FWIW, I have a friend who stayed at that Hotel Bonsejour (on rue Lepic, just off Boulevard de Clichy, right?). She was traveling with another single woman and they found it fine for their needs (which were apparently to spend as little as possible on a hotel so as to indulge in expensive dinners every night! Not my idea of fun in Paris, but <i>chacun a son gout</i>).

Well, if you're considering centrally-located youth hostels then you probably might wish to consider the <b>MIJE Youth Hostels</b>. There's one on the rue des Barres in the Marais behind St-Gervais-St-Protais near Chez Julien. The building is rather historic and is associated with Heloise &amp; Abelard, those medieval lovers.
Maubuisson - 12, rue des Barres
http://www.mije.com/versanglais/indexenglishindiv.htm
27-32&euro; (breakfast included - if you stay in the group room then it is 27&euro;, for a double 32&euro;)

OR

<b>Young &amp; Happy Youth Hostel</b> in the Latin Quarter (80, rue Mouffetard):
http://www.youngandhappy.fr/english/sum.htm
20-23&euro;
(if you stay in a dorm room it would be 20&euro;/person or you &amp; she can stay in a double for 23&euro;/person, since it would be in low season)


That's alright, Suze!! ;)

Thanks Beatchick. I just added to the Pelican thread and the corrected link is here:

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34522491

My daughter has stayed at the Young and Happy hostel and recommends it. I recently stayed at Hotel Margnan mentioned above for 45 E for a single room (On the sixth floor, no elevator, gasp gasp) and found it to be basic but clean safe and convenient and the staff a were really helpful. Also you can use their laundry and kitchen facilities which helps to save a bit more.

111op, you are awesome!

&quot;you can use their laundry and kitchen facilities which helps to save a bit more&quot;
Now THAT is a hotel!! ;) I'm sold.

Thanks Beatchick -- since I've gained so much from reading this forum, the least I can do is to provide what I know on the forum.

I often wonder what the average age is of the typical traveler who stays in a Hostel?
Any ideas?

I'm sure the average age varies by hostel and country -- but in Paris it is pretty young. From the crowd I've seen hanging around hostels, including Young and Happy (which I've stayed near), the avg. age is a college student or slightly older--maybe 22.

Thanks a lot everyone! I've booked Hotel du Marais for E35 for our first three nights. We have two single beds so it should be perfect.

Just as &quot;fyi&quot; there is one post on Tripadvisor, not good...
&quot;Horrible experience: The owner/manager of the hotel basically kicked us out when we refused to pay above the rate we had agreed upon via fax weeks before. We presented a copy of the agreement whereupon he claimed he had made a mistake and that our fee was actually 100 francs per day above the agreed amount. He sprang this on us about two weeks into our 3-week stay. He rudely scoffed that he &quot;had our credit card number and that there was nothing we could do.&quot; When I said that we intended to pay only the previously-agreed-upon amount, he threatened to call the police. I said he could send the police to find us at the U.S. embassy. We then packed, lugged our luggage out onto the street (my wife 3-months pregnant) and took the metro to the U.S. embassy. The people at the embassy could do nothing. From a telephone booth outside the U.S. embassy I managed in short order to secure a room at another hotel. (In the end, my credit card company ended up eating the extra cost.)&quot;

Above comment refers to &quot;Hotel du Marais&quot;.

Travelnut, after I read that review, I warned my son who was going to stay there in March. He will be staying at the Delavigne (sp?) in the Latin Quarter now..elaines hotel :)

Why Miss Scarlett, how nice of you to dub the Delavigne 'my' hotel!!
Ohmigosh, sure hope it doesn't disappoint!

Yes, it will be known from now on as Elaines hotel.
Actually, reading your trip report made us so glad to be able to warn him off the others (Jeanne D'Arc &amp; du Marais) and over to the Left Bank.
Between our apt and your hotel, he will not have that much traveling to do, and he will be there after we leave, so I want to think of him in a decent hotel.

The Jeanne d'Arc is a fine hotel - I've only ever known of one person who disliked it. I know of several people who return there year after year, such as aj.

I know I felt very safe there AND I felt very welcome, too!

just to clarify, I hadn't posted anything about the Jeanne d'Arc, though I had noted recently that at least one fodors poster didn't at all care for it. I note too that opinions on it are mixed at tripadvisor.com

The hotel that greatly disappointed me recently was the Grand Hotel des Balcons, yet it very often gets favorable reviews and mine appears to be the only negative comment so far at tripadvisor. Just goes to show that one person's dream can be another person's nightmare.

No, Elaine, I knew you weren't being negative - you've always been kind &amp; very fair. :)

Thanks a lot for the head's up. I had actually read that as well. Thankfully it's referring to a different hotel by the same name. The address is different so I think I'm safe.

If yours is Hotel du Marais at 16 RUE DE BEAUCE, it is listed on www.jack-travel.com and www.eurocheapo.com*, so it should be ok. Didn't realize there were two by the same name, sorry to 'alarm' you!
*although the &quot;bad&quot; one is listed here, too!

Here is an article about the Marais from &quot;Smarter Travel&quot; under &quot;Student Travel Notes&quot;: (recs your hotel)
http://www.smartertravel.com/advice/...ce.php?id=6684

Topping for Emile