Bobbie737

Can anyone tell me how the Comfort Inn in Victoria, London is? We will be there in Sept. before a cruise. Thanks

yk

Hi Bobbie-

Here is the link to your same question that you asked yesterday, and you did get 1 response:
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34483262

If you cannot find your own posts, just click on your screename (top L corner) and all your posts will appear.

There are also 2 reviews on tripadvisor on your hotel as well:
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Rev...n_England.html

Flyboy

Bobbie737, I've been seeing your posting and been a little stumped over the past few days, but I FINALLY get it. A couple of years ago, there was a Comfort Inn Westminster located on Belgrave Road a bit further down (80-86). That hotel is no longer listed as a Comfort Inn, so I'm assuming that it changed hands.

The Comfort Inn Victoria is closer to Victoria station. It is possible that it has been in operation under a different nameplate in the past, but I'm not just familiar enough with it to know that. I passed by it a couple of weeks ago, but I didn't stick my head in to check it out.

Belgrave Road is lined with very uniform looking buildings that were built as row houses and now, many have been converted into small hotels -- often with several of them being linked together in the remodeling process.

If you want to get a look at the exterior of these buildings, go to my notes at:

http://www.igougo.com/planning/journ...p;EntryID=1606

(I'm going to pull this entry soon because in researching your question, I believe the Comfort Inn Westminster no longer exists. That would explain why I didn't notice it when I was walking down Belgrave Road a couple of weeks ago. I can't absolutely guarantee you that the Comfort Inn Victoria is exactly like what you see here because I just wasn't paying enough attention -- I just saw the logo.)

In any case, I can try to take a look again at the beginning of April and let you know what I see, since you still have plenty of time before September. While the Belgrave Road hotels aren't the Ritz, there a lot of clean, comfortable places that offer a decent breakfast and it's a great location to walk to many places including Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, etc. (There's even a wonderful, historic little Anglican church right near your hotel and a neat little pub on that same side of the street closer to the station.)

janis

topping for Bobbie

ben_haines_london

In a Fodors discussion last year a correspondent said this
Days Inn Westminster, 80-86 Belgrave Road. I stayed there for a night in the late nineties when it was Comfort Inn. It was a decent place, though nothing fancy. A step up from the lower end hotels and B&Bs, no frayed carpets or questionable mattresses, though not up to Marriot or Hilton standards (but definitely better than the typical American Days Inn). Here are three reviews from 2003 when it was a Comfort Inn:
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Rev...n_England.html

This is a chain and will be a fine hotel. It will not have the "charm" of a family run hotel but it will be fine. It is just a place to sleep. It is 0.2 miles from Pimlico and 0.6 miles from Victoria.

[email protected]

ben_haines_london

I have on disc notes from Fodors parents on what children liked in Paris, chiefly in 2002. I attach the section on cafes and restaurants, and can gladly e mail you the rest if you ask me.

Welcome to Europe.

[email protected]


From a correspondence of 21 March on Fodor?s forum. Rue Mouffetard street market in the Latin Quarter- it is the most 'international' of the outdoor markets, with some foods that may be too spicy for some children. Indian curries, African and Moroccan spiced meats and lemons, Italian cured olives, and Merguez, a spicy Algerian sausage that's eaten like a hot dog. It's pronounced "mair-ghez",



10. CAFES AND RESTAURANTS: LIST
In order of arrondissement

Angelina's, 226 Rue de Rivoli. Metro Tuileries. 1st.
Hot chocolate and pastry, or an elegant tea. Our son was welcomed. There were several apparently Parisian children there for treats - well dressed and well behaved. http://www.suntimes.com/output/desti.../hs~paris.html
Sally Watkins: Angelina's is the old Rumplemeyer's and a story-book kind of place. Classy looks straight out of the movies. Go for tea or, the hot chocolate is pretty much a chocolate bar melted in a cup, with a small pitcher of warm milk on the side. Metro: Tuilleries. Dalloyau, 101 rue Faubourg Saint-Honore, 8e, Metro: Saint-Philippe-du-Roule, supplies pastries to the Elysee Palace and many Rothschild mansions. The specialty is Le Dalloyau, a praline cake filled with almond meringue; or, try the famous Mogador of chocolate, chocolate cake and raspberry jam. There is a tea room open daily 8:30-7:30 one floor above street level.
Zagat Survey: The once-"elegant" decor "may have seen better days", but this "mythic tea salon" still draws tourists, mother-daughter duos and "locals with their dogs" (the doggies have "water in a fine china bowl&quot for its famous hot chocolate -- "a thick molten steaming cup of liquid pudding" that "remains without equal" -- and a "mont blanc from heaven"; supporters shrug off the "just ok" Classic French menu and the "lousy service", proclaiming this grande dame a "must-visit landmark."

