Hotels in Paris
 

<BR>I would like to know which one of these 4 hotels : "Rivoli Notre Dame " <BR>" Hotel Esmeralda " <BR>"Relais Christine " and Hotel des Grandes écoles" would you recommended me ( best location and cleanness). <BR>Merci beaucoup.

Hi <BR>I have not stayed at those hotels, but the Grandes Ecoles has been praised on this forum several time, you can do a search here on the hotel name and find the postings. You can also check for comments from past guests at any of them at www.paris.org, and www.hotelboulevard.com <BR>I have walked by the Esmeralda many times. It has an excellent location, in the 5th, near a little church called <BR>St. Julien le Pauvre,near the bookstore <BR>Shakespeare and Co., also a short walk across a bridge to Notre Dame. However, I have read and heard that inside the Esmeralda is a little shabby in places (unless they have recently renovated), I don't know how fussy you are. I imagine the location could also be noisy unless they have double-glazed windows. Look for comments on this hotel from other sources, perhaps. By the way, the Relais Christine, the Esmeralda, and the Grandes Ecoles all have good locations. Perhaps the Rivoli does as well, but if it happens to be on or near rue de Rivoli (I don't know the hotel) than it will be on the right bank. I happen to like staying over there, but most people seem to prefer the left bank.

Walked by Grand Ecoles last week. Looked very nice from the outside and it's in a great location on a fairly quiet street.

Relais Christine is wonderfully located and charming. Good restaurants nearby as well. However, my recommendation is right around the corner from them: Hotel D'Aubusson (www.hoteldaubusson). My husband and I lived there for several months before finding our flat. Ask for room #104. :-) It's a fabulous hotel!!! Quiet, clean, modern and friendly staff.

ESMERALDA: 4, rue Saint Julien le Pauvre. Tel: 0143541920. Fax: 0140510068. (19 rms., 16 w/toilet & bath or shower.) 345-515F/53-78EUR single/double; 590F/90EUR triple; 650F/99EUR quad. Breakfast (8-11am) at 45F pp can be served in the room. Cash only. English spoken (George), no TV, ancient delightful 17th-century bldg. w/uniquely furnished faded no-frills carpeted rms. but lots of old character, rms. vary in size, decor & eccentricity (which I love); the hotel has a loyal following and is always full, #4 (double bed, high wood-beamed ceilings, nice bathroom w/shower & view) at 515F for a double; #2 (double bed, bathtub & view) at 475F for a double; #17 is a top flr. rm. w/double bed, high wood-beamed ceiling & faces the garden; #19 (attic rm. w/double bed, 2 twin beds, shower & faces garden) at 590F for a triple & 650F for a family; the rms. w/view range in price from 445F, 475F to 515F for a double; the larger the room & the better the view, the the more you pay; the rms. with no showers/toilets are cheaper, rooms need new carpeting, sometimes cats & dogs sleep in the lobby, noisy location, no elevator, 17th-century winding wood staircase, 4 flrs. You have to be very specific in your request for a room. This hotel which has been demoted from a 2-star to a 1-star is not for everyone w/its artist, cigarette-holding, animal-loving, eccentric owner Madame Bruel. Métro: Saint Michel. <BR> <BR>GRANDES ECOLES: 75, rue Cardinal Lemoine. Tel: 0143267923. Fax: 0143252815. Web site: http://www.hotel-grandes-ecoles.com/ E-mail: [email protected] (51 rms., all w/toilet & bath or shower.) 565-720F/86-110EUR double; 670-830F/102-127EUR triple; 940-1000F/143-152EUR quad. Breakfast (7:15am-12:30pm) at 45F pp can be served in the room & in the garden in warm weather. Visa, MC. English spoken (Marie), peaceful wonderful romantic charming 19th-century villa/hotel is a combination of three (two from the 18th century) bldgs. w/19th-century & fancy Louis-Philippe-style furnished warmly decorated carpeted pretty rms.which vary in size, hotel feels like a French country-style cottage house w/its fabulous rustic ambiance, rates vary per size of room. Reception bldg. (28 rms.): Examples are #216 w/double bed, old-fashioned bathroom w/bathtub & looks out to the garden at 565F; #217 almost twice as large as #216 w/double bed, sitting area, modern bathroom w/bathtub & 2 small windows that face the street at 615F; #328 w/sloped walls, sitting area & not as large as #217 at 580F; #326 w/double bed & faces courtyard 565F; Garden bldg. (15 rms.): Examples are #31(shower), 32 (bathtub) & 33 (large rm. w/bathtub) are garden level rms. w/large bathroom, sitting area & patio; 1st flr. #137 w/2 twin beds & bathtub at 615F; Right bldg. (8 rms.) which contains the most expensive rms.: Examples are #148 w/2 twin beds, large sitting area, large bathroom w/bathtub at 720F; #147 is smaller than #148 w/double bed at 670F; there are 14 rms. priced like #216 at 565F; 12 rms. priced like #328 at 580F; hair driers, 2 rms. have handicapped access, tree-shaded lovely garden/courtyard, elevator (only in 2 bldgs.), 3 flrs., private parking (105F per day). The owners welcome outsiders to have tea in their garden in warm weather. Owned/managed by the very accommodating & helpful Marie Le Floch. Métro: Cardinal-Lemoine. http://www.HelloEurope.com <BR>

