My family and I (2 kids ages 16 and 12 years)will be in Paris on July 13 and plan on staying for 4 nights. We've been there before and this trip to Paris is just in addition to our vacation in the south of France. We are looking for an inexpensive hotel room so that we can book 2 rooms. We want to stay in the 7th and the Hotel du Champ de Mars seemed perfect but I e-mailed them and they said they are booked for my dates. Can anyone recommend any place comparable? I like a place with a little French charm. We've stayed in the 6th before and I wanted to try something new, any ideas?

Hotel l'Empereur has a quad for 120E that seems nice, including a minibar, located on rue de Chevert, Metro: Latour Maubourg. I'm planning to stay there next time, but have not as yet. Found a number of encouraging comments on this board and other newsgroups, and did not find any negative remarks. Hotel de la Motte Picquet gets mostly good comments on this board - two doubles/twins will be about 160E, Metro: Ecole Militaire. Hotel de Turenne will cost about the same, but doesn't have minibars - we stayed there last spring and it was pleasant and clean, also at Metro: Ecole Militaire. All of these can be reviewed on the web site http://www.france-hotel-guide.com/75paristoureiffel.htm - Turenne and l'Empereur are less well-known and might be easier to get into. <BR>A search on Hotel de la Bourdonnais will generate a lot of feedback, mostly good, and provides a quad for around 120E; see it at this web site www.hotelboulevard.com (there are about 17 customer reviews here). Good luck and enjoy Paris (again!)...<BR>

The Hotel Muguet has been highly recommended on the forum many times. It was, like the Champ de Mars, one of the 22 Paris hotels recommended by National Geographic Traveler last March.<BR>Website: http://www.france-hotel-guide.com/h7500/7muguet2.htm<BR>email: [email protected]

Thanks to all who have helped so far. Last night I sent an e-mail to HotelRental regarding a room in the 7th eme, as they have many listings and I received an e-mail from them this morning saying that Hotel Champ de Mars is available for the nights I need. Does it seem strange to anyone else that the hotel told me there were no rooms but the travel agency said they did? Also, does anyone else have info on Hotel Turenne, they did offer me a quad at a very good price, just want some more positive feedback, please.

Dena, it's me again. I subscribe to a google newsgroup, and here are a couple of recent comments about the Hotel de Turenne:<BR>Dated Feb.21, 2000 -We stayed at the Hotel Turrene last year. It is small - as many are, but not unusualty so. Very clean In a wonderful neighborhood. Very safe with good<BR>restaurants and easy access to many sights. They have a good breakfast, which<BR>we tried once. <BR>Dated July 4, 2000 - I recently stayed at the two-star Hotel de Turenne, and I would recommend it highly. A double room cost 450 FF (US$65). Although the<BR>rooms are a bit small, they are not cramped. My room had a surprisingly comfortable double bed, color TV with international channels, refrigerator, full bath & shower with hair dryer, etc. Plus, I had a very pleasant view from my 4th floor window. The hotel is extremely clean, and well located in the elegant 7th arrondisement, very close to the Invalides, the Ecole Militaire and the Champs de Mars (and a ten-minute walks from the Eiffel Tower). It's a three-minute walk from the hotel to the market street rue Cler, where you can buy wonderful breads, cheeses, charcuterie, fruits and gourmet items. The nearest metro station (Ecole Militaire) is a block from the hotel. The staff spoke fluent English, and they were very helpful and friendly. <BR>As I mentioned above, we stayed in a twin room, and the hotel was just fine for its price range. It is about 2 blocks from the Ecole-Militaire metro, next door to a bank w/ATM, also next to a laundromat, one block from a tiny grocer, and a couple of streets over from the infamous rue Cler. We booked directly with the hotel, via fax and had no problems. This is the hotel on avenue de Tourville - it seems there is a 'Grand Turenne' elsewhere in Paris, just fyi. Hope this helps.

Hi Alice! Thanks so much for you help. I feel so much better about booking the Hotel Turenne. I think it is better to book directly with the hotel than thru an agency. I really appreciate your help. Meri!