My wife and I will be in Paris for 4 days/3 nights in early September (we'll be in Nice for 7 nights before then). <BR> <BR>There are so many hotels in Paris. I tried travelocity.com and expedia.com, but there is just too many hotels to pick from! <BR> <BR>Does anyone have any suggestions on what I should do in picking a hotel? <BR> <BR>If possible, please reply to my e-mail address directly "[email protected]". <BR> <BR>Thanks in advance.

Alex, you need to fill us in: what's your budget? what kind of accommodations do you like (cosy, modern)? what kind of area (quiet, night life, etc.). Then people will be able to respond.

Re: "Does anyone have any suggestions on what I should do in picking a hotel?" <BR> <BR>Yes. Like Sue said, you need to help people who'd like to give you advice by being a bit more specific about what kinds of things you're looking for.

You don't say your price range but here are some ideas. <BR>Get Margo Classe's book Hello Paris. She personally checks every hotel listed and they are of all levels. Another book is Cheap Sleeps-Paris. For most hotels once you have a name you can find their website for a look at the accomodations. Another list is in National Geographic Traveler in March (I think)--a list of hotels under $100. <BR>Rick Steves book is apparently good but you need to do it now--the good charming <BR>hotels fill up fast.

I'm in the same boat as Alex - budget $100-200. Something very "french", romantic,cozy, clean, quiet - lots of character. Have never been before so am unsure as to the area, but Latin quarter seems popular - someplace safe with a "character" neighbourhood.

We've been to Paris many times and just returned last week. This visit we stayed at the Relais Bosquet Hotel in the 7th Arr. I wrote a review on the hotel and posted it here - you can do a search if you are interested. We loved the location, it's great for the Metro, Rue Cler, Eiffel Tower (view from our room), etc.

Terrie, in addition to the sources Gretchen mentioned, there's also an excellent book called "Fodor's Rivages Guide to Hotels of Character and Charm in Paris." Very detailed descriptions of each hotel along with a color photo of a room, or a lobby, or a dining/breakfast room. All locations in central Paris are, IMO, very safe. I prefer the 6th, or the 5th -- the "Latin Quarter" on the Left Bank -- for their character. Others, however, prefer the 7th (especially the streets near the Rue Cler street market), or the 4th (the Marais), or Montmartre. Both of the last two, IMO, also have a lot of character.

Another good resource (just what you needed to further overwhelm you, huh?) is Sandra Gustafson's Great Sleeps in Paris. You could pick a hotel in your price range from any one of these books and do just fine. Since you'll be in Paris for just a few days, you might want to get a one page map and highlight the places you plan to visit. A convenient neighborhood for sleeping will present itself. If you plan to see and do quite a bit, the closer your hotel is to a metro stop the better. After a long day of being out and about, an extra block or two is a long, long walk. You'll want to narrow down the possibilities and check availability soon, though, as hotels fill up quickly well in advance for September.

Alex, the first step in finding a hotel is choosing which arrondisment or section of Paris you'd like to stay in. I concur with the above recommendations. My choice was the Left Bank and I like either the Latin Quarter or St. Germain De Pres. Both areas were very safe and within walking distance of many attractions. There are many affordable hotels in these areas. Check out the guide book reviews and make your list based on your likes/dislikes, budget etc. Then begin contacting them as they fill up fast. I handled everything by fax and had no problems. Good luck, you'll love Paris!

We looked at the Royal Saint Germain. Staying in June. Nice location and priced right.

The Grand Hotel de L'Univers is the one I recommend. It is in the 6th arr and a great location for easy walks to many places in the 5th and 6th. It is a 3 star hotel and has some standard rooms and then some much nicer rooms on the top two floors. It is at 6 Rue Gregorie D' Tours.

Alex, We have been many times and we prefer the right bank near the Tuileries Gardens because it is so convenient to everything. One hotel that we like is the Prince Albert. It is on a small side street but near the Metro, Louvre, r. Ste Honore, Opera, etc. It is small, clean, typically French. Also in the same area are The Tuileries, Saint Romaine, and Louvre Montana.

Definatly stay in the Rue Cler neighborhood. I was there in April and it was the perfect place. Walking distance to the Eiffle Tower, and great resturants nearby. A great neighborhood with markets and little shops all arround. I stayed at the Hotel LaSerre, but didn't like it. They had weird rules. No food in the room or washing any clothes, or you were fined. The place accross the street looked charming -Hotel Leveque (www.hotel-leveque.com)

Hi, Here's another site to try all-hotels-in-paris.com You can do a search on the dates you want and all the hotels available will be displayed. It seems fairly comprehensive. <BR> <BR>The site someone else mentioned here-anamericaninparis.com has reviews of hotels-some contradicting so it may not be too helpful but some of the reviews are hilarious. A branch of the hotel I may be staying at received the comments "I hated it" and "stay away from it" -makes me think about looking some more!

Just back from Paris...stayed in the 7th near Rue Cler at the Muguet, lovely little hotel with small but spotless room and bathroom. Cost about $80us for twin room without breakfast. Lots of cafes and crepe stands around. Walked most places easily from there. Invalides and Maubourg metro stations. Good shuttle bus to CDG from hotel or AIR FRANCE shuttle nearby. Ate at a cool retaurant nearby called 7tieme Sud, on Grenville.

Hi - Can anyone recommend a hotel in Paris which is suitable for kids. My husband and I are travelling to Paris in July with our 7-year old son and 4-year old daughter? We'd like to be in one room (is that possible in Paris?). Being close to bus or metro and to a park would be great advantages. I'd love some advice. Thanks! <BR> <BR>

Hi Alex, was in Paris mid-April. Used Rick Steves's Paris book & stayed in Rue Cler, a cozy little pedestrian street. It's in the 7th arr. and a few blocks from the Eiffel Tower. (went by nightly to gaze at it on our way home) We were at the Grand Hotel Leveque. With the current exchange rate our room turned out to be ~$65 a night. No breakfast included and a small, plain room. Rick also rates the Champs du Mars hotel, around the corner from the Leveque very highly. Both book up quick. Champs du Mars was featured in the March or April 2001 issue of National Geographic Traveller magazine as a nice place to stay. The article lists others in the $100 range. Booked my hotel at www.inter-resa.com. The site lists many price ranges of hotels. Also look at www.france-paris-hotel.com. Booked my shuttle to/from city also over internet. Have fun. Our trip was our 1st and it was fantastic!

My husband and I like to stay in the Marais. We stayed at a great place the Hotel de la Bretonnerie. I highly recommend it. Nicely decorated rooms, nice bathrooms, etc.. The staff were helpful but not overly friendly, which was fine with us. We like the location.

We stayed at the Muguet in the 7th in March. I agree with everything AM said. Incredibly clean and convenient to shops, restaurants, and metro; and quiet. I can't imagine the need to spend more money for a hotel in Paris.

I was in Paris 2 years and checked out the Bradford Hotel, which I hadn't booked- unfortunately.Since it's a Best Western I thought it would be like Best Westerns in US and I wanted something more Parisian.Tricked myself big time.It's a beautiful fairly small hotel (think it was 50 rooms) with large bedrooms and bathrooms. Plus, since It's a Best Western, potential benefit of various discounts and bookable via 800#.I've since learned that Best Westerns are different in France (maybe Europe?)the full name of hotel is Bradford Elysees.I assume it's still a BW.I note that posters suggest you stay in Rue Cler.That's where I did stay and it's very cute area-many wine and cheese shops which I loved.One downside was that everything closes early.St.Germain area has alot of activity at night and has some cute areas as well. <BR>