Kwoo

Hello,
I emailed several weeks ago with general questions about Paris. To reiterate a little bit, we are going to France this summer to meet our daughter's boyfriend's parents. I have never been to France, & my husband was in Paris in the 70's, so we have decided to spend a week in Paris first before we meet the boyfriend's parents. First we will spend 7 nights in Paris, then possibly 3 nights in the Loire Valley & then the last 3 nights with the parents and our daughter & boyfriend. I have booked our airline reservations: we leave Boston on July 28 & arrive in Paris on July 29. We return on August 11 on an AF evening flight.

It seems the more research I do, the more confused I get about neighborhoods & hotels. I still can't decide between Marais, Saint Germain & Latin Quarter. Our daughter's boyfriend recommends the Marais first, with Saint Germain a close second. Would restaurants, cafes, stores, etc be more expensive in Saint Germain? It is described as "gentrified". What really is the difference between the two?

Our budget is around $150USD. I got a good rate at the HOtel du Vieux Marais (125 euros) & Fodors Travel Guide recommends this hotel. However, it got horrible reviews from Trip Advisor because of construction going on. I will email them to see if there will still be construction in the summer. Has anyone stayed at this hotel?

I am also considering HOtel AGora St. Germain. (Libretto on this forum has stayed here); I am waiting to hear back from Hotel Andrea Rivoli in Marais. uh_oh busted has stayed there. If you are reading this post, what room did you stay in?

Has anyone stayed at HOtel Bonaparte on Rue Bonaparte? Fodors Guide book recommends it, I am waiting to hear back from the hotel. I think I should book a hotel soon, then I might still research apartments, too. I found several that sounded good but didn't have AC. I might prefer a hotel since this is our first time in Paris. I don't see us preparing lunches in an apartment, but we might have breakfasts there so it might still be an option.

Thanks everyone for all your help!

suze

I would go with a hotel not an apartment for your first time. It's easier to book and gives you the added ammenity of staff at the front desk if you need help with something. apartment can be a bit complicated with payments, getting the keys, cleaning deposits, etc.

I would take the advice of the boyfriend (since his family lives there).

I think the 4th, 5th, 6th are all good central neighborhoods.

scatcat

I have stayed at Hotel Bonaparte three times. You can't beat the location. Our rooms have been nice each time. The staff all speak English and were really helpful. It does have AC. We only took breakfast once. There are bakeries every where. We walked straight down the street and across the the river to the Louvre. There is a Laduree's right on the way, a must for me. There is a Monoprix about 2 short blocks away. Good for snacks and drinks. My son went there and bought Oreos and milk one night. All kinds of shopping and restaurants from McDonald's to Cafe de Flore.

DebitNM

Be sure those hotels have a/c!

Apres_Londee

Out of those three neighborhoods I'd go with the Marais, but then I'm not a huge fan of the left bank. However, they are all very central and packed full of tourist amenities and I don't think you'd be disappointed in any of them. For a tourist's purpose I don't think the differences between them are all that huge, although St Germain is definitely upscale,especially compared to the Latin Quarter, which also caters to students and young people in general.

I agree with Debit about the aircon. I would probably choose according to the hotel I could get, as opposed to being committed to one of those neighborhoods in particular. They are all next to each other anyways.

roeboat3

To Apres_Londee....Where do you like? I had decided upon St. Germain but found a great apartment at a great price in the 1st Arr., Rue du Faubourg near the Hermes store. 1st Arr. is very upscale but seems a little too "downtown" to me. Not sure what to do now.

voyager61

Don't go without AC...when it's hot in Paris, it is miserable. And it could be hot at the end of July. I would also not ignore TripAdvisor reviews...especially if you are staying there for 7 nights. Seven nights in an unpleasant hotel situation can feel like 7 weeks.

Kwoo

Thanks, everyone, for all your helpful insights. I hope to book something this weekend.
Suze, you make some excellent points & I was thinking that renting an apartment sounds complicated as I was reading other posts about apartments. That's why I was leaning towards hotels.
I definitely make sure the hotels have A/C. That's one reason why I crossed quite a few off my larger list.
Scatcat, thanks for the detailed description of the Bonaparte. I hope I hear back from them tomorrow.

PeaceOut

Many Fodorites have recommended the Bonaparte, especially Ira. You can search for the threads.

Apres_Londee

Hi roeboat, if you're unsure about the location of an apartment, I would recommend starting your own thread with a very clear thread title (i.e. something that lets people know you are asking about locations in Paris). That way more people will see your question, including the real Paris experts around here (there are several- and just to be clear I'm not one of them ) Try posting the address of both apartments and see what people have to say.

