Marsha

Dear Freshman: Just some suggestions for traveling with your daughters. Have them read a little on each place you will visit. The "Kidding Around" book on Paris is geared toward 10 year olds but will give them some idea what they will be seeing. My daughter (age 8 at the time) read about Degas' Little Dancer at the Musee d'Orsay and the Seated Scribe at the Louvre and couldn't wait to get the museums to see those exhibits. My daughter, now 13, liked the Portobello Flea Market in London this summer, so you may want to check out one of the flea markets in Paris. And no matter how old they get, kids still need "down time." My kids got very tired of sightseeing in London and were very content just to play in a park for part of a day. Your girls might enjoy all the activities in the Jardin de Luxembourg.

freshman

I should be in bed...but I'm caught up in the planning now! Thanks for all the new tips!

Marsha--you're so right about downtime. Last summer they said they wanted a "doing" vacation, not a "seeing" vacation, and it was our best vacation yet. I'll have to be sure there are plenty of "doing" activities included in our plans.

Christina, I agree--the abnormal days are the ones to worry about! Thanks for the weather link.

Thanks, cjtrav for another hotel resource.

And now--good night!

liesablond

I recommend that you check into renting an apartment instead of a hotel room in Paris.

The hotel rooms are microscopic.

There are lots of apartment rentals, none of which I am affiliated with at all. I recommend trying one of these:
www.paris-apts.com or www.halliger.com . They have both been personally recommended to me by friends.

I have six children, and we live in the South of France. When we go to Paris, the most popular visits for my kids are:
Eiffel Tower all the way to the top

Cité de la Science - great movie theater that wraps around you (way better than Imax)

Wax Museum

Highlights tour of the Louvre

Have fun!

Liesa Blond
www.MasdePuechLong.com

Hattol

Hi All, I'm making my first trip to Paris next week but only for four days - The main things I want to see are the Louvre, Musee D'Orsay and some shopping!!
I am going alone - does anyone have any suggestions about pleasant and safe places to eat in the evening / best shopping locations (I'm a bit of a bargain hunter and like vintage) etc etc. I'm staying by the Louvre.
Thanks all - I'm so looking forward to my trip!!

oberost

In October we spent a extra-long weekend in Paris. My wife and I in one room and our granddaughter (13) and her aunt in another. We stayed at the Pas des Calais which is in the 6th right off blvd. St. Germaine- many restaurants (Deux Magotts) and others steps away. Also very close to Metro (St.Germaine stop) and all kinds of stores. This is the second time we stayed at Pas des Calais and we have been pleased by it and its location. Check it out on web site.

Iza

Freshman, I would also strongly recommend renting an apartment instead of staying at a hotel (especially with 2 kids). We did that for our November 2004 Paris trip and it was great having the extra space and the freedom to shop at a local bakery for breakfast foods etc. We rented a beautiful apartment with the view of the Eiffel Tower from Paris Perfect and I would highly recommend them.

wliwl

June is our third trip to Paris (first with teens). We've always stayed at a hotel, but this time we are renting an apartment. Just seems like it will be more relaxing and roomier with the kids. I hate not having any place to hang out when we're tired - you know, just sitting around on the beds (hotel rooms are small in Europe)gets to be a drag. I also wanted a refrigerator and a washing machine for clothes. We are staying in the 5th arr., primarily because it has a more youthful feel to it - more casual, better for the kids.

primrose

Dear Freshman: Will you be able to post Michael Osman's e-mail address here because I'm interested on his services too ? I can't find it or just did not know how.

Thanks a million

freshman

Primrose:

Here is his website and you can scroll down to find his e-mail address:

http://www.geocities.com/parisfinder/

I will post an update to my search a little later, after kids are in bed...would like some feedback on what I've found so far.

freshman

OK, kids almost to bed...here's what I've found out so far:

Hotel Bonaparte has rooms at 124 euros per room per night--very reasonable I believe. Their fax says "preferably rooms on same floor" but this would be a requirement, so I believe I need to state that if I reserve rooms with them. Ira, if you're out there, or anyone else familiar with Bonaparte, they tell me rooms 18 and 19 are available. Do you know which floor they are on?

Hotel le Regent, which looks very nice, has rooms as well, but their website indicates they will be under some construction this summer. They are running specials in July and August because the elevator will be out of service. I inquired about exactly what construction work might be in progress while we are there in June, and this is what they said (quoting exactly): "Concerning the works we don't yet whet it will be exactly we will know in the middle of March. The only thing that the elevator will work in June." I interpret this to mean that construction status in June is unknown at this time, but that the elevator would definitely be working. This hotel has gotten very good reviews, but I think it would be risky to stay there not knowing the extent of the construction that might be in progress. Agreed, everyone?

Hotel du Danube has a 2 bedroom apt. available at 229 euros per night, each bedroom about 140 sq. ft., double bed in each room, plus bathroom with hand-held shower. The apt. faces a small inner courtyard "with no specific view." They also specifically state that they have no A/C. Although this is a very good price and the hotel has good reviews, I think it would be wise to stay in a hotel that has A/C since our visit is in June.

Hotel de Fleurie has a family room available for only two nights of our stay--I'm very disappointed because it sounds very nice! The family room is made of 2 connecting rooms, one standard queen size bedroom and one smaller large bedroom and 2 bathrooms for 325 euros per night. We thought about staying there for 2 nights then moving, but that's just too much trouble with kids.

Last one that I've checked so far: the Hotel Left Bank Saint Germain has a quad available for 230 euros per night. I got this info from their website and haven't inquired about the size and situation of the rooms in the hotel. Reviews are mostly favorable on tripadvisor.com, it seems the most negative comment related to not being able to control the A/C temp in the room.

