"Louisa,
You know I love Hotel de Notre Dame as much as you do. But, having stayed at both, I think the Bonaparte may be better suited for her MIL. The metro/bus options are significantly better at the Bonaparte. I think the staff is more cheerful. And the window shopping is tons more fun!"

Hi Jeanne,

My first choice is Ile St Louis, second the De Notre Dame. I know people love the Bonaparte and it might be the right choice for the MIL. One of my friends stayed there and liked it very much. I've walked around the area a few times but wouldn't want to stay there.

The appeal to me of the Hotel de N.D. and Ile St. Louis is the proximity of Notre Dame, the flower/bird market, the Seine, and quick access to the right bank -- an easy walk to the Pompidou, the Marais, and walks by the bookstalls along the Seine.

There is a metro stop at Maubert right around the corner from the N.D. I dont' know about bus stops but I usually walk or take the metro.

It's about being closer to the Seine for me and I realize that may not matter to others. I loved the view of the river and the buildings on Ile St. Louis from my room at the de Notre Dame.

I haven't stayed on Ile St. Louis but I always walk around the island, stop in the small shops, cafe, bakery etc. and have sat on a bench facing the river eating gelato and watching boats and people pass by -- more interesting to me than window shopping.

Christie:
Please come back and tell us how went the T'giving pow wow with your mother-in-law!

Christina,
I kind of know how you feel about the Muguet. It's a nice enough hotel, but overall I didn't feel like the staff was very friendly. They weren't UNfriendly....just a little standoffish. And not too good about communicating when the hot water heater broke. I'd rather stay at the Royal Phare for the price.
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34772527

We have had really good luck at the
Relais Bosquet in the 7th district..
around 150-160 Euros and the staff is wonderful!
Perfect location and next to the Marche and walking distance to Florimond..
Friends have stayed at the Muguet and they said the staff was somewhat rude and they were not allowed to eat or drink in their room..and were reminded about it everytime they came in and out of the hotel..weird?
www.relaisbosquet.com

We loved Hotel Delavigne in the 6th. It is literally around the corner from the Luxembourg Garden and very close to the Cluny Museum, Blvd. St. Germain, and Notre Dame, but on a quiet street, so it's not noisy. The desk clerk was incredibly helpful and kind. www.hoteldelavigne.com

I don't mean to make too much of this in this thread (and who knows what christieCA did), because I generally stay in a hotel for reasons other than the staff myself. But just to make it clear what I meant--I don't think the Muguet staff is friendly exactly, so don't think they'd suit someone who really wants a particularly friendly staff and requests that. But that really wasn't my personal complaint about them, as I don't care about that too much. One of them was rather rude to me when I asked him some questions about the hotel phone system. It was just a simple question, and he was really rude in his response--very dismissive, treating me like I'm a bother and stupid, and not really answering. Basically he wanted me to go away, it was clear. And I know French and can communicate well in it, so it wasn't that he didn't understand me (I understood his responses all too well, such as they were). So that was one of the main reasons I didn't like their staff, not because they weren't friendly per se. The woman who runs it wasn't that courteous to me, either, but I wouldn't call her rude. For example, when I asked her if I could change rooms because I really didn't like the room I had that well (it was very small and I didn't like the location), she just said, no, we are completely full. In other hotels, when a manager is trying to be nicer to the guests, he or she might say something like -- no, I'm very sorry but we are completely full tonight, but I'll keep you in mind in case something opens up. Something like that. That's the way they treat me in my favorite hotel in Paris and most any other I've been in -- they actually want to help the guest and please them.

I think the Muguet is a decent value hotel for the price range, and it's well kept up, but don't really think it is anything that exceptional like some people do, just in terms of quality of room, etc. I've stayed in plenty as good or better for that price. I know some people really love this hotel, though, but some of that is the luck of the draw, such as the room you may get.

Thanks for checking in with me! I *think* we have decided to go with the Hotel Relais du Louvre in the 1st. We have been in correspondence with them and they are very friendly and you certainly can't beat the price.

We are also still considering the Hotel Bonaparte as well as the Hotel du College de France in the 5th. Each week, we say that this is the week we will book her hotel, but something keeps stopping us. Hopefully this is the one!