choosing betw/ 2 paris hotels
 

we leave in a week. for 10 past years, we've stayed at hotel des marronniers, rue jacob. we love our 5th floor room, but the service has declined a bit. We've also booked hotel de l'abbaye, very nice sounding, but they won't cofirm a high floor room, and we hear it's all Americans. Anyone stayed at both? Any opinions?

I realize you are looking for firsthand experience (I have none) at these hotels. And you are certainly a seasoned Paris traveler so forgive my sophomoric attempt to help.

I suggest you go to the top of the fodors site and click "hotel" to get reviews from past visitors. I also like to check out potential hotels at www.tripadvisor.com as there are usually some pretty recent reviews on their site. I also love to go to www.pagesjaunes.fr and look at pictures of the hotels I might stay in and the surrounding neighborhood.

Don't know why you want a high-floor room, but I've stayed at the Abbaye for years, sometimes several times a year and can highly recommend it. If noise is your concern, it's set back from the street by a courtyard, and many of the rooms open onto another garden court in the back. The street is also small and lightly trafficked, although rue de Rennes is around the corner.

If it's light that's the issue, I need to have a bright room and have never had a problem at the Abbaye. If you're not happy with the first one they show you, ask to see another; they're quite happy to accommodate you if possible.

I haven't stayed at the Marronniers, but I've visited friends there; the Abbaye is more elegant and comfortable, IMO. As for whether "it's all Americans", I've breakfasted with Brazilians, Dutch, Belgians, British, Israelis, and, oh yes, Americans.

Good luck and have a great trip.

The L'Abbaye is as fine a 3 star hotel as you will find. You should consider yourself lucky in having a reservation, as it has a great following and reservations can be difficult.

If I were you I would pull out the Metro map and see which hotel is closest to a convenient Metro line (one that goes where you want to go without too many changes in trains). Let that, and the proximity to good restaurants, be your deciding factor.

I thought maybe she wanted a top room for the view??