Hotel des Jardins du Luxembourg vs. Hotel du Bois - help!
 

I don't know which hotel to pick from since I've heard of good reviews from both hotels. I wanted a clean room, in a safe neighborhood, but that had charm - which hotel would you recommened?<BR><BR>Also, does anyone know of a website that has photos of the Hotel Jardin's bathroom? All the sites I've found don't have them.

I don't know the Jardins du Luxembourg hotel, but a big thumbs up for the Hotel (Residence) du Bois in the 16th. Nice hotel. GREAT neighborhood. Clean, quiet, safe, and pretty.<BR>BTilke (Brussels)

Anna<BR>I haven't stayed at either but I have this information on the J. du Luxembourg in my Paris file; some of it came from this message board:<BR>Hotel des Jardin du Luxembourg, on the border of the 5th and 6th. Recommended May 99 in Gourmet magazine. Small rooms, good bathrooms, nicely decorated. Some rooms have balconies. <BR>Comments from Fodor's forum: Jan 2000: "This past summer I stayed at the Hotel des Jardin du Luxembourg. The room was tiny but very nicely furnished plus it had a nice, modern bathroom. It is in the 5th ar. The staff there could not have been nicer. They were happy to help."<BR><BR>April 2000: "We recently stayed at the Hotel des Jardin du Luxembourg, and I think it may fit your wants. It is a 3* hotel in the Latin Quarter, almost right around the corner from the Jardin du Luxembourg and just a couple of blocks from the Sorbonne and the Pantheon. It is on a little cul-de-sac (impasse Royer Collard), and this, combined with double-glazed windows, makes it very <BR>quiet. It is small, only 27 rooms, and very charming. The rooms tend to be quite small, but are very nicely decorated and are not "cookie cutter" in design. They also struck us as very "French," with colorful wallpaper and linens, wrought-iron bedframes, etc. The bathrooms are large by small-European-hotel standards, are decorated in colorful moasaic tiling, and ours had a beautiful <BR>porcelain basin and a seven-nozzle shower(!). They have the amenities, i.e., minibar, AC, etc. We stayed in one of the two rooms with private entrances from the street, and it seemed to be a little larger than the norm there. The lobby and breakfast room are also very charming, and the <BR>reception staff is friendly and speaks English. (You can also have breakfast brought to your room; either way, it's 50FF extra.) The rate is 810FF for a single or double. You can get info and see some photos on www.hotelboulevard.com; also use www.pagesjaunes.fr to view the exterior by entering the address, 5, impasse Royer Collard." (Elaine's note: Hotel also praised in the book<BR>Cheap Sleeps in Paris,which calls it a "gem". Air conditioning, elevator, hairdryers. <BR><BR>

Not having stayed at either of the hotels but knowing the locations, the Luxembourg is in a far more central and IMO better location.

Just topping to get more advice!

Just stayed there for five nights. <BR><BR>To address your specific questions, <BR>1)room is very clean,<BR>2)neighborhood is middle on safety, but Paris crime is much lower than most places here in the US.<BR>3) Charm is high-middle. Small rooms, nicely-decorated, very nicely painted. It's on an 'Impasse', an alley, which is purely residential and was quiet enough to sleep at, even on New Year's Eve in the middle of the student district.<BR><BR>Some other quick thoughts/mentions.<BR>* About 100 yards from a commuter train station, but a fairly long walk to the Metro. You'll either get on nearby and xfer, or walk to the Metro.<BR>* Breakfast is unusual for a Paris hotel. Much more choice than the usual continenal (no hot food) breakfast but also at $9 Euro, more expensive.<BR>* Desk staff is terribly nice, though not all have good working English (a couple, though, are fluent).<BR>* Free newspapers in the salon is a nice touch.<BR>* Great location...close to student quarter, big park (Luxembourg), some museums (Delacroix, Cluny) and less pretentious French dining, as well as the best dine-in pastry stop in Paris (Dalloyou).<BR><BR>I don't know about Hotel du Bois, but if you are willing to spend the $$, the Jardins du L. is a very nifty place.<BR>

The Hotel des Jardins du Luxembourg is a good choice. Our room was small but tastefully furnished and the bathroom was fairly large and modern. We found the staff to be quite helpful and friendly. The location is good and being on a dead-end street, quiet.

My husband and I stayed at Jardin du Luxembourg hotel last summer. The room was nice but the air conditioning did not work. The staff was very courteous and helpful