Isn't there one great Paris hotel for under $200?
 

My boyfriend and I are headed to Europe in October and will be in Paris for 3 nights for our one-year anniversary.

I spent a month in Paris last year, but he's never been there, so I really want to show him a great time. The problem is, I can't seem to find that perfect (affordable) hotel or B&B (or apartment, if they'll rent for just 3 nights).

Here are some parameters:

BUDGET: Ideal: $150/night. Okay: $200/night. Must be very special: $225ish/night.

LOCATION: Ideally the 5th, the islands or Montmartre, but if it's something REALLY special, location doesn't matter (e.g. "there's a great place right over the canals!").

IDEAL FEATURES:
A view (courtyard, canal, river, pretty church, Eiffel tower, all of Paris, etc.)

Not too small (my bf is 6')

Not too frilly (considered Hotel des Grandes Ecoles, but didn't like bad reviews and rampant lace)

Style and character. No generic chain hotels, bland spartan rooms, or places trying too hard to be "romantic." How can some of Paris' cafes be so magical, yet the hotels so faded and bland? If Amelie could rent me her apartment, that would be great.

Maybe I'm looking for the impossible, but I feel like there must be at least one interesting new (and affordable) place for a couple to stay?

Have a look at Hotel des Deux-Iles or Hotel Lutece, both on Ile St Louis. Old mansions converted to hotels, great location on main street, quiet at night,easy walk to Left bank, Right bank, Notre Dame, one block to walk along Seine. You will feel a bit more of a neighbourhood vibe. Nice shops and restos nearby.Rooms can be small though.

I also stayed at Hotel Le Notre Dame, Left Bank, in the loft. Our window overlooked Notre Dame and the Seine. We watched sunrises over the Cathedral.

Hi Michel_Paris,

I benefited from your advice during my last trip! :-)

Those are perfect suggestions (especially the Lutece and Hotel le Notre Dame, which I think I spotted in another of your earlier threads), but they're all sadly out of our budget.

The Hotel des Deux-Iles and Hotel Lutece are both $300/night for a double, and the Hotel Le Notre Dame is $313. (I think our president owes me a hotel refund.)

Did you look at the Hotel College de France? My sister and I loved this location and the hotel when we were there in April, and if I remember correctly, it was under $200.

I knew they would be a bit $$$ but these are ones I was a bit familiar with.

The other hotel on the island is the St Louis, at 140 euro a night for a double.

I've been going 'basic' with my hotels the last couple of trips.

The Hotel Familia is in the 5th and meets your budget.

It's not luxury by any means but comes close to meeting your other requirements.

If you want a place that is modern, bright, clean with an elevator and walking distance to nearly everything, you might consider Hotel Andrea Rivoli in the Marais. We've been to Paris five times and this is one of the best located places you can find -- on a quiet street but close to wonderful resetaurants, etc.

http://www.leshoteliersdeparis.com/H...a-Rivoli.htmlO

It's near the top of your budget for a double, but:

http://www.selecthotel.fr/fr_content/hotel.php

Argh. the web address didn't copy

http://www.leshoteliersdeparis.com/H...ea-Rivoli.html

I meant to include links for the Hotel Familia:

www.familiahotel.com
www.hotel-paris-familia.com

Maybe something in here will work for you

http://www.budgettravel.com/bt-dyn/c...060400600.html

Thank you all for the suggestions so far (some of which I'd seen on previous posts)!

Michel - I'm SO with you on the "basic" thing. We're normally basic travelers, but I was really hoping for something special on this particular visit to Paris.

Some responses (though keep in mind that ALL of these would be more than perfect were it not for the occasion);

Hotel College de France - A bit basic, but I'm attracted by the "superior" room for its balcony and incredible price!

St Louis - the price is right, but it's no Lutece, sadly.

Hotel Familia - I've seen a lot of posts on this... I like it a lot for future trips, but it's just lacking a bit of charm for this one.

Hotel Andrea Rivoli - I like the Marais, too, but I've just never found a hotel there that knocked me off my feet.


http://www.selecthotel.fr/fr_content/hotel.php - tres chic! At $284/night, it might be out of our price range, but I really like it.

I wish I could articulate that certain je ne sais quoi that makes for a great hotel. I've seen it in budget hotels like Amsterdam's Hotel Brouwer and luxury hotels like Minneapolis' Chambers Hotel. But there are some great options here, thank you.

(By the way, I think I've come to the conclusion that we should all pool our money and open a new hotel in Paris.)

Take a look at the Hôtel Duquesne-Eiffel.

Have a look at Hotel Langlois. We really enjoyed staying there, especially for the enormous room. It's very convenient to Montmartre.

More ideas!

StCirq, Hôtel Duquesne-Eiffel has some incredible views, but it looks like the price for that view is $317/night... too much for us, sadly.

djkbooks - that's a possibility! I definitely like the size of the rooms.

Have any of you heard of the Bonne Nuit Paris B&B (http://www.bonne-nuit-paris.com)?

I just found it on a Times article on unique Paris hotels (http://travel.timesonline.co.uk/tol/...cle3284049.ece) and it looks very interesting. Apparently one of the rooms looks out over a courtyard, but I can't figure out how big that courtyard is.

I think you will have to make this trip a mission to find the perfect Paris hotel. We all look forward to your report.

I accept that mission. I might not get any work done between now and October, but I accept it.

I had a very similar quandry when searching for hotels in october.
We settled on the Grandes Ecoles, but I'm traveling with my mother, so the floral wallpaper should be ok. ;-) Don't remember reading too many bad reviews though.
We're also staying at the Hotel Beaubourg, you might want to check that one out. it's in a very central location right down the street from the Pompidou.
http://www.beaubourg-paris-hotel.com/.

For October, you should find and book somthing ASAP, that you can cancel if you'd like to keep looking.

Otherwise, your options will be further limited by availability.

We also appreciated having a good sized (empty) refrigerator at Hotel Langlois.

Note also, when booking Hotel Langlois, confirmation e-mail indicated that could not be guaranteed, but we did get a room with a view of Sacre Coeur.