Hi
a friend of mine has to choose between two Marriott hotels due to using points for a free stay.
One is in Neuilly, 58 Boul Victor Hugo

the other is in the 18th
Jardin de Valmy, Boul Circulaire Sortie 7, La Defense

I am very much aware that these are non-central locations, but for those of you who are efficient with metro/RER logistics (I'm not, especially) which would be an easier commute into central Paris? (Let's use the Louvre as the destination)
thanks

Elaine, try the routefinder on the ratp.fr website. You can put the 'home' address and the 'destination' address (or a metro stop) and it will give the travel steps...

thank you, I will
I was also hoping that aside from the actual routing, someone could comment on commuting to and from La Defense vs Neuilly, not just the route, but the conveniences, or lack thereof of the neighborhoods, ambience, or other subjective criteria.

The Marriott at Jardin de Valmy is on the #1 line. The metro stop is Grande Arche de la Defense. The #1 line will take you directly to the Louvre without any problems. The Marriott in Neuilly has a bus stop in front of the hotel. I would go with the Marriott at Jardin de Valmy because of the ease of access to the Louvre and other Paris locations.

I don't quite get how the La Defense Marriott Renaissance hotel is in the 18th. The address otherwise matches the Marriott Renaissance, which is a common hotel for people to get on Priceline. Read the reviews on the BiddingForTravel.com site and the cleverbidding.com site and possibly the betterbidding.com site which detail the commute and shopping logistics.

Elaine,

I'm fsmiliar with Victor Hugo. It's a borad, leafy avenue with Belle Epoch buildings. Very pleasant. Quite upscale, as is almost all of Neuilly. (No commerce on the boulevard, however.) I would venture that the nearest Metro there is Porte Maillot, on the No. 1 line, which is good for access to central Paris, and perhaps a 10 minute walk from the hotel. As another post suggests, the Boulevard Circulaire is not in the 18th (unless there's another boulevard of the same name that does not appear quuickly in map searches) but is rather around La Defense. The setting would be different -- relatively modern buildings, which did not always come out that well in France. One key question would be the distance from that hotel to the Metro. So far, I don't have an answer, but I will keep looking. Ideally, the La Defense stop on the No. 1 line would be very close by that hotel. If not, I would go with the Victor Hugo hotel.

My friend did mention the 2nd hotel being the Renaissance, you're right, the 18th couldn't be correct, the 18th is Montmartre

biddingfortravel had good info on the Renaissance, as did tripadvisor

thanks

Elaine,

That second hotel appears to be the Renaissance Paris Hotel, La Defense,
60 Jardin de Valmy, Boulevard Circulaire, Sortie 7. La Defense, I believe, falls within the suburb of Puteaux. There is a map of La Defense in "L'Indispensable" Paris area street guide that shows a Cours Valmy, but no Jardin Valmy. The Cours Valmy is in "sector 7." (Maybe corresponding to Exit 7?) If the hotel is there, it is just outside the Boulevard Circulaire and not exceptionally close by the Grand Arche stop on the No. 1 line. I would post the question to Marriott: How far is it by foot from the hotel to that Metro station? (and then I would add five minutes to their response.) A look at the Neuilly map seems to confirm my recollection of a 10 minute walk from a low boulevard Victor Hugo street number to the Port Maillot metro. (I do walk briskly, however, for a 62-year-old.) At any rate, the Port Maillot metro stop is four stops closer to central Paris than the La Defense stop.

Oops! Should have written: four stops closer to central Paris than the Grande Arche stop.

I don't find it that useful to ask anyone how long it takes to walk somewhere, because it usually isn't realistic. Exact distance is more accurate. That hotel isn't very far from the Grande Arche RER/metro stop, it's just on the other side of the bd at exit 7, right near the arch. I'd say it was within 1/4 mile or a few blocks (maybe 350 meters). That hotel is actually shown on the Michelin Green Guide's map for the La Defense area.

I would want to know exact distance of the other hotel from the Porte Maillot stop, also, not estimates of walking time (which I usually double). I sort of remembered the one in Neuilly being about twice the distance from a metro stop as the Renaissance, or maybe equivalent of 6 blocks.

Christiana,

If you've stayed in the two hotels, could you comment on any differences in the amenties, decor or services? Or is all that a wash?

all of this has been very useful, because I don't have a map that includes detail for La Defense or Neuilly

Sorry, Christina. You are right about walking thoughts. I might better have said, whatever they tell you, double it.

The address for the Marriott Jardin de Valmy is Paris La Defense Cedex, Ile de France 92918 France. This is not the 18th, which is 75018.