tcreath

My husband and I are going to Paris for the first time in November and will unfortunately be there for only 3 nights. I was searching for a good hotel and found this hotel in the Rick Steves book and I also read the reviews on tripadvisor.com and did a search on fodors. Its in the 7th arrondissment. Is this a good place to stay and a good area for 1st timers to Paris? If not, any advice on a good neighborhood to stay in? When I start doing Paris research my head starts swimming with different possibilities...its mind-boggling!

Thanks!
Tracy

AisleSeat

I have never stayed at that particular hotel but the Rue Clare area is a nice area to visit and obvously one of Rick Steves' favorite areas. A two star hotel we like, mostly for its location near Notre Dame and the Louvre, is the Andrea Hotel. Check them out at www.hotelandrearivoli.com or email [email protected].

BlueSwimmer

Tracy-

I stayed around the corner in the Hotel Valadon last year and really enjoyed it. The decor is Euro modern, so it is sleek but not old world charming. I was there in cool weather, and reserved the "family room": a little house behind the hotel with a huge bathroom down the stairs with a giant bathtub- perfect for hot soaks after a long, wonderful, but chilly day of sightseeing. The beds have crisp white linen covered duvets, so we were warm and toasty. I think this is the only room with a bath.

As for Hotel du Champs de Mars. It was right around the corner and looked incredibly cute in a charming Provencal way, but I have read a few bad reviews. I would advise you to put the name in for a search here to get more opinions.

This is a wonderful area to stay in, especially in November when there aren't too many tourists (apparently in the summer the Rue Cler is full of Americans with their Rick Steeves books.) It is a gorgeous area with everything you need, close to sights, metros, the Seine, etc.

Have a wonderful trip!

ira

Hi tc,

Just in case you decide that this is not what you want:

We always stay at the Hotel Bonaparte, 61 Rue Bonaparte in the 6th. About 124E dbl w/bkfst

Hotel Bonaparte
Tel 33 1 43 26 97 37
FAX 33 1 46 33 57 67

For more info, enter "Hotel Bonaparte" in the "search this forum" box.

Photos are at http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=...&y=-l95uyr

elle

We've stayed there and we liked it. It's tiny, cute, and well located.

starspinners

I stayed at the Hotel Champ du Mars the year before last.
The room was cheerily decorated . It was a double room on the ground floor . It faced a tiny inner courtyard that was only accessible through a door off an inner hallway.
Street noise wasn't an issue but noises coming from the room whose window was across the courtyard could be heard.
Housekeeping was efficient, the bathroom was spotless and there was plenty of hot water. The combination tub/shower had one of those half sized glass enclosures ( which is better than having no shower curtain at all.)
I happened to be staying at the hotel with a friend but would feel comfortable going back alone. One leaves the room door key at the front desk when one is off the hotel premises each day.
The hotel owners are on duty at the front desk for the greater part of the day, they were not overly chatty but were friendly when spoken to and very willing to make restaurant reservations or to call for a taxi .
The Eiffel Tower and the Musee Rodin are near enough to walk to and The Ecole Militaire Metro is just minutes away from the hotel.
Rue Cler and its food shops, ( including patisseries ) is almost outside the hotel's front door.
There's a choice of restaurants nearby... one evening we had a fun dinner at a little Russian restaurant on Avenue de la Bourdonnais.
On the last morning of our stay we decided to try the hotel's tiny breakfast room... it's quite charming. The continental breakfast cost something like €6,50 per person which was actually a bit less than what we had paid in the cafes along Rue Cler. The bonus of the hotel breakfast was a carafe of coffee rather than a single cup.
All in all the Hotel du Champ de Mars was a nice choice for a budget hotel.

I would have stayed at the same hotel when I was in Paris last year but it was fully booked so I tried out the Agora St. Germain, on rue des Bernardins
A friend and I stayed there the 1st 4 nights of our "girl's trip". We were very pleased with the hotel and its location. It's just a few minutes walk from the river , Notre Dame, the Cluny, and the Maubert-Mutualite Metro station.

