Help with Paris Hotel Suggestions Please
 

We will be spending 3 or 4 nights in Paris in early June (on our way to Provence).

Here are the paramaeters I am working with
a) in the 6th arr (although I haven't completely ruled out the 4th and 5th)
b) 'nice' hotel - willing to spend up to 250 Euro/night
c) must accomadate two adults and two small children
d) prefer non-smoking room (do these exist in Europe?)
e) prefer rooms with limited/no street noise
f) prefer hotel with some staff that speaks English (I know - I need to learn some French - but still - it will make life easier)
g) optional extra - hotel with a gym (I know this is rare in central Paris)

Anyone have experience with a Hotel that meets these criteria.

As always - I appreciate your input.

We love the Hotel des Saints Peres in the 6th. It meets all of your criteria except for the gym part. For a gym you will probably have to stay in a larger business-type hotel, not common in the 6th. You might check to see if the Madison has a gym. It is very nice and well located.

With two little ones, you might want to look at Hotel Residence Henri IV. I haven't stayed there, but have read good reviews. They offer 2-bedroom suites with kitchenette: micro, hotplate, fridge.

http://www.residencehenry4.com/index.html

There are evidently two hotels named Henri IV as well as the Residence Henri IV. You'll have to ask others and do some research to make sure you're looking at the "good" one.

As for gyms, that's a tough one. You'll not likely find a charming, quiet hotel that also has a gym. Ask your hotels about nearby gyms. (I researched gyms before I went, but frankly, with all the walking, I never needed it.)

Any comments on the following hotels I just read about on Economist.com?

Hôtel Saint Thomas d'Aquin
Hôtel d’Angleterre
Hôtel St-Merry (Not in the 6th - but looks interesting)

Some of those things you don't have to worry about given the others -- mainly the English speaking staff, which will be a given in a hotel of that level. A gym isn't that hard to find, the problem is your budget doesn't allow for what you want very well. St Germain is one of the most expensive hotel areas of Paris, and you want a quad in peak season for 250 euro (or less). Hotels with fitness centers are usually 4* and will cost most than that. The K&K Cayre, for example, has that in St Germain but you won't get a quad in peak season for that rate.

Quite a few Paris hotels have nonsmoking rooms or floors nowadays, also.

The Saints Peres sounds good if it has quads; I didn't think it did (I thought the doubles were around that rate, but I don't know how small the children are and what they will allow).

The Hotel Left Bank Saint Germain has quads around 250 euro but not a gym and is a nice hotel. I don't know how noisy, most hotels have windows that are pretty good when closed, and that's another thing -- you'll need AC probably if you want to do that (close the windows in June). Maybe not, it could be cool. Anyway, the LB St Germain does have AC. Here's just one place listing it
http://www.pariserve.tm.fr/hotel/left-bank/english.htm

No, the Madison does not have a gym. I doubt that many "boutique" hotels have one--just not the space for it.

I stayed at the Angleterre in 2002 before it was renovated (2004). Our room was a deluxe double overlooking the patio. By Paris standards, it was a spacious room. It just was not well-maintained: peeling paint, smelly bed pillows, and a bathtub that had been recaulked terribly and had a loose faucet. Otherwise, the decor was okay to me although the website photos show that the rooms have improved alot. I didn't like their reservations procedure of having the guest send a personal check to hold the reservation. They also have a more strict than usual cancellation policy. Location is great!