Just back from Paris...
 

Wanted to just drop a note here to say thanks to the folks who recommended the Millesime Hotel. It was fantastic. Not 4* luxury, but a nice hotel with a spacious room and friendly staff, and, most importantly, an unbelievable location. Rue Jacob is a perfect place to stay. We ate our first 3 meals within 2 blocks of the hotel without really planning it that way. It's just that everywhere we wanted to try was right near us!<BR><BR>Anyway, I would be more than happy to answer any questions that people may have. Some quick impressions:<BR><BR>* I love food halls in all countries I've been to, and Paris is no exception. Galeries Lafayette has a great food hall, and hubby &amp; I had lunch at the counter of the cheese shop there one day. Outstanding!<BR><BR>* Don't bother trying to take the RER in from CDG if you have any amount of luggage. We took a taxi in from the airport, and it was quite easy, but hubby, being the train buff that he is, insisted that we take the RER back to the airport. Even he admits that it was a bad move, and we will not do that again. Heathrow Express in London, on the other hand, was a breeze, so we are not against all trains... ;)<BR><BR>* The French are quite polite!! I figure that the people who say the French are rude either 1) are catching someone on a bad day, 2) rude themselves or 3) mistaking indifferent French service for rudeness. We had fairly indifferent (at best) service in most of the restaurants in which we ate, but it seemed that everyone else was getting that too, and not minding, so I assume that's just how things are in Paris. I thought that overall, people were very polite in most things (walking down the street, listening to me butcher their language, traveling on the Metro).<BR><BR>* The Metro is great. There's really no need to ever take a taxi...the Metro will get you where you want to go. We didn't encounter any pickpocketing attempts other than when I was struggling with my luggage getting to the RER, but even that was a fairly obvious and not so strong attempt. I felt generally safe taking the Metro, despite feeling alarmed after reading a lot of posts. I think if you're aware of your surroundings you should be ok.<BR><BR>Again, I'm more than happy to answer any questions! :)

Kristina, What was the water level in the Seine? Were boats able to get under the bridges for the boat tours of the Seine?

I've stayed on rue Jacob, but never in Millesime; what did you pay per night for a double? I liked the Marronniers but felt that it was overpriced for the size of room, etc. and have begun to stay at a less expensive one 2-3 blocks away with the same amount of charm, but lacking, of course, la rue Jacob! You're right, the location is the greatest!

Glad you had such a good time. I would concur that the French are certainly not rude and often quite polite. Just goes to show, people are the same , no matter where you go. Treat them with kindness and respect and they will usually respond in kind. I will be taking my children to Paris in April for the first time (my 5th visit) and have been prepping them with some basic French as I have found that in France a in most places an attempt to communicate in the native tongue goes a long way.

Kristina,<BR><BR>I am trying to decide between the Millesime and another hotel (much cheaper, so that is why I'm torn) and I'd appreciate any details about the Millesime. Did you have a superior room? What was the bathroom like? Did you eat breakfast there and, if so, did you like it? Any little details are welcome! Thank you!

Ok, to answer the questions in the order posted:<BR><BR>* The water level of the Seine was quite high (on our first day, we walked down to the river, and it was sloshing over the sides), but it appeared that the boats were all running. By the end of our stay, the water level was still high, but had receded a bit.<BR><BR>* We paid 190 euros for a superior room. We had a lot of luggage, as Paris was only the first part of our trip, so I was concerned about having enough space. The superior room was large. I'd never been to Paris before, so I don't really have anything to compare it to, but from my understanding of Parisian hotels, our room was very big. We had a double bed, a desk, a small table with 2 reasonable sized chairs and a closet with a decent amount of space.

Something funny is happening here, I keep trying to post my response and keep getting bad errors! I hope this makes it...<BR><BR>* Sue, I'd love to hear about your cheaper hotel, although I loved rue Jacob so much, it's hard to imagine staying anywhere else. I haven't seen Marroniers, but our room seemed nicer and larger than most of the descriptions I had read of Marroniers.<BR><BR>* The bathroom was nice. Shower/tub combo w/ a handheld showerhead (although there was a hook at shower height, so no real difference). Good water pressure (this is a biggie for me as I have long hair). The bathroom was large enough for 2 people to get ready in it at the same time. We didn't eat breakfast in the hotel, as we just opted to have a coffee and a pastry in a local cafe. <BR><BR>Other little thoughts on the hotel: the TV had BBC World, CNN World and WorldSport (English language sports channel - great for watching the Australian Open), along with a variety of French, Italian and German TV stations (we watched The Simpsons dubbed into French). The room was quiet and the windows were reasonably soundproof, although nothing is going to stop you from hearing someone honking their car horn. rue Jacob itself is a fairly quiet street. Our room overlooked the rue Jacob. I am a light sleeper and had no trouble sleeping. The room also had blackout curtains, which led to lots of sleeping in! The hotel had the International Herald Tribune and a French language newspaper downstairs. Overall, it had lots of charm and a fantastic location - exactly what I wanted for my first time to Paris!<BR><BR>Hope this answers your questions, but please feel free to post more questions!

I'll answer the breakfast part since we often stay at the Millesime. <BR>There are croissants, ficele, baguettes, bread for toasting, and a delicious apple filled pastry that my husband love. In addition several meats and cheeses are served along with muselix,fresh fruit salad, various other fruits, other kinds of cereal,yogurt, and several different juices. Eggs are available at an additional charge. Great coffee , tea or hot chocolate .<BR><BR>while it is pricey, I love the convenience of planning my day while my H finishes dressing . <BR><BR>There are so many little cafes in the area that serve breakfast that you can take you choice.

Kristina and Jody,<BR><BR>Thank you, thank you, thank you for your descriptions of the Millesime Hotel. My heart was set on staying there and now I'm definitely sold.

Thank you for this, have booked the Millsime hotel for my next trip