I have stayed at Bonaparte. Pro: location (in front of Pierre Hermé's macaron shop,) cheap, helpful staff. Con: no charm. It reminded me of my turn of the 20th century college dorm room.

I stayed at the Bonaparte - also thought it was shabby and it smelled faintly of mildew. I wouldn't stay again. The area is great, however.

Okay...I'm going to stick with Le Regent..since it is our anniversary and I would like to make to our 26th as Weekender pointed out :o)

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...



http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...



Jump to the bottom of the thread and then scroll up to Dec 31,2010. In that section, I have categorized the recommended hotels, by district, and have provided websites.
 There are a lot of comments about hotels in my thread and I think those two have comments.

Happy Travels!

Thank you!

I've stayed at the Bonaparte on several occasions. Some of you are right that it's rather plain and dated. But I love the location and views from the upper floors (street side). I use the bus a lot and it seems like every bus in Paris stops right around the corner. 3 Metro stations are also convenient.

One of the first things I do upon arrival is run over to the Marche St Germain (about 2 blocks) and pick up two small bunches of flowers. Instantly, the room no longer seems plain!

You won't regret staying at Le Regent; it's the best of those that have been discussed, and imo, the metro stops and bus stops are more/closer to hotel.

Hi K,

> the metro stops and bus stops are more/closer to hotel.<

According to maps.google, the nearest metro to the Bonaparte (Saint Sulpice) is 160 m away, while the Odeon stop for the Le Regent is 280 m.

((I))

PS,

Having listened to the advice of my Fodors colleagues, I intensively looked for another hotel in which to stay for our upcoming visit.

I chose the Bonaparte at 139E/nite vs the Le Regent at 180.

((I))
Am I in a rut?

Ira,

As you may know I was very disappointed with the Bonaparte; it annoys me that they don't (or didn't at the time of my stay) keep up with basic maintenance and cosmetics. It had the feel of an absentee owner who was milking a cash cow.

I admit I loathe and am seriously allergic to cats so absolutely hated the cat lounging on the reception desk, the chairs in the public area, etc. The bathrooms in two of the three rooms we booked were dire, the outer bedding dated and not fresh, etc. One room, facing the street, had character and a rooftop view. BTW, we all paid the same price. The one huge plus is the excellent location which I believe lets them get away with lack of attention to detail.

If you like it, why worry about being in a rut? I keep going back to the Clément because I am comfortable there. It's price point for a superior double is between the Bonaparte and Le Regent.

Its not It's Drives me crazy when I do that!

If you are perfectly happy with the Bonaparte, Ira, why not stay there. YOU may be in a rut, but if you like that rut, so what. Moving to the Regent isn't really much of getting out of a rut to me, as it isn't very far away. I would think the rut might be always staying in the exact same location each time, that you might want to try a different neighborhood, mainly. But a hotel is just a hotel and it's purpose is for you to be comfortable and get a good night's sleep, and find the location convenient. So if you are perfectly happy with it in terms of ambience, I wouldn't look around for no reason.

I have stayed in many different hotels in Paris, but within the last five years, I've honed in on several that I know and like, in various neighborhoods. SO I tend to go back to them, why not, I know what I'll get and I am satisfied with them. That's one more thing not to worry about (whether you will hate your hotel). I do like to switch up my locations at times, though, not always staying in the exact same place, if it's a longer stay, I usually move in the middle, so I have half the stay on the RB and half on the LB. I like that as I don't like to go far for restaurants at night and stuff like that.

at Ira's suggestion, we stayed there in the fall of2011. We were very pleased to have a huge modern bathroom, a safe and a small refrigerator. Never noticed a cat, but we enjoyed the breakfast, the friendliness, and the arrangements for a shuttle back to the airport. This upcoming 4 nights in October, we have an apartment, or I would book the Bonaparte againe!

There's a difference between being in a rut and just liking what you find comfortable. You know what you like, Ira....of course, so does everyone else, too! :)

Those who have mentioned Le Clement, that is actually my preferred hotel that fits into my budget. HOWEVER, I have a big issue with them requiring that you pay for the ENTIRE stay at the time of reservation and that it is 100% non refundable!! I can see charging a percentage of the stay to hold the reservation but feel this is usery. As someone who often makes plans 6-9 months ahead, they basically get to "use" my money (last stay was almost 1,500 euros)for all that time. The last couple of visits I've booked elsewhere just on principle.

I know that this is an old thread but just in case anyone is interested, the link to the Taillevant didn't work - those who want to see what is on offer at the moment can try this one:

http://taillevent.com/le-restaurant/...menu-dejeuner/

I agree, an absolute bargain at €92 for 4 courses including drinks.

annhig - we ate lunch at Taillevant twice in early 2011 when we were in Paris for 6 weeks - it was a great deal. Pics here

http://lizandrichardsa.typepad.com/p...-pedigree.html

liz - what a steal. the flavour combinations that places like this create are just wonderful, aren't they? I still remember the oysters and the seaweed butter at le cinq.


Taillevant is definitely on my list for our next trip to Paris!

Hi all,

I agree about Taillevent.

I noticed today that the Bonaparte has been upgraded to 3*.

It will be interesting to see what they did to warrant the promotion.

I'll report back in Oct.

((I))

ira, looking forward to your report. I am considering the Bonaparte for my visit in May.

It isn't always obvious, but if the hotel didn't get any bigger (some of those stars relate to minimum room space), there isn't a lot they could do if they already had an elevator. There is some requirement about desk staff speaking English at some level, also, and there is a requirement about being able to serve breakfast OTHER than in the room, I believe, but not sure the level.

The main difference that I see in the classement chart (which I have) in a 2 and 3* is that a 3* must have internet access in the common areas, it must have a "salon" space (which I'm sure is some room like a lobby), you must always be able to make a reservation during opening hrs (some cheap hotels don't have people there at all times who can make reservations), you hve to have a FAX available to guests at the reception, and 100 pct of the rooms must have their own bathrooms (en suite). The salon area is supposed to have newspapers available, also. There is a different in elevator requirements, also, depends on the floors, but if they have one, that doesn't matter.