My husband is pushing to reserve at Bonaparte and be done with it. He has stayed there several times, but it was many years ago, and says it looks much nicer now than it did when he stayed there (in the 80s). I have some reluctance to book separate rooms (as opposed to a quad), although my daughters (11 and 13) tell me they'll be fine if our rooms are close together. My husband thinks it will be safe to be in separate rooms. Would any of you who have spent more time in Paris in recent years have concerns about safety with my daughters in separate rooms? Perhaps I should reserve the Bonaparte and keep checking into other hotels that might have quads?

I appreciate the suggestions to check out apartments, but I believe they require a week minimum stay, and we will be in Paris for five nights.

I will continue to work the list of hotels from this thread and others that I've found on searches, but any feedback on what I've found so far would be greatly appreciated!

WillTravel

I didn't stay at the Bonaparte, but I did visit Paris last year with my son, and I frequently travel with my teenage daughter also.

I wouldn't have any fear about having my daughter in a separate room or staying in the room alone if the hotel is in a reasonable neighborhood (St. Germain certainly qualifies), has a 24-hour desk, uses key cards and not old-style keys hung on a peg, and has a telephone in the room. I'm not sure if the Bonaparte has all of those, but that's what I would want.

amelia

Freshman: Please don't be afraid to book two rooms, no matter what the location within the hotel. On our very first trip to Paris, my two daughters, ages 11 and 7, stayed in a separate room on the same floor down the hall. I was so worried at first, but to show you how quickly I got over it, by the next trip a few months later, I didn't even worry about staying on separate floors! We stayed at the Hotel le Regent those first two family trips, but the philosophy has extended to six or seven other hotels since.

Two girls with own bathroom--what's not to like. As long as they know where the fire exits are and can verbalize their emergency plan to me, I tend to sleep OK.

luan

I don't know if you have already made your reservations, but we stayed at Victoria Palace in Paris, which was a fabulous hotel. We went through www.smallandeleganthotels.com. Bonnie is a wonderful resource. Victoria Palace is a small elegant hotel. They do have a 2 room apartment, but they have 2 fabulous rooms on the 7th floor with a view of the Eiffel Tower. These are the only two rooms on this short hallway, so we were able to run back and forth between rooms very privately.

Travelnut

Author: Hattol
Date: 03/01/2005, 12:35 pm
Message: Hi All, I'm making my first trip to Paris next week . . .I am going alone - does anyone have any suggestions . . .Thanks all . . .

Hattol, you will get better/more responses to help your planning if you start a new thread ...starting your request in the middle of this one is called "hijacking the thread"...not that it doesn't happen all the time

carcassone

Hi freshman,

Not all apartment requires 1 week stay. Last Aug, we rented this apt from RentParis:
http://www.rentparis.com/7/7.en.html

My SlowTrav review is:
http://www.slowtrav.com/france/revie...iewnumber=1073

My kids were 10 & 12 and renting an apt is soooo much nicer! It will be our preference from now on. There is a bakery just around the corner and every morning, I sent the kids down to get fresh pastries! (I could track them from the window.) They don't speak French and the bakery owner don't speak Englist but everyone managed.

Hattol

Thanks for all your help on my past questions after a disastrous choice of hotel in Rome i am looking for good place to stay and great location.The main attractions we want to see are the typical ones, the louvre, notre dame, the eiffle tower, etc. is there a way to see what zones they are in for the metro from St Germaine? im sure this sounds silly, but i am lost on this one!

freshman

Thanks again everyone for all the suggestions--I truly appreciate the time you've taken to provide them. We are reserving Bonaparte today as a back-up, but I'm planning to keep looking at some of the suggestions I haven't had time to research yet.

FYI, if anyone else needs to know this, Le Regent clarified this morning that there will be no construction in June. It's a little higher-priced than Bonaparte (assuming we get the upgrade rooms--standard rooms are the just about the same price), but it does look very nice in the pictures.

Hattol, I don't mind you "borrowing" my thread, but you might actually get some responses if you start a new thread with a relevant and specific title.

JeanneB

I think you'll be happy with the Bonaparte. If I remember correctly, 18/19 would be on higher floors.
***IRA: isn't that right?***
I can't believe the one thing I forgot to note in my diary was my room number. But I think I was in 13 and it was on the 3rd or 4th floor. Do check and make sure you're on the street side -- courtyard views are dreary. I don't remember their having A/C.

The way the Bonaparte is laid out, it's likely one room is at the end of a short hall with the other room's door right next to it. You'll kind of have that little hall to yourselves.

Your daughters will FLIP over all the shops on that section of Rue Bonaparte and around the corner on Rue de Four. Very chic, many aimed at a young clientelle. There are a couple of tiny streets right behind the hotel filled with good pizzarias, creperies and restaurants.

Unless you find something else soon, I would suggest confirming the Bonaparte and getting on with your other planning. I was amazed at how much more I enjoyed the planning once I'd settled on my hotel(s). Have fun!

freshman

JeanneB: thanks for your reply! My husband is with you--book it and move on! I have been torn all day between Bonaparte and Le Regent, but my husband faxed Bonaparte this morning to reserve rooms. We could always change, but I think I'll confirm A/C with Bonaparte and request street view rooms as you suggest and be done with it.

This is just the first leg of our trip, so yes, I do need to move on!

JeanneB

Please do confirm the A/C at the Bonaparte. We were there in November and I never considered it.

I looked up the Le Regent and it's in a good area too. If it comes down to A/C, it's a good choice. I can't speak to the hotel itself, but the "street scene" is very good there.