Hotel El Dorado near Place du Clichy in Paris
 

My husband and I are about to book our hotel in Paris for 6 nights in March. We are trying to keep under $150/95E per night, and we also dislike being in overly tourist areas, so I thought that the Hotel El Dorado, near the Place du Clichy, would fit the bill nicely:
http://eldoradohotel.fr/EHBDupF1.html

However, my husband is concerned that it is tooooo far out. I'm also a tad concerned that it's in or at least very near a seedy part of town (neare the Moulin Rouge area).

I guess I'm wondering if this place will strike a balance between not being in tourist central, but also not feeling like I'm in the (gritty) outskirts of town.

Does anyone have thoughts that can help me? Have you stayed there and did you like it?

Well, I'd look a bit more central. For example, I've stayed at the Timhotel Jardin des Plantes (www.timhotel.com). They have 6 nights for 524 euros in march 08.
It was one long block to the Seine (and then you are at Ile St Louis/Ile de la Cite), in a university area (very few tourists), patisserie nearby, Arene de Lutece nearby, Jardin des Plantes,street market nearby, and an easy walk to many restaurants (eastern edge of the 5th arr.). Metro nearby that will take you into 5t/6th and also 1st (Louvre/etc.) I found some good restaurants in this area

Basic hotel, so as long as your needs match their product...not bad. They have other ones bit more $, but also central. I was there fall 05

I think that a hotel in the 9th (in the Grands Boulevards area) would fit your requirements, and you can easily choose an area that is not at all gritty and is still walkable and central. Earlier this year, we stayed at Mercure Monty Opera (for 75 Euros per night prepaid), but it looks like prices have gone up a fair bit.

Place de Clichy might be ok, nicer than Pigalle..? You're on rue des Dames, it isn't really by the MR. Just north of you is the Batignolles park and market, quite nice.

You've got 2 metro lines and about 10 bus lines nearby, so that will help.

If you go here:
http://photos.pagesjaunes.fr/
and enter your hotel address, you can walk around.. Avenue Clichy looks rather nice.

p.s. We stayed on rue Lebouteaux by Metro Villiers twice back in 1999. We really liked the area and didn't feel that it was too inconvenient, although we weren't first-timers then. If this is your first trip to Paris, you might consider coming in a little closer.

Here are a couple of okay hotels under 100€:

http://www.hotel-madeleine-opera.com/
12, rue Greffulhe, 75008
M: Havre-Caumartin

http://www.hotel-de-roubaix.com/
6 rue Greneta, 75003
M: Réaumur-Sébastopol; Arts et Metiers

I will reply to my own posting, since we returned from our trip last night. We spent 6 nights at the Hotel Eldorado in the 17th arndsmt. in Paris and it was GREAT.

Well, at first it was not-so-great because the special room I had booked- with a balcony and overlooking the great courtyard/garden- had a view of scaffolding and even a guy climbing ladders and chunks of plaster falling outside our windows. Not kidding. It was TERRIBLE.

The good news is that, when I complained (immediately), we were switched to a bigger, cuter wonderful room that was actually cheaper (73 euros for the second room, although they offered to discount the first "view" room from 80 to 63 euros, for the mess outside.)

Long story short: our room was rather loud because there is a restaurant and bar downstairs, but it was very spacious and decorated in red/black/white with a Chinese-meets-French-flea market theme. We had the window open at night because we liked the noise, but we could close it if it got too loud. In the summer, when you don't have a choice, it might be toooooo loud to bear sometimes.

Also, we LOVED the location (I was worried it was too far out) because it was just far enough from the throngs of tourists that make Paris unbearable to us, must of the year. Also, since it was a "real" neighborhood and not overly touristy, there was a convenient Tabac and a handy mini-market up the block and the local restaurants were authentic, it seemed. It was a 2 minute walk to the Place du Clichy Metro stop and the area was far from sketchy- in fact, very cute and bustling, in a lively way.

I have never encountered anybody who didn't like the Hotel Eldorado. Of course, people who seek it out know that it is a funkier place than most and are not expecting a chocolate on the pillow at night.