The Pompador, 228 rue de Rivoli. Metro Tuileries 1st.
http://city.reuters.com/global/food_...937/?version=1

Dame Tartine, Jardin des Tuileries, Metro Tuileries. 1st. tel : 01 47 03 94 84. Specialises in 'tartine' which is basically toast, but what toast!

Le Souffle, 36, rue du Mont-Thabor. Metro Tuileries. 1st.
Between the Place Concorde and Place Vendome: Mont-Thabor is the first street north of the Rue Rivoli. The waiters there are extremely nice, and the menu includes cheese souffles, chocolate souffles, etc.--not your everyday dishes in the US, but pretty mild on the adventure scale. Another correspondent: I visit every time I go to Paris - and my favorite is souffle Grand-Marnier! Not "dressy" but most patrons are neatly dressed, the staff is attentive and are pretty good at English. Nice decor. I checked paid $48 (US) equivalent which included coffee, wine and three courses as I recall. Not a large place but two parts to the dining room so plenty of room. I generally go at luncheon while wandering around. Closed Sundays, and air conditioned.

Carousel du Louvre, Rue de Rivoli, opposite the Louvre. Metro Palais Royal. 1st. The food court has tons of fast food restaurants, some well known chains, some not. http://www.hotels-paris.org/html/region01.html .

Café Marley, located in the left wing of the Louvre, on the courtyard facing the pyramid. Metro Palais Royale. 1st. They also serve breakfast from 8AM. The food is not gourmet, but the location and decor is very french chic, great Paris crowd especially at dinner and they have the best mashed potatoes! Comes on the side with a nice hanger steak. When I was there in August we sat next to a Parisian couple with their American nephews who'd been living on ham and cheese sandwiches and fries and brought there for the spuds!
Zagat survey: "What can beat dining in the courtyard of the Louvre?" -- not much, and that's why patrons put up with "lackluster service" and "so-so food (for Paris)" to dine either on the "exceptional" terrace that overlooks I.M. Pei's pyramid or in the "sumptuous" Second Empire-style salon, with its vistas of fashionistas, at what may be the "best of the Costes" brothers' brasseries; "this cafe may be in love with itself" -- but why not, since "a trip to town is incomplete without a visit." March 2002: Good but overpriced lunch at Cafe Marly at Louvre.

La Samaritaine department store, 17 rue de la Monnaie or 75 rue de Rivoli. Metro Pont-Neuf. 1st. Website in French http://www.culture.fr/culture/invent...mgs/p38-01.htm
Lunch in the rooftop café.
Sally Watkins: Good for kids, restaurant on the fifth floor of La Samaritaine Department Store, Take children here for ice cream at tea time, 3:15-6. And remember the panoramic view of the city from the 9th floor.

Chicago Meatpackers, 8 rue Coquilliere. Metro Les Halles. 1st.
http://www.bparis.com/newsletter1464...yer-shosw.htm/
The restaurant is child-oriented in both food and entertainment.

Batifol, 15 place de la République, Metro Republique. 3rd http://www.smartweb.fr/paris/3/place...ts/batifol.htm

Le Vieux Bistro, 14 rue du Cloître-Notre-Dame, Metro St Michel-Dame. 4th
We went for lunch with our 4-year-old, and it was quite crowded, and the tables were very close together. While the staff weren't unfriendly, they were resigned rather than enthusiastic about a child, and the menu wasn't geared to children at all. The adults in the party thought the food was very good, however.

