Rich

Has anyone stayed in the Hotel Caron de Beaumarchais in Paris? The other hotel I read about was the d'Aubusson which is more expensive. Can anyone compare the two? I would appreciate any info.

elaine

Rich <BR>Both places have been much-praised on this forum (you can do a search on each) and elsewhere. I stayed at the d'Aubusson last month and will repeat my comments here: <BR>Just a few blocks from the left bank end of Pont Neuf. Beautifully decorated, as if it had been redone last week. 5-8 minute walk to either St Michel or Odeon metro stop. 15-20 minute walk to Notre Dame. Provides hair dryers, and amenities like shampoo. They also offer for sale the carte musee (museum pass) with no additional mark-up on the prices. Rooms facing rue Dauphine do get some street noise from traffic or horns, but not terrible. Hotel neighborhood charming, many shops and boutiques with fine goods. Also, nearby rue Buci has many places to buy provisions for a picnic. You'll need your own paper plates, utensils, napkins, and cork screw. Before I decided on the d'Aubusson I had originally booked the Caron..and decided against it only because on this particular trip I was concerned about having a larger room and the rooms in the Caron are on average smaller than the Aubusson <BR>You can also look for comments on eac at <BR>www.paris.org <BR>Here are some comments on the Caron... <BR>that appeared on this forum <BR>June 2000: "I just got back from France and stayed at the Hotel Caron de Beaumarchais in the Marais area, and the hotel was wonderful... breakfast not included and not worth the extra money as the neighborhood teems with delicious pastry shops and cafes. The interior is immaculate with Provencal fabrics and beautiful furnishings. There is even a tiny encased garden in the building's miniature courtyard (viewed through windows only). Our room was streetside and had windows that opened for a lively view of the active area. Plus, they planted fantastic-smelling flowers in window boxes. There are dozens of affordable restaurants and innumerable shops of all types (from cheese to perfume to wedding dresses ... you name it). The hotel is 4 blocks from the river and about 6-7 minutes to Notre Dame, St. <BR>Chappelle, etc. And, the RER drops off front the airport (CDG) nearby and there are two close Metro stops. Has air conditioning. Some rooms have balconies." <BR>Jan 2001: "Re Caron de Beaumarchais: would recommend that you reserve a room facing the streetside, rather than the rear-facing rooms (which are very irregularly shaped and somewhat cramped due to the triangular construction of the building.) The rear room on each floor is in the narrow part of the triangle and has a view only of a dark inner courtyard, while two street facing rooms fill the wide end of the triangle. (There are only three rooms on each floor.) The most expensive room on each floor is the street facing room with two single beds fashioned into a king, and the other street facing room has only one double bed. The rooms are well-appointed and decorated. The street facing, two-bedded rooms are the largest... The Hotel de Ville and St. Paul metro stops are equidistant from the hotel (about one block in either direction) I would check the metro connections to see if this location will fit in with your travel plans. That was the one thing I didn't care for about the hotel--you needed to make a lot of metro transfers using the Chatelet stop ---which has extremely long underground corridors and stairways to get to connecting lines." <BR> <BR> <BR>

janice

Just a reminder that, no matter which hotel you choose, book far in advance. I was just booking a room in Paris for late March (literally two months in advance, and not really in the high season) and the first 14 hotels we tried were booked solid. A special occasion? Holiday? We had to have a LONG list of choices in order to find a place.

Mary

I stayed at the Caron last year, for a week, in a small front-facing room on the sixth floor. It was quite nice, but the bed, a double, did take up most of the room, and the bathroom (with a shower) was tiny. Personally, I liked it; but after a few days, it did get a little "crampy" (I was traveling with someone else). We had to take a room elsewhere for our last night (the Caron had been booked that night and got no cancellations), and stayed at the Axiel Beaubourg. It didn't have nearly the charm of the Caron, but it did feel nice to be in a bigger room, with a bathroom I could move around in. The larger front rooms at the Caron are great (I took a look into one that was being cleaned), but there's no guarantee you'll get one. <BR> <BR>I'd definitely stay at the Caron again: the people at the desk were helpful, and it does have charm. Good location, too. But I'd be crossing my fingers that I'd end up with one of the larger front rooms. Let me add that this wouldn't be so much of a concern if I were going to be in Paris for only 2 or 3 nights--you don't spend a lot of time in your room when in Paris anyways. But after a few days, like I said, it did get a little claustrophobic. Hope this helps.

Anthony

We stayed in the Caron in 1998. It is a fine small hotel. Alain, the proprietor, is gracious and ever-helpful. Rooms are normal for a small hotel. We took the in-room breakfast most days. <BR> <BR>Caron is situated in a Greenwich Village/Soho-- type area. There are many interesting museums nearby. Great restaurants as well. It is near the Ile St. Louis that is a great place to stroll through on your way to Notre Dame, etc. <BR> <BR>I have not stayed at the other hotel but from reading other respondents it seems good as well. <BR> <BR>Good luck.