Our room was on the second floor ; our bathroom was a decent size and had a combination shower & tub.
Everyone at the front desk was pleasant and very helpful. They made restaurant reservations, gave us directions, and made sure we had a taxi to take us to the train station on the morning we left to go to Montpellier.
There's a very nice patisserie just around the corner from the hotel, we made it our breakfast headquarters,

tcreath

Thank you for your replies! I really appreciate it. I am finding that Paris is a little daunting to plan, and I've planned quite a few trips to Europe. Still, I'm excited to finally see for myself what all the fuss is about!

I will look at the hotel recommendations that were mentioned above, and also do a search for the Hotel du Champ de Mars again. I am trying to stay within a certain budget (preferably under 110E/night) but open to suggestions.

One more question though; how soon should I consider booking our room? I don't think November is high season, but I heard that its best to book your hotel in Paris far in advance. Is this true?

Thanks for all your help!
Tracy

ira

Hi t,

>...I heard that its best to book your hotel in Paris far in advance. Is this true? <

The earlier the better.

jules4je7

I have stayed at the Hotel du Champ de Mars, and LOVED IT.

You will want to book as soon as possible -- I tried to get three rooms for this September in April, and they were already booked up and I had to look elsewhere.

The Hotel is a "boutique hotel" -- not a lot of rooms, and the doubles are quite nice and well decorated -- the bathroom was fairly roomy for Europe too. We even had a view of the Eiffel Tower from our room.

What really made that hotel great in my mind is that while we were in Paris, I came down with bronchitis, and before we left we needed to try and see a doctor. Even though we had already checked out of the room, they called the doctor for me, who met me at the hotel (yes, they do house calls!) and they gave us our room back without charge so the doctor could do his exam and write me a script for antibiotics.

And, BTW, the doctor visit AND prescription was $80 Euro total. Gotta love socialized medicine. In the States it would have cost triple that, without the house call.

The hotel is just off of rue Cler (steps away), and there's a nice cafe across the street where we got breakfast every morning we were there. The waitress teased me about my pronunciation of "omelette" every day, and tried to help me with my terrible French. She absolutely sang when she said "bonjour!" in the morning.

It's also across the street from The Cafe du Marche, which is a big RS recommendation, although our meal there was a little less than what we hoped for. It coulda been worse though.

This time -- when we go back, we're staying at The Hotel Muguet -- near Rue Cler, a little more expensive, but I've also heard great reviews from Fodorites about it, so if the Champ de Mars isn't available, that's a good alternative for around $100 Euro/night.

Happy Travels,

Jules

althom1122

I too can chime in with a recommendation for Hotel du Champ de Mars. It's been several years since we stayed there, but it was a lovely little hotel - extremely charming, rooms cutely decorated, comfortable beds, very clean, and good location. Would stay there again in a heartbeat. Stayed in Hotel Levaque (sp?), as well, another of Rick Steves' recommendations. It was fine, but Champ de Mars had more charm.
Karen

mdmomof7

Don't be daunted by Paris. There are many wonderful choices in every budget. It's a very visitor friendly city. I felt very comfortable and speak no French. The only daunting thing might be which wonderful choice to make.

Enjoy! You will love it!

bsm

I would also suggest the Hotel Valadon http://www.hotelvaladon.com/. We have stayed there 2 times over the last 14 months and have enjoyed it greatly. Fantistic location and on a quiet side street in Rue Cler.

Morganne

In the 7th, I stayed in Hotel Saint DOminique, a really nice and cute hotel.It has been newly renovated, so everything is very clean. There is a wonderful little patio...in the heart of Paris, that was very nice.
Have a look at it: http://www.saintdominique.com
I really recommend it...Was very happy to stay there, and return to it regularly if I have to stay in the 7th.

Have a wonderful trip!

suze

i appreciate reading all these suggestions for the 7th. tracy, don't be overwhelmed in pre-planning. Paris is an easy city to figure out after you get there.

tcreath

Thank you everyone for all of your kind words, help and suggestions. I am taking each suggestion into consideration and have sent several options to my husband for review. I am hoping to request a reservation either today or tomorrow.

