Travel agent suggests the above hotel as a well priced ( cheaper ) alternative to Pavilion de la Reine in the Place des Vosges .

Trip Advisor has quite good reviews of it but I am a little wary of them and so wonder if posters on this board know of it or have stayed there ?

If you have any alternate suggestions at a similar level and price I would be grateful to know of them please .

I never heard of that hotel so just looked it up. I guess if you like that style (what is that hanging over your head on the bed?), but it seems very overpriced to me considering its location.

Now I have stayed in the 9th and like it, but I stay more around Trinite and St Georges mero. I don't think rue de Parme, a tiny street between Clichy and Amsterdam would be the same, but I have been over there and that is an okay neighborhood -- I just think the restaurants etc think out above there and it's pretty quiet at night.

In any case, it doesn't merit double hotel rooms at 270-300 euro IMO, and is no Place des Vosges. A lot of tourists would probably not like that location so well and think it "too far out" and not what they expected. I would never pay those rates in that neighborhood (well, okay, I wouldn't pay them ever, but still).

Does your travel agent know Paris well? I suspect he or she just read some press announcement or article somewhere. That hotel doesn't seem in any way a substitution for Pavillion de la Reine in style or location, so what does that mean.

I am not at all understanding why you are suspicious of the MANY reviews of ANY establishment found on TA..I don't think those people are any less objective than the folks here..and you don't KNOW any of us LOL.

Some would say there IS NO substitute for the Pavillon de la Reine...it isn't cheap, for sure, and despite the orientals on the floor of the breakfast room, I still think eating in the "basement" is a letdown BUT I keep going back so go figure!

I'm not suspicious of TA reviews, either, but I didn't read them for that hotel so don't know what could be suspicious. Here is a hotel I think might be more what I would suggest as a cheaper alternative to Pav de la Reine, the Duc St Simon

http://www.hotelducdesaintsimon.com

Thank you all for your most helpful ideas and suggestions..

I feel I owe you an explanation as to why I said I am 'a little wary 'of TA reviews .

Like you I use the site and I have put reviews on it and I do find it useful .Some places have exceeded my expectations on arrival . But as reviews are subjective I think one must always be cautious and cannot blame the reviewer if you ultimately disagree with aspects of others reviews.

My wariness arises from having relied on them to make bookings and then found that the hotel has not been quite as I expected and it has not , in my estimation , warranted its price or 3 or 4 stars ratings . Things like cleanliness( ingrained dirt in shower recess) , quality of food ( cold eggs ,low quality fruit ) and attention to detail ( blown light bulbs not replaced etc) that have disappointed . Little things but ones which make the difference in the overall assessment .

It is not that I think people are not honest or the like but rather that if one pays for 3 , 4 or 5 star you want to find on arrival and after a stay that it is / has been just that .

I also find that on Fodors posters tend to be able and willing to shed a little more light and give detail , such as you have kindly given here ,about the area and why another option maybe better .Maybe it is just the difference in the site.

JohnFitz,

The subjective points that you have brought up are so very true. Unless you know the person who is giving the review, you have no way of knowing if your opinion would be the same.

I no longer give negative reviews because of this. On a small forum someone asked for help as they were tring to find a place for a good friend. It was special to them. They asked for help on a particular place. For this reason, I told them about staying in this place and was disappointed, as it was not currently as the pictures showed. They found someone else who loved it, and thought something wrong with me! Also that I had not complained in any way to owners. No, I would only say, "thank you for my stay", and just never return.

We all have our criteria in what we want and what we expect. I only know a couple people who I would accept their review as being something that I could agree with.

Joan

Joan , I could not agree more .I am the same and have 2 or 3 people whose opinions I regard as ' spot on ' and as a result have no hesitation in accepting their travel advice .But at the end of the day we are are own best travel advisers. John