We are planning our honeymoon for May 1999 and will appreciate suggestion on romantic, hotels in the St. Germaine area. We don't really want to go over $180/night. Thanks, Dane

One of my favorite Paris hotels is the Hotel D'Angleterre on the Rue Jacob in the St. Germain area. The street itself is filled with art galleries, antique shops and interesting boutiques, yet it's quiet and charming. The hotel is small (@10-12 rooms)and was the British Embassy in the 18th century! The rooms are decorated with antiques and there is a lovely garden courtyard where you can breakfast or just sit in the sun. To see a picture and a description with rates (which are within your range), you ought to buy a book published jointly by Fodor's/Rivages called something like Charming Hotels in Paris. It's got color photos of the hotels and very current and good descriptions. What a wonderful honeymoon choice--if your May dates are at all flexible, I'd suggest the end of the month as it's more likely to be sunny and warmer (60's and 70's).

The credit card exchange rate is currently about $0.18US for the French F. which put you in the 1,000F range. If you can spare another 500 F you could have a suite or a room with a terrace. <BR> <BR>We have stayed a couple of times in the d'Angleterre. The first was in 1971 and the room was $13.50 including petit dejeuner. The second time was in the 80's and the room was up to $48/night. They since have redecorated the hotel and I don't know if it is under the same ownership or not. We looked in the lobby in 1997 and it looked nice. It is an excellent location but a word of warning. The rooms on the street will be very noisy with the window open. It appears that you can get a double for around 1,100F plus 50F for continental breakfast. <BR> <BR>Another wonderful, charming hotel in the 6th arr. is the L'Abbay Saint-Germain at 10, rue Cassette. The standard rooms are in the 980F range here and the large rooms in the 1,500 range. Breakfast is included in the room rate. <BR> <BR>In the 5th arr., I recommend the Hotel Parc Sain Severin at 22 rue de la Parcheminerie and would opt for the room on the top floor with a lovely terrace for about 1,500F. Doubles start at 600F. <BR>On the other side of the river, I would pick a suite in Le dRelais du Louvre at 19, rue des Pretres-Saint-Germain-l'Auxerrois in the 1,300F range. Doubles are in the 850F range. This is a great location for both sides of the river near Pont Neuf and the Louvre. <BR> <BR>Another great location is in the 7th a few doors from the wonderful pedestrian market street rue Cler. This is the area that Rick Steves likes very much. While it does not look like much from the outside, here I recommend Hotel Relais Bosquet at 19, rue de Champs de Mars. It is in the 800F price range well below your budget. It has spacious handsome rooms with some nice touches such as irons and ironing boards in the closets. You can get very nice rooms in Paris starting around 500F but they will be very small. If you are in the city for any time it is nice to have a little space in the room and this is what you get when you pay a little more for a room.

By all means buy the Fodor/Rivages book. It is published and written in France. I swear by it. If you can't find it in your book store, you can order it on the web. Be certain to get the 1998 edition. <BR>If nothing else it is fun looking through it.

Louise is absolutely right about noise concerns. I forgot to mention that you must request a room on the courtyard! they have indeed renovated--the rooms we (my 87-year-old Mom and I) stayed in were quiet and beautifully furnished with antiques, damask on the walls, etc. It is more than worth the money!

The room we stayed in on the way to Provence I think was #5--it had a huge luxurious bathroom with a huge tub and beautiful brass fixtures--I'm sure it's one of a kind in the hotel. The room we stayed in on our return was up five or six steps right off the courtyard and one of the oldest in the hotel. It had a magnificent marble fireplace and hand painted tiles in the bath. I'm not sure of the number. Either one was quiet. We were there in the first 2 weeks of June.

i suggest that u try and get a room in a small lovely hotel - Les Marroniers - the hotel is cute and try and get a room that faces the yard,, it is located in Rue Jacob. <BR>if you have a bit more money - there is a great!! hotel in Rue de Bucy, where the nicest food market in paris. hotel De Bucy, recently renovated.