psy_dr

If anyone is familiar with the Paris Marriott Rive Gauche Hotel & Conference Center (17, Boulevard Saint Jacques), please let me know what you think. This is for a leisurly trip to Paris early January where we plan to do a lot of walking, going to parks, museums for kids, markets, shopping, and EATING!!!

My husband, son & I are hoping to get an apartment in the 6th or 5th arr. but I booked this hotel as a back-up accomodation option (they don't require a deposit & I can cancel up to the day of arrival without paying a fee).

Also, I got an INCREDIBLE rate for a Junior Suite with access to the Executive Lounge (including breakfast buffet, food & refreshments free throughout the day). It's about 250 meters from 2 metro stops (Metro-St-Jacques and Metro-Glaciere).

Mostly, I want to know:
-Is this a residential area? Or is it more of a business/corporate area where it's really busy during the day but a ghost-town at night?
-Are there restaurants/cafes around the hotel?
-Is it a safe area to walk around at night?
-If you have stayed at this hotel, can you comment on the hotel itself (cleanliness, hotel staff, rooms, executive lounge, etc)?

THANK YOU!!!

Christina

yes, it is a residential area. Yes to it being safe and places to eat (there are places to eat in every area of Paris, I can't think of anywhere there aren't any, although in some of the very outer parts, they may be farther apart--and of course it may not be what you want, don't know).

haven't stayed there so can't comment, but this is a 4* large business hotel, I can't imagine it won't be clean.

There was a thread about this exact same hotel on here recently which you might want to read.

joannyc

If you are a Marriott Rewards member (or if not, just sign up to become one), check out the comments on www.marriottrewardsinsiders.com

Lots of comments on Paris and the Marriott hotels there. Or you also post a question there.

psy_dr

Thank you, Christina.

Before posting, I searched the forums for Mariott hotels and I found one thread on a Paris Mariott but it was by the Champs-Elysees. I may have missed the thread on this hotel. I'll do another forum search.

Funny you mention it, but our last time in Paris, my husband & I stayed in a beautiful residential area (near Les Invalides). We loved it, but we did have a hard time finding a place to eat at night - there weren't many options, just one terrible bistro nearby.

Thanks for confirming that this hotel is in a safe residential area with places to eat nearby. From the picture of the hotel, it looked as if it is in a remote spot of town.

Thanks again!

psy_dr

joannyc - thanks for the tip! I am a Mariott rewards member, but I didn't know about the comments. Thanks again!!!

K2DangerGirl

I stayed there with my husband and his parents last October. It is a fine Marriott, clean and well-maintained, with good-sized rooms and decent-sized bathrooms. When we got back to the hotel at night (and I no longer had to worry about finding a toilet) I would get ice water from the dispensers by the elevators and drink huge quantities!

It is not super convenient to most tourist destinations, but is walking distance to the Luxembourg Gardens, Place d'Italie and Parc Montsouris. The metro line 6 is right outside the door, but it doesn't really go anywhere useful (except Trocadero to see the Eiffel Tower!). The biggest disappointment, for me, was that the Montparnasse Tower completely, totally blocks the Eiffel Tower.

Rue Daguerre (runs E-W ~1 block south of Place Denfert Rochereau) is a pedestrian street with lots of restaurants on it and on the side streets. Breakfast in the Exec lounge is just okay (the little chocolate croissants are nice) but you will be able to snack a lot there and save money, especially a glass of wine (or two) before heading out to dinner in the evening.

I may have made some other comments in my trip report which you should be able to find by clicking on my name.

ParisAmsterdam

Why don't you punch in the hotel's address at http://maps.google.com than drag the little yellow
person above the zoom control onto the street... you can then take a virtual walk around the neighbourhood...

psy_dr

K2DangerGirl - thank you very much for providing me with details. I'll definitely check out your trip report. I have 2 questions - 1) how long would you say it might take us to walk to Luxembourg Gardens? We enjoy walking, are very fit and active, so we don't mind long hikes, but we're just curious about walking distance to the park. 2) regarding the executive lounge - is there a breakfast buffet every day including weekdays & do you remember a bit more about what was served and what drinks/appetizers were available throughout the day --- juice, coffee, water, etc.? Also - did they give complimentary wine every night? I'm really trying to figure out if I can justify the extra expense of the executive lounge. Thanks!