Remember it's all "downtown" - both areas have big busy streets as well as quiet side streets. Since they are both centrally located neighborhoods, and given the excellent pubic transportation system in Paris, the exact address is generally more important than the arrondissement. If you post the addresses people who are familiar with them can tell you what the feel of the immediate neighborhood is like.

Generally speaking, I like the 11 and 12 arrondissements. I haven't stayed in the 12th but I've always liked it, and my stay in the 11th was my favourite because that area was relatively diverse and unpretentious. The 11th doesn't have the village-y feel that some areas of St Germain can have though. It's more like a regular city neighborhood.

Ackislander

We usually stay in an apartment in the Marais, but we have stayed in St Germain as well. We have also stayed in Montparnasse and over in the 7th.

If I were you and I could afford the hotel, I would stay in an air conditioned hotel in St Germain. It is more a matter of what you can get for the price than obsessing about a particular one.

It is an easy walk to the Louvre, to Notre Dame, to the Latin Quarter and Cluny Museum, to the Luxembourg Garden and to fancy shops in several directions. There is a big BNP Paribas Bank across from the Big metro station and near Monoprix. BNP Paribas ATM's are free to Bank of America customers. There are excellent buses to everywhere and restaurants in all price ranges, especially toward Odeon.

Your room will be very small. The elevator will be tiny and may not go all the way to the top floor. Pack lightly.

Write the name of your hotel on a 3x5 card and give it to the taxi driver. There are lots of one-way streets in the area, so he is not cheating you if he has to drive around a lot to get you to the door.

Have a wonderful visit!

Kwoo

Ackislander, thanks so much for all of your helpful advice. I am leaning toward the Bonaparte, but they don't have an email address which is odd, so I emailed them through trip advisor & am waiting to hear back from them. I may end up booking online or calling them. I notice that some rooms only have a tub (no shower) but I prefer a shower, which is why I like to email hotels with my questions. I'd also like to know if the elevator goes to the top floor

That's good information about the ATM's & restaurants.

bhwriting

Hi

I'm a big fan of apartments for the flexibility they offer and as you're starting your trip in Paris, jet lag may well be a factor and flexibility may be important to you. I wrote a blog post on www.thefeaturewriter.com on Nov 30th about the joy of renting an apartment in Paris. Naomi (details in the post) is an American now living in Paris; very helpful, will meet you at the apartment and is on the end of the phone for any queries. Whatever you decide, have a great trip and hope all goes well with meeting the boyfriend's parents!

Kwoo

We decided that since this is our first trip to Paris that we would stay in a hotel. I like the idea of having the reception desk to go to for help, restaurant suggestions, etc. So, I booked reservations at the Hotel Bonaparte, thanks to scatcat, ackislander & peaceout. I feel very comfortable with this decision. I appreciate everyone else's advice, too.

The price is $174 per night for the first 3 nights, & then they give a 10% discount for the month of August, so our next 4 nights are 10% less. The elevator does go to the top floor, the rooms are air-conditioned, & we have a double room with bath tub & hand held shower, which we've used in Czech Republic, so that is fine with us. I called them this morning to ask some questions, & the desk clerk was very helpful.

I'm sure I'll be posting again before we leave.
Many thanks.

suze

Bonaparte has been getting excellent reviews on this forum from regular posters for years.

justineparis

Hi Kwoo,, I think a hotel is a good idea for a first time visitor,, and in fact I prefer them, I like having my bed made and towels changed everyday,, by someone else! I am in an apartment this summer, but for other reasons,, and I have no intentions of cooking either.
I book hotel rooms with mini fridges,easy to store snacks and drinks in them.

Have a nice visit, I think I will be there around same time as you !

Kwoo

Thank you, suze & justineparis, for your encouraging comments. It was difficult trying to decide on the best hotel for us, within our budget, and hotel vs apartment. Especially because this is our first time to Paris, I agree that staying in a hotel is the best choice.
I am very excited about visiting Paris, and also about meeting the boyfriend's parents

kerouac

I always recommend the outer arrondissements for more authenticity and much better value for money, but what do I know?

Except visually (since it is splendid), the center of Paris is total poison to me.

Guenmai

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...ank-thread.cfm
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...ank-thread.cfm

Happy Travels!

suze

<the center of Paris is total poison to me>

Sorry kerouac, but that's really not a very helpful comment here. And I'm guessing not a sentiment most first time visitors to Paris would be in agreeement with.