Best Hotel for Quintessential Paris Experience
 

We've decided to (temporarily) trade beaches for baguettes. Help me convince my wife it's a good decision.

Having never been there, her vision is that the windows of the small, charming, quaint, romantic, hotel will open to cobble-stoned streets lined with sidewalk cafes, bakeries, patisseries, bistros...... you can fill in the rest of the picture (like, maybe Tour Eiffel in the background).

Research has me leaning towards the left bank, but as we're fifty-ish, I'm not sure the 5th is a good fit. Budget is euro 150-175. Hotel Latour Maubourg looks nice, but I'm not sure about location. Thanks for any advice.

Hi,

My wife and I always stay at the Hotel Bonaparte, in the 6th.

See http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34457775

Your description sounds like the Left Bank to me. Near the 7th where the Eiffel is or the Rodin musuem.
We stay between the Seine and Blvd St Germain, plenty of cafes, museums,bistros..small charming hotel to me would be the Danube or the Aubusson.
There will be plenty of people with suggestions, you made a good decision :)

Hôtel La Tour Maubourg is in a fine location, in the 7th right near les Invalides. It's a short walk to the rue Cler area and the rue Ste-Dominique, which is a long street full of cafés and shops and restaurants and bistros and antique stores. The métro stop La Tour Maubourg is right there; you can easily walk to the Musée Rodin and even the Musée d'Orsay. It's not Paris's most bustling neighborhood, but it's got a great neighborhood feel to it, there's plenty of commerce, and it's quiet after midnight. I often stay at the Hôtel Duquesne and Hôtel de France, which are a couple of blocks away - it's my favorite part of Paris.

We stayed, last Oct., at the Hotel St. Germain on Blvd. St. Germain. Our french doors opened up onto St. Germain with a wine shop, antique stores, bistos etc.. all around us. It is in your range as well. It was a cute and well run hotel, friendly staff and charming (but smallish) rooms.

By the way...Hotel St. Germain is in the 6th.

Your description is the St. Germain or Latin Quarter district, definitely Left Bank. We're 60 something and started going to Paris at 50 something and these are our favorite areas.

I suspect your wife will love it no matter where you stay in Paris. I didn't want to go the first time as I'm not a city person, but my husband dragged me and now I absolutely love it.

Have a wonderful trip.

We're a little older than you but I think you would like either of these hotels (both are on web with all info):
1. Hotel Pas des Calais
2. Le Sainte Beuve
Check them out.

Bonaparte and the Eiffel-Duquesne both are moderate and clean hotels with a friendly staff.
You made a good decision.

I think a lot of these ideas are fine as long as your description was a little tongue-in-cheek. If not, and this is going to be serious disappointment if the immediate surroundings are not that perfect street. Bd St Germain is not like that, for example, it's a major, paved boulevard. I also don't think the surroundings of the hotel Latour Maubourg are really like that. I think you have to get onto a small sidestreet in an older area, but restored expensive area, to get that. I think the Hotel de Notre Dame on rue Maitre Albert is on a small street with cobblestones, in the Latin Qtr, as one example. That is a nice 3* hotel that could be a good idea, although that general surrounding few blocks are not quiet, exactly.

The Latour Maubourg may suit you, but I wouldn't describe its immediate area like that, although it is normal better-area Parisian neighborhood-y. Some of that area and those streets aren't that picturebook perfect to me.

Thanks to all for the helpful information and suggestions. We'll consider them all. Other than ira's thread link, does anyone know of a good site for info on the Hotel Bonaparte?

TripAdvisor is always a good starting point:

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserR...de_France.html

Sorry, I didn't mean to post such a monstrosity. To make it simpler. you can see how Rue Bonaparte looks like at:

www.pagesjaunes.com

Click on English, then on "business type" write "hotel, for address, type "Rue Bonaparte", type "Paris" and voilá, you're there!

Although it's a little over your budg looks like Rue de Buci, and Hotel Artus is more like what you're looking for.

Use the Pages Jaunes web site, and make a search for "Rue de Buci". It will bring "Hotel Artus" web address, as well as the photos of Rue de Buci. You'll find a street market there, as well as restaurants, bistros, and patisseries, if not at Rue de Buci itself, quite close to it.

Ooops, a cloud of dumbness seems to have landed on my today.

the correct url is www.pagesjaunes.fr

..I have a different "favorite place. Although I love the 6th (my neice lived very near rue du Bac), my favorite place is truly the middle of Paris- Ile St Louis. To put this in perspective, I was traveling with my mother who usually did the "Hilton cicuit" with my Dad when he travelled on business. We stayed in a small very unpretentious hotel (? Deux Iles ?Lutece..I think they are owned by the same people). Although Mother had been to Paris many times, her comment as walked home from dinner was "this is the Paris Ive dreamed of"...it wasnt the hotel but the neighbourhood..within the shadow of Notre Dame and the the quais of the Seine. Truly a romantic spot ..and i was travelling with my Mother.

Hotel des Grand Balcons is a favorite on this forum. We were there for a week in 2002 and loved it. It isn't a real "balcony" but floor to ceiling windows open over a quiet street in St Germain. A block from the Odeon Metro stop. You can walk tons of places from there and there are tons of good restaurants and cafes in the area. I think it's my fav of three different places we've stayed in Paris since 1998. I love the Marais for shopping and restaurants, too...

You'll be back. I think St Germain is a great area for a first timer. At Balcons, they have a breakfast that seems like it may be steep, but if you really like a substantial breakfast and ENDLESS coffee in the AM, it is a great deal. Besides the art deco breakfast room is cosy and wonderful.

We were in Paris last month and would highly suggest hotel Valadon just one block off rue cler an the left bank. Rooms nice size, newly decorated,clean, and on a very quiet street. Double room around 110 euro with breakfast included. Ten minuete walk to Eiffle Tower. Do a search on this site for more info. hotelvaladon.com