ParisAmsterdam - I had absolutely no idea you could do a virtual walk around a neighborhood on google maps. Thanks for the great tip!

sap

>>1) how long would you say it might take us to walk to Luxembourg Gardens? We enjoy walking, are very fit and active, so we don't mind long hikes, but we're just curious about walking distance to the park.<<

Google maps calculates walking distances now, too.

Dukey

I am VERY sorry to have to disagree and rather STRONGLY with the poster who said that Marriott has "good sized" rooms...I stayed there last September and it does NOT NOT NOT have anything close to a "good" sized room and please..none of this BS about "all the rooms in Paris are small...." they aren't but despite the fact that I am a VERY loyal Marriott Rewards person and usually pretty flexible...yes the place is clean..yes it is safe...yes the staff were VERY helpful...but the rooms are entirely too small and the bathrooms about the same so please consider this. You can read reviews on TripAdvisor and I would do so.

TRANSPORTATION: it is in a great spot and there are two Metro stops within sight of the front door..both on Line 6 as I recall and that is the problem. I LOVE the Metro in Paris and use it extensively but to get anywhere near the major sigts area you have to ride one hell of a long time and/or change a couple times and after a while THAT got old even for me the rail and public transport buff of all time.

K2DangerGirl

Yes, I should probably clarify that I mean good-sized for Paris, not good-sized as in large. Hubby and I were able to walk past each other and around the bed and lay our suitcases down on the floor. There was also a desk, an armchair and a dresser with the TV on it, in addition to nightstands on each side of the bed. For us it was no problem for a couple to maneuver in the room and it was certainly not "small" compared to any other regular hotel room I've been in in Europe.

There was a breakfast buffet every day we were there, and it was over a weekend so I don't think there is a weekday / weekend difference. For breakfast they had croissants / pain au chocolat / rolls and fruit for sure; they may have had cheese and meats and some hot dishes but I don't remember for sure. We weren't there during "midday" so I don't know what they had in the way of food but various juices, coffee and water were available all the time. In the evening they would have some charcuterie and cheese, pickles, and they did have wine available every night.

K2DangerGirl

Sorry - forgot to add I would say about 15 minutes walking to get to the Luxembourg Gardens, and maybe a little less to Parc Montsouris. Not speed walking, but not strolling either. We jogged to the Luxembourg Gardens from the Marriott and then did a couple of laps and walked back, in an hour or so.

Cathinjoetown

From a stay of four years ago, I don't remember the rooms being particularly small. At any rate, just query them about the size if their jr. suites.

Denfert Rochereau station is maybe 300 m from the hotel, much better metro/RER line than the one just outside the hotel. It would also bring you straight in from CDG.

Great boulangerie just across from the D.-F. station.

CarolA

I have stayed here numerous times using my Marriott rewards. (I am on here trying to convince myself NOT to book for Thanksgiving this year )

http://www.colleensparis.com/

On the left side click on the AA Layover Hotel. While she NEVER says it, it's this hotel. (Trust me you will see LOTS and LOTS of AA crews in the lobby) She has resturant recommendations, shopping, transport etc.

I live the hotel and will stay there again!

CarolA

That last sentence should read

I LIKE the hotel and will stay there again!

CarolA

Didn't see the Jr. Suite on my first pass.

I had a Jr. Suite as an upgrade last fall. It's basically two rooms which I find to be a decent size (Unlike Dukey who seems rather "hysterical" about the size of the rooms LOL!) Room one is the entrance. Has a full bath (once again a very good size, not palatial but not "tiny" Toliet is in a seperate "closet"

There is an L shaped couch,coffee table, desk TV and probably some other small furniture in the first room and the sleeping area in the second

There's a video here gives you a very good idea

http://yelloww.net/blog/2010/01/pari...t-rive-gauche/

(And no that's not me!)