Berthillon, 31 rue Saint-Louis-en-l'Ile. Metro Pont Marie. 4th. Ice cream. http://www.foodtourist.com/FTGuide/Content/I436.htm
Sally Watkins: Most famous ice cream in Paris is from Berthillon. Often lines of devotees down the block. Try the chocolat amer (dark bitter chocolate) or the tangy cassis. Closed Monday and Tuesday.

Bofinger, 5 rue de la Bastille. Metro Bastille. 4th.
http://www.123paris.net/dining/brasserie-bofinger.html.
It is excellent and the steak is perfect there. They have a full menu..I assure you, you will all find something tempting and delicious. There are two Bofingers now, one across the street from the other. Do make sure you go to the original one: it's lovely inside and the waiters are sweet and friendly and speak English, too.
Zagat survey: "For an evening out of an Impressionist painting", Opéra Bastille-goers and tourists frequent this "very grand" brasserie, where "old-time" waiters ferry "gorgeous shellfish platters" ("everyone watches you make your way through them&quot and Alsatian specialties like a "super choucroute" amid "authentic art nouveau" decor; there might be room for "improvement" in the kitchen, but "noise" and "cramped" tables are tolerated for the "so Parisian" atmosphere; P.S. be sure to reserve.

Ma Bourgogne, 19, Place des Vosges 75004. Metro Chemin Vert. 4th. Tel: 33 (0)1 42 78 44 64. http://www.parisdigest.com/menus/res...-selection.htm

A fondue in the little street near St Severin. Metro St Michel. 5th

Cafe St Michel, Bvd St Michel, by the Seine. Metro St Michel. 5th.
Far from being unfriendly, a waiter did a magic trick for our son (well - nothing special, just sleight of hand with the juice bottle - had our son in fits).

The Rose de Tunis, rue St. Andre des Arts, near the fountains on Place St. Michel. Metro St Michel. 5th

Family-oriented brasseries which you will probably just see walking around; there are some I noticed on east end of bd St-Germain (east of Bvd St-Michel). Metro Maubert-Mutualite. 5th

Institut du Monde Arab, Quai St. Bernard. Metro Cardinal Lemoine. 5th.
The restaurant at the top

Rue Mouffetard. Metro Place Monge. 5th. In the vicinity of Le Pantheon.
Has many choices available...I enjoyed the paninis...a grilled sandwich with cheese, chicken, or just about anything including veggies...one particular place also served crepes...delicious.

La Coupole, Bvd Montparnasse, Metro Vavin. 5th.
http://www.foodandwine.com/invoke.cf...0074776A096682
We ate early (7pm). No child size portions, but helpful staff, and delicious ice cream (and an orange frangipane desert to die for!).
La Coupole I wouldn't consider a family restaurant at all. It is a brasserie but not a family-oriented one, rather the opposit, although someone might have a different feeling about it than I. That is not where I would recommend you take kids.
I would not consider La Coupole to be a kids place. Maybe you could buy them McD's or room service that night and go just the two of you.
By the way, they all went to La Coupole, which was one place that had the "disappointing" hamburgers. My sister felt that the rest of the food, especially for the price, was "adequate".


Brasserie Lipp, 151 Bvd St-Germain. Metro St Germain des Pres. 6th. http://www.paris.org/Cafes/Lipp/
http://www.europeguidebook.com/franc...paris_res6.cfm
Zagat survey: This "tired but true classic" brasserie stands firm as a Saint-Germain "monument" to a bygone era; first-timers are likely to be spirited upstairs to "Siberia", while "regulars and celebs" swim in the ground floor "VIP aquarium"; though critics carp it's "a far cry from what it was" and wonder "is there a cook in the kitchen?", most agree you "come for the ambiance" and "hope it will be there forever."