I'm so excited about visiting Paris for the first time. Now I just wish November would hurry up and get here!

Tracy

MaureenB

We just returned from Paris, our first time there, and we loved staying in the 7th. If you click on my name above, you will find my trip report with specific recommendations there. We found breakfast on the Rue Cler most mornings, for instance. The 7th is wonderful for an upscale and more quiet place to return each evening. You can stroll the length of the Champs de Mars to the Tower or Les Invalides. You can stay close to the river for easy access to the Batobus. And if you can get a room with a view of the Eiffel Tower, you will be in heaven! We loved it there.

nini

We stayed at Champ du Mars two years ago on our trip to Paris. I cannot remember the exact cost of the room but it was very well priced for a huge city--you would never find such a rate in London or Rome. We really liked this hotel--newly redecorated and great location. Had a quiet room on the back with a window box where we stored wine and cheese. Most days we left our room by 9am and did not return until 9pm so our reasoning waswhy pay more for a room where you will only be there to sleep? The room was very clean and bathroom adequate. I don't think you would be disappointed in this small hotel. Have a great trip!

mari5

Since you are going in Nov. (a WONDERFUL time to visit Europe!) you can often get better prices at nicer places than those who go in the high season of summer.
There are so Many good areas in Paris. We have been 5 times, (but only 2 or 3 days each time), and have tried several different areas and STILL do not have a favorite.
The area in the 1st, around Rue Rivoli, Louvre, Tuilleries, Opera...is very central and has a lot of attractions .Hotel Brighton! Some like further up around the Opera, dept stores etc.
I've heard good things about the quaint Marais area....like a "neighborhood" feel.
Some people like the Isle de St.Louis, and I'le de Cite where Notre Dame is located.
I;ve heard good things about the Hotel Britania in the 1st and also we stayed once at the Hotel Champagna in the lst...also a convenient area close to the river.and walking around.
The 5th is the Latin Quarter which some like...it's the University and I think rather free spirited...we've never stayed there.
The St. Germain area on the Left Bank,6th.... is wonderful, and there is a great hotel Madison..which you might get a good rate in Nov. Close to the Seine, the metro, Luxembourg Gardens etc.
We stayed once at the Hotel Brougonaisse (sp?), in the 7th, sister hotel to the Madison..but there was only a couple of restaurants within walking. However, further on down in the 7th is the Rue Cler Area. We walked around there and had lunch,, nice area to stroll, but I think it has been "Rick Steved"...(but really nothing wrong with that), It's a fairly budget area,but fun and interesting and within walking to the Eiffel Tower.
By reading reports over the years on Paris, the trend is that if people had a good experience at their Hotel then they think THAT is the best location. They often don't know a lot about other locations. It's good ,however, to get ideas...and I agree with you....Paris can be mind boggling.
You will go and no matter where you stay I think you will have a wonderful time. There are MANY good neighborhoods and truly not ONE really stands out in Paris as the BEST.
Some of the most expensive, elite, hotels are in areas, like around the Champs de Elysee that have become commercialized and extremely busseling, and don't have the quaint Paris feel.
We think that strolling around Paris is the most fun thing to do......the Metros are a good way to get from A to B. This year I couldn't do the Metro steps due to disgusting knee problems, so we took the bus and found that to be a good way to break up the LONG walks. This allowed us to SEE a lot of the Paris life. One time we just stayed on the bus, went close to the Eiffel Tower and out into the suburbs and made a circle back and got off at the Louvre area. It was fun seeing life of Paris further out from the center of the city.
Have a great trip.
You received some good reviews on your original question..the Hotel Champ de Mars, and that is great. You would then need to take metro or bus to get to other sites...but that is true ANYWHERE in Paris. (to save time)

csroe

I stayed at the Champ de Mars about 4 years ago and loved it. Had a lovely room and as a previous poster mentioned, it was immaculate, especially the bathroom. Very nice staff and as I was traveling alone, I loved the Rue Clare area and the hotel was just perfect. The metro is close and you can get anywhere you want using it. I don't think you'll be disappointed staying there.