My sister and I are scheduled to take a FranceVacations package next month to Paris. Our hotel is listed as budget2star and is in the 8th AR. This is my 1st trip to Europe. Any thoughts from anyone on what this will turn out to be? Thanks!

We stayed in a 2 star Hotel in Paris last year in the 5th and were very pleased. France Vacations first had us in the 8th and we wanted a better location. The only place in the 8th that I am not favorable with is the Gare St. Lazare area, right by all the tracks. What Hotel do they have you in?<BR>Our original Hotel in the 8th was something with the name St. Lazare in it. I cannot remember the full name. We payed about $45 more per person and found a much better Hotel.<BR>mike

Oh, joy! Our scheduled hotel is the JDP St. Lazarre! I'll be certain to take earplugs for both of us. Thanks for your reply. Any thoughts on the France Vacations Packages in general? We are going on to Nice and will be at the Gounoud. Anyone know of it?

Traveled on France Vacations in December and stayed at the JDP St. Lazare hotel (there were 4 of us; we had two rooms). The trip, which was our first to Paris or anywhere in Europe for that matter, was WONDERFUL. The F. V. package was very well priced and all flights went smoothly. We independently arranged for shuttle transport (not included in the basic package) from CDG to the hotel. Arrival in Paris is in the morning, rooms not yet ready for check in, so we parked our bags at the hotel, and spent the morning and early afternoon sightseeing (first stopping at the big Tourist Office at 127 Champs Elysee), then checked into the hotel in the afternoon. At first, when we opened the door to our hotel room, we were taken aback, because the room seemed awfully small, and there was no bath, only a hand-held "telephone" shower. (I later found that Europe hotel rooms generally tend to be smaller than US rooms). But, the room was clean and quiet, the staff was friendly, and the daily breakfast (included) downstairs was a great way to start off the day. (Try to get a room in the back, like we did, so you won't have street or motorcycle noise late at night or early in the a.m.). The hotel is actually about a 5 to 10 min. walk to Gare St. Lazare, so there is no train noise at all. Metro is either Place de Clichy (again a bit of a walk), or a smaller station, Lieges, just down the street the other way from the hotel. Would I stay at JDP St. Lazare again? Definitely! Would I go F. V. to Paris again? Mais certainement, monsieur! Lucky you! <BR>P.S. WATCH OUT FOR PICKPOCKETS, KEEP YOUR WALLET/VALUABLES IN A ZIPPERED OR BUTTONED, SECURE, INSIDE POCKET! I very luckily sensed and stopped "fingers" at Gare du Nord metro trying to unbutton my back pocket to get at my wallet (the pickpocket in back had a "team mate" in front exhibiting bizarre behavior, trying to distract my attention). What an adventure!

Thank you "laws" for the words of encouragement. We were pretty discouraged after the first message. I'll report in after we return and hope our trip is as great as yours sounded!

Did not mean to put any negative vibes in your trip. We stayed in another location after advice on this website was somewhat skittish about the area. We did not go in the area while in Paris, as there was too much else to do.<BR>We will be going back to Paris for our second trip in mid March and using France Vac. again and I am again uncertain, as you are, about your Hotel. It is very hard to know for sure if you have a great deal until you get there, I will wish you 2 luck and please wish me luck with my next Hotel.<BR>mike

Bobbie, I was thinking about this further last night, and came to the realization that it is all in the way we look at things (simplistically -- is the glass half full or half empty?). This in turn is a function of unique individual backgrounds, preferences, circumstances and experiences. I suppose that is a reason why some visitors love Paris, some hate Paris, and some are indifferent. <BR>The JDP (Jardin de Paris) St. Lazare is basically a small hotel, oriented toward middle class French travelers and not tourists.<BR>If you were looking at a glass half empty, you might think: the room is tiny and bare; the bathroom area is tiny with only a hand held shower; the room TV is tiny; the ascenseur (elevator) is tiny; the staff do not speak much English; there are no luxuries or amenities to speak of; there probably are no other Americans in the hotel; the hotel is not all that close to “tourist attractions”, etc.<BR>If you were looking at a glass half full, you might think: the room is clean and more of a French experience (actually starts to look a little like the painting of Van Gogh’s room hanging in the Musee d’Orsay); not “touristy”; the towels are clean and changed daily; there are two small grocery shops conveniently located just down the street; it is not that far from the metro which can whisk you anywhere in Paris quickly and efficiently; the hotel is very reasonably priced (the money you are saving on the hotel could be spent shopping, dining, etc.).<BR>It all depends on your expectations. If you are looking for American-style hotel comfort and amenities, or are planning to spend substantial amounts of time in the hotel or watching TV in your room, you well may be disappointed. If you are looking for a more typically French experience, the hotel may grow on you (as was the case with us). We left the hotel early each morning (after eating huge portions of the simple yet tasty buffet breakfast), did not return until late each evening, did not watch TV, and slept soundly each night. We found the nearby grocery stores (the bigger one across the street, halfway to Place de Clichy metro is better) to be very convenient, and bought bottled water, wine, baguettes, remarkably fresh cheese, and boxes of delicious chocolates on sale there, all very reasonably priced.<BR>Some info to share with you: the first morning, we walked from the hotel to Place de Clichy metro, took the metro to Champs Elysee, walked across the street to the Government Tourist Office at 127 Champs Elysee, got free metro maps (which we studied daily) and tour information, bought 5-day metro passes and 3-day museum passes, booked tours (Versailles with horse carriage was good; London day trip was a bit pricy and tiring, and we found Picadilly Circus to be obnoxious, but it was our first ever visit to England; did not go on Loire castle day trip but maybe should have), and bought 2-day tickets for the double decker big red bus, which stops just across the street from the Tourist Office, near the Arc de Triomphe. We then rode around the main tourist attractions on the bus, getting off at Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, and Louvre to do some preliminary reconnoitering. We did a huge amount of walking during our trip (including connecting between different metro lines within the bigger metro stations) and were glad to have worn comfortable walking shoes. The first evening, when we returned to the hotel via Place de Clichy metro, I became disoriented (because the area looks very different at night) and wished that I had taken better bearings during the daytime. But this too was an adventure.<BR>The few times I felt myself getting testy or negative, I thought: “Life (or this trip to Paris) is an adventure to be savored. What seems negative at the moment well may become a fond memory later on. KEEP SMILING!!!” <BR>-- My memories of the trip are wonderful. Hope yours are too!<BR>

I also have used France Vacations (in Sept.) and thought it was a great bargain. We got a hotel in the 1st which was really a great location (Hotel Louvre Piemont) Don't sweat the budget hotel thing - you'll have a great time. We were very happy with the hotel and the service we received there. Have a great trip!

To all who answered so eloquently--Thanks! I just wonder if any of the answers would have been different if you'd realized that my name is actually feminine and we will be two late middle-age females alone in this wonderful city. We still expect to have a great time! Will report in when we return late February. Again, thanks!

We are also using France Vacations-we are going in March. Our hotel Roma Sacre Coeur is located in the 18th district. Anyone familiar with the hotel or area-is it simple to use the metro from there? Thanks for any info. We don't speak french and are on our own-so we are winging it!