em_axo

Ah, my first bump in the planning road. I only have enough Starwood points for 5 of the 6 nights we had planned to stay at the Westin Paris. (This is for September of this year) We are not willing to pay to stay the 6th night, as quoted prices are upwards of $300. So what should I do? It seems to me that it would be a huge pain to switch hotels for just 1 night, especially after all the city-to-city travel we will have done at this point. So I guess my options are:

1) Book a different hotel either the first night or last night in Paris.

2) Add a night to Provence and cut one from Paris. This doesn't seem so bad but to me Paris is my dream destination so I hate to cut any days from there.

3) Is it possible to take the train from Avignon to Versailles instead of to Paris? Perhaps we could spend the first night in Versailles and then head in to Paris. If we do this, what is the best way to travel from Versailles into Paris?

I appreciate any input!

mpprh

Hi

spend the first night at an airport hotel.

You will be tired and need the rest, so the hotel itself isn't crucial - as long as it has a bed. And easy to do with the airport hotel shuttle ?

Some airport hotels :
http://www.the-languedoc-page.com/to...de-oise-95.htm
http://www.the-languedoc-page.com/to...t-marne-77.htm

Peter

travelhorizons

If staying in Paris is your dream, I'd go for a $300 room at the Westin. This is not a bad price in Paris for an upscale hotel. You'll lose a couple of hours in the middle of the day checking out of the Westin, getting transportation, and checking into another hotel. Is spending two extra hours in Paris doing what you came there for worth, say $25 per person per hour? If so, spend the extra $100 on the hotel and save the time for yourselves!!!

The TGV from Avignon goes directly into the Gare de Lyon. You'd then have to take a combination of Metro and a different train to get to Versaille from Paris.

I have a blog article called "Paris on a Budget" that you might find helpful: http://travelhorizons.blogspot.com/2...on-budget.html

Kate_W

Just to add another potential bump to your planning, do you actually know that there's availability at the Westin in Paris in September for an award stay? That would be a very sought-after booking.

I would suggest a variation on mpprh's suggestion. Instead of spending your first night in an airport hotel (I'm assuming that you're arriving in the morning following a trans-Atlantic flight), spend your last night at an airport hotel (since you are likely to have a morning/midday flight). Then you could stay in Paris (with the Westin storing your luggage) right up past your final dinner in Paris - then take a taxi out to your hotel, sleep in a little (because you're close to the airport) and catch your flight home.

em_axo

Without going through the entire booking process, it does appear to be available.