We've stayed at the Hotel des Grandes Ecoles twice. We just returned on 6/19. The hotel is lovely, clean, quiet, and a good value. It's within 2 blocks of a metro stop and walking distance to Ile St Louis and Luxembourg Gardens. It's centered around a garden and the gate to the street is locked after dark - very safe. The hotel has been recently renovated and is always spotless. Everyone is very helpful but Madame speaks no English (there are staff members who speak English fluently). <BR> <BR>I almost hate to make this recommendation because I fear they'll get so popular I'll never get another reservation.

We stayed one night, June 20, 2000, at the Hotel des Grandes Ecoles and had an entirely different experience than Yvette. We were assigned to rm #250, a third floor room at 720 ff. This room faces the cobblestone walkway as you walk into the garden area from the main gate. No elevator, no air conditioning. It was a very warm day in Paris - low 90's. We had to "sleep" with the windows open. Apparently the bldg. on the other side of the entrance walkway is not part of the hotel and appears to be private residences. Several apartments partied into the wee hours of the morning. The sounds reverberated off the buildings and the cobblestone walkway. Just when I started to fall asleep, the garbage collectors arrived complete with air brakes and hydraulics! This can probably be avoided if you get a room facing the garden. Regarding the staff: We arrived 6 pm and were checked in by Oliver. He was wearing only a tired white undershirt for his shirt, which I found less than professional. He appeared so exhausted that he could bearly think and took about an half hour to check us in. The hotel has only one person running the desk, to do all the duties, and you sit there waiting while he serves countless other people who are making reservations over the phone. We did ask Oliver to contact Airport Shuttle for our transportation to the airport for our flight home the following afternoon. Apparently he made reservations with some other fly by night service. When they didn't arrive the following afternoon, as scheduled, I found out our reservations had been made for the next day. This other service did arrive thirty minutes after our enquiry, but it made for a very frantic trip to the airport and for a less than favorable final memory of our Paris visit. The hotel is clean and well decorated, but for the above reasons I would not stay there again. I think you should also know that the hotel is located in a hilly area which may make walking difficult for some guests. I also found the area to have a great deal of graffiti and more litter in the streets than in the other areas of Paris I visited, except Montmartre.

Stayed at the Hotel France Louvre in the 4th. On Rue de Rivoli, so facing street can be noisy. But, nice clean rooms, including bathroom. Staff speaks limited English, but very nice. If you are looking for help, they generally cannot recommend a restaurant, etc., due to only French being spoken. Delicious breakfast down below the basement level. <BR>Included in price. If you are looking for a place to lay down your head to get ready for another day of touring, this could be it. If you are looking for a large lobby, loads of ambience, helpful English speaking staff, this is not it. <BR> <BR>Worth the value and walking distance to Ile St. Louis, Notre Dame, Hotel de Ville, Samaritan, tucked away restaurants and bistros.

I stayed last spring at the Esmeralda. I was in a single room without a bath. The room was beyond tiny, a converted linen closet I think, with a window facing the air shaft. It was however very cheap @ 180FF. The cleanliness or lack of it is the reason I will not stay again. The shared shower in the stair way doubled as dirty laundry storage. The ambiance of the small lobby is fabulous with stone walls and a curving wood staircase. No elevator. George speaks English. The location is very convenient, especially for a single traveller. Very near the Rue Huchette shich is open late at night and a college hangout. Cheap food and lots of people in the street. Very near the St Michel RER and metro stop. Nearly in the shadow of Notre Dame. Good luck to you. The rooms with private bath may be cleaner.

I was going to stay at the Grandes Ecoles but it was booked up months ahead. It is very popular! When are you going? I'm kind of glad I couldn't book it after reading the previous posting! I decided on Grand Hotel des Balcons in the 6th. It is 505FF for 2 with a buffet breakfast for 55FF. Their website is www.parishotels.com and you can see the many praises on paris.org if you are interested.