Hotel for Family of 5
 

Good Morning All,

We are a family of 5 (2 parents, one big kid and 2 small children). This will be our first trip to Paris. Can anyone advise on a hotel for 4 nights in Paris? We would be alright with 2 big beds. Our budget is about 200-300US per night. We would prefer an area with good restaurants as food is our top priority (followed closely by sightseeing). We plan to see the Louvre and take day trips to Giverny and Versaille. We also plan to see the Catacombs and take a night time boat ride.

Thank you for any help.

Have you considered renting an apartment? It could very well save you $$. Also, you might be all right with two big beds, but chances are a Parisian hotel would not be. As for good food, it's all over Paris, so that's not a big concern. There are good restaurants around practically every corner.

I don't know about food being a big priority with small children. IN any case, very few hotels have two big beds in Paris. Of the ones I've heard may, check the Holiday Inn Republique (now Crowne Plaza) and the Meridien Montparnasse. It's up to the hotel to decide whether to allow a certain number of people in a room, and I think they might allow four and put in a rollaway cot or something for the fifth (and will charge you for it, most likely). So you need to find such an unusual hotel with rooms large enough to allow that. The Meridien Montparnasse is actually near a lot of restaurants, but they aren't (mostly) gourmet. The Republique is also near lots of cafes and cheaper restaurants around place Republique, but not things you'll find in Gourmet magazine.

The HI Republique does have rooms with two double beds but say they won't allow five (at least online, how big are these kids, anyway?). YOu may be thinking those are two kings or queens, but I don't think they are since they call them "double beds". The Meridien Montparnasse also has rooms with two double beds, not queens, and some are large and called family rooms. However, while they may allow four, they say extra cribs/rollaways are not allowed. So I suspect they won't allow five in a room,but you could check on both.

I have heard Novotel will allow three kids in a room, they are a moderate French modern chain hotel. They also allow two children free (including breakfast). You'll have to make sure they would allow three kids in their family rooms, but I think so. They also have connecting rooms, so would allow you to book two rooms to suit five, as they normally allow one child in a room with parents. They also give you half off the second room. Their rooms for three will have a double bed plus a sofa bed.

Your budget is too low for these kind of hotels, though. But the Novotel comes close at more like $325 for both rooms at the MOntparnasse hotel. The Novotel Les Halles actually has family suites for five, so check them out. I don't know what it costs. My cost ideas are not for peak season, more like July, so if you are going during peak rate season, it will be harder (ie, Sept-Oct).

For hotel rooms big enough for a family of 5, try typing "Sleeps 5 hotel room" plus the city destination or neighborhood name. Or "hotel family room" plus the city. Christine is right - you can often find a "quad" room, or one for "4 personnes" and then email to ask if it can accommodate an extra bed.

I have found http://www.hotelscombined.com is fairly reliable for European cities when you enter 5 guests in 1 room, returning some places that actually can sleep 5. (some can't)

Or try http://www.roomfor5.co.uk and click on France, then Ile de France. Or http://www.sleeps5.com and click on France.

Good luck!

StCirq had a good suggestion on checking for an apartment.
The other that you could check is the Citadine Apart'hotel chain. There are locations all over Paris.
We have a difficult time even finding a good room for 3 people sometimes, 5 is almost impossible. Even if they could fit an extra bed in a quad room, you would have no space to walk or put luggage. The rooms are so much smaller than U.S. standard hotel rooms. Hotels are pretty strict on the number of people for fire reasons also.