Dear Pat. We are staying at the Hotel bellevue D'or in the 4th for 68 Euro per night or 612 Euros total not including breakfast. I understand you have a largest budget them we do but I am sure we will still have a good time.
Someday I/we hope to be as bitching as you!

>Can't we all just use USD, CAN, AUD or NZD ...

Shouldn't that be the caD?

Hi InMiami,

>...if my hotel asks for payment in Euros should I suggest getting cash in local currency for payment? <

I suggest that you find out if they will take a CC or local currency. If they insist on E, go to Vienna first and get E in cash from an ATM.

>What if I just offer my credit card, can they still charge me in Euros?<

More than likely they will try to charge in USD.

Have you looked up this hotel to see what rates you can get from discounters?

These folks have rooms for as low as 89E, www.hotelsclick.com.

Some will give you quotes in USD.

somedayparis --????????????
I thought I made clear that at first I thought that figure you mentioned was just for your hotel and I was thinking it was a huge budget. But since we budget about $300 a day or less in Paris for the two of us INCLUDING LODGING to your $277 a day WITHOUT LODGING, I'm not sure where you get that my budget is larger than yours -- it seems less to me, not that it matters. Sorry again for any confusion in the matter.

Our budget is about 160-170 Euro per day by the time we get there not including lodging.

Lodging ~100 euros per
Food per day ~70 (10/10/50)
Misc per day (museum,etc) ~30
Purchases 50 per

~250 euros per day

OK, you said:
"Our budget in Paris is only $2,500 USD for 9 nights not including airfare or hotels . . ."

So I divided $2500 by 9 and got $277.78.

I guess my math isn't so good?

WOW 277 Euros per day for us? I guess we will bring home gifts for the families. I said 177 Euro per day at the current exchange rate but if we get 277 that is a bonus for us? I said 2,500 USD for 9 days or about 177 Euros per day not including hotels or airfare.

I said: "So I divided $2500 by 9 and got $277.78."
Then you said: "WOW 277 Euros per day for us?"


I've been trying to be polite, but if you look at my posts perhaps you can figure out the difference between the $ sign which I meant as US dollars, and the word euros. All I did was casually mention that according to your statement you have a budget per day of $277 not including hotels and airfare, and I said I have a budget of $300 a day INCLUDING lodging. Yet you made a point of saying I have a bigger budget than you do???? I just found that confusing, that's all. Sorry, that seems so hard to understand, and I certainly never meant it as some sort of competition, which you seem to be trying to turn it into.

Now let's just move on since it seems to be causing you to start throwing insults when there is no reason to do so. What is rubbing you the wrong way, anyhow?

As I've said twice now, my original post to you was a mistake because I thought you were talking about your budget for hotels, not for other things. I simply tried to claraify that mistake. Yes, I do make mistakes. I've apologized twice for this one. Do you want a pound of flesh now?

Thanks, and peace!

And for all our sakes, I'm hoping that your $2500 (US?) divided by 9 being 177 euros doesn't really happen -- since that's figuring $1.57 to the euro. Let's all hope it doesn't go that high soon!!!

LOL I was never any good when it came to math. I just know we have $2,500 USD for 9 nights whatever it breaks down to in Euros. The more the better. Thanks Pat.

A day's cost for Paris for two:

LODGING: Hotel Meurice, Belle Etoile Suite - E 8400

BREAKFAST: Room service American breakfast - E 128

TRANSPORTATION: Baron's Limousine / 12 hrs chauffeured Mercedes s320, + 4 hrs overtime - E 865 + 600 = 1465

INCIDENTALS, A.M.: Drop by Cartier to leave watch for service and go ahead and pick up a couple of gifts while there. E 16,699 Run into Vuitton when we see Yves and Valerie going inside, and end up replacing that old briefcase, finally! E 2285

LUNCH: Chez l'amis Louis, meeting old friends from home, and bringing along Y and V for good measure. E 715

FUN: Say goodbye to Y and V and drive to the Bois with the boys for a few races at Longchamps. Incidentals E 36 Losses E 18 (almost broke even!) Champagne and canapes, E288

MASSAGE: Return to hotel to unwind, take a long bath and enjoy a massage. Both of us. E 300

ENTERTAINMENT:
Comedie Francais, Moliere, 2 tickets through concierge, E120 for great seats!

DINNER:
Meeting the boys again (poor things were going to dine in their apartment-exchange home-away-from-home on canned pate and hock) at L'arpege. Philippe had our favorite table at the ready - big Opera crowd tonight, seem very excited. Good dinner, great company. E 2240.


Total E 13,656 not including purchases
US$ = $18,653.20

This amount varies by the day, of course: sometimes more shopping, sometimes less.

sorry ...
shopping total, E 18,984 = $25,930.90

GRAND total E 32,640

And you had a day just like this one??? I am traveling with you next time!

Hi Patrick -

That apartment looks lovely! I'm noting the details and looking forward to your trip report.

Responding to the OP. I booked my trip back in August of last year, leaving in 2 weeks. At the time, the Euro was 1.28. I paid for my airfare in $$$ (Continental), my rental car in $$$ (autoeurope), and my last night's hotel in $$$ (priceline).

The remaining 13 days lodging, after doing the math with the Euro now at 1.36, it will cost me an additional $130 -- $10 a night. I think I can afford that. Three of the nights include 1/2 board (dinner). I just told my wife that that was $130 she was not allowed to spend on "stuff."

I just got the "look."

I'm certainly not going to cancel my trip. We'll probably splurge in one place, and conserve in another. Oh, well.

Hear, hear, Bud, that'our situation not only the terrible Euro but our finances destroyed by Medical bills, made our finding a reasonable plac where we wanted to stay trying. After a month. we're set but can't do our usual feasting.

<quote>And yes, Americans who suddenly find travel to Europe prohibitively expensive might be expected to come home enraged. But most of these travelers already hated Bush. An August 2004 poll showed that voters with passports preferred John Kerry to Bush by a whopping 23-point margin.</quote>


http://www.slate.com/id/2165579/nav/tap2/

I don't pay attention to gas prices here at home and I don't pay attention to the exchange rate for European travel.

I'm going to need gas here at home and a travel fix in Paris regardless of the price of either one. No sense beating myself up over either one.

I might eat food from Monoprix's basement a few more times than originally anticipated...

Months ago it was 1.33 and now it's 1.35. I can't see fretting over a couple of pennies when going to Europe.

This is nice compared to my trip to London last year where it was just 2 to 1 (pound to dollar).