have web sites, check them out.

Stayed at the K&K Cayre in 05 and 06 at the intersection of Blvd. Raspail and St. Germain. Metro stop right in front of hotel. Very close to Bon Marche' and some fantastic though expensive restaurants. Neat neighborhood and very convenient to everything by metro. Very Safe neighborhood.