Cosi, 54 Rue de Seine, Metro Odeon or Mabillon. 6th.
Bakes fresh flat-bread on the premises and fills it with your choice of delicacies. Redefines the word 'sandwich'.
http://www.yikes.com/~patty/cosi.html

Le Procope, Rue de L' Ancienne Comedie. Metro Odeon. 6th.
http://www.procope.com/anglais/default.htm
http://home.att.net/~sakal/pages/procope.htm
Your kids will savour a wonderful steak (or boeuf), and you'll be given a wide choice of gourmet cuisine. The setting is lovely, traditionally French. Danton is said to have eaten there. Serves mostly seafood. My table companion ordered a steak, which was on the menu: I must say that it looked yummy. I'd reserve for dinner although I never had to do it for lunch. The place isn't small. Like the Bofinger, there are two floors. In fact, Le Procope is bigger than the Bofinger. Have your hotel concierge call, if you want to have dinner there.

Luxembourg Gardens, RER Luxembourg. 6th.
A little cafe that serves wonderful lunches, they make these tasty little ham and cheese (jambon and fromage) sandwiches, I always have their omelettes, and desserts are wonderful.

La Locanda, Italian restaurant on Rue de Dragon. 6th. Metro St Sulpice

Alcazar, trendy spot, good seafood, fabulous desserts. Alcazar 62, rue Mazarine 75006 Paris 01 53 10 19 99 Open daily noon to 3pm and 7pm to 1am. 6th. Métros Mabillon, Saint-Germain

The Jules Verne in the Eiffel Tower. Metro Champ de Mars Tour Eiffel. 7th.
http://www.tour-eiffel.fr/indexuk.html
For lunch: those all-American boys were actually pretty impressed with the place, although the price of their dinners was pretty much wasted. They liked the bread, though.
Zagat durvey: "You must go at least once", since the "dream setting" of this eatery perched on the second level of the Eiffel Tower offers a "grand experience"; but once past that "magic" panorama of Paris, "responses are less elevated": though fans find the Classic French eats "exceptional" and the staff "warm", skeptics snap "the fish was tough, and so was the maitre d'"; still, that "gorgeous view" leaves most "high on meals" here.

Cafe le Bosquet, 46 Avenue Bosquet, at the northwest corner of Avenue Bosquet and rue Champ de Mars. Metro Ecole Militaire. 7th. http://www.bosquetparis.com

Rue Cler, a takeout. Metro Ecole Militaire. 7th.
The "nem" (Vietnamese spring rolls) are fab. If--and I know it's probably a big if with some kids--they'll try some Chinese or Vietnamese food, your gang might become addicted, If they don't like them, well you tried, and that kind of food is cheap, no big loss.

Cafe du Marche on the rue Cler. Metro Ecole Militaire. 7th
Ordered the "chocolat moelleux", not sure what I'd be given, but it had chocolate in it (moelleux means either marrowy, like bone marrow [moelle] or velvety). Anyway, it turned out to be a luscious piece of dark chocolate cake with a dark chocolate mousse center, served warm with a dollop of whipped cream on the side. What a yummy, gooey, rich treat!! Now I look for it on every menu.

Musee d'Orsay Metro Musee d?Orsay 7th. http://www.musee-orsay.fr:8081/ORSAY...e?OpenDocument.
The restaurant (not the cafe) is just beautiful: you will love it, and the food is good, too. In fact, when I was there, they had a lunch buffet, so the kids can pick and choose, or else order off the menu. And all of you will enjoy the museum.
SallyWatkins: Café des Hauteurs, the restaurant at the Orsay Museum is very good. On the fifth floor, with sweeping views. Drinks, platters of various sorts.

Planet Hollywood, 78 Avenue des Champs-Elysees, Metro George V. 8th
http://www.euro-congres.org/planet_hollywood/paris.html

The Cafe Flo in the Printemps. Metro Havre Caumartin. RER Auber. 8th. http://www.smartweb.fr/printemps/restaurants.htm. For lunch

Hard Rock Café, 14, Bvd Montmartre. Metro Grands Boulevards. 9th


Useful web site on small places to eat well: http://www.sallywatkins.com/swparis.html

The Zagat restaurant guide. http://www.zagat.com/splash.asp
http://www.zagat.com/index.asp?VID=1...p;redirect=yes

Bobbie737

Thanks so much to all of you who answered me. I will certainly check out all your recommended sites.
Bobbie