Looking for Paris Hotel - charm!
 

We are heading to Paris for our 10th anniversary next week! Spontaneous!! We'd like to find a charming Parisian hotel that is well-located for walking and enjoying all that Paris is known for. We'll only have 3 days so want to be sure to get in good location. Though I'd like to stay at a 5-star ritzy-type ... don't think our budget will allow. Any ideas for good deals at lovely hotel? Up to $200/night. Thanks.

I don't want to be a naysayer, but you're going to be real lucky to get a room in a charming hotel in Paris for under $200 next week; the places like that, in my experience, book up early.

Maybe somebody here will have a good recommendation, though!

I think a superior room at Le Regent which is in a wonderful location has quite a bit of charm. It's closer to 200 euro per night, so a little over that budget.

But I'll have to agree that trying to find a really nice hotel in Paris a week before arrival is going to be tough -- charm or no charm!!

OK, assuming you can do without air conditioning next week, contact the Hotel Delavigne, on rue Casimir Delavigne. Only because they are not mentioned often in guidebooks and such, perhaps they have a room available. Their small doubles are very very small, so inquire about a larger roo, or even a twin room. In the twin room the beds are pushed together anyway (they were in ours) so there's no crimp in the romance department. The hotel is pristine, beautifully decorated, almost elegant in a not too expensive way. I stayed there last January. Location is excellent, near both the Luxembourg and Odeon metro stations.

Merely because it is so late, and not because I think they are the most charming hotels, but check these three in descending order of charm:

Hotel de Varenne, 7th

Hotel de la Bretonnerie, 4th

Hotel Palais Bourbon, 7th, but only the top floor "honeymoon" room

The first two do have charm; the charm of the third relies on the room, and the location which is nice.

Good luck and have a great time.

Our favorite is the Caron de Beaumarchais in the Marais district. Rooms are small but each is unique. Prints of Beaumarchais libretti on some walls; antiques; exposed beams. Rooms have a/c. There are robes for each guest.
Excellent service. Only 24 rooms but give it a try. Street-side is best.

Look at Le Sainte-Beuve, near the Luxembourg Gardens, and the Mansart, near the Place Vendôme. But I'm afraid you're going to have trouble finding what you want with so little lead time--October is very much high season in Paris. Good luck!

Honestly the hotels that are mentioned like Ste. Beuve, Le Regent, and Caron de Beaumarchais will most likely be booked up already as they are so popular.

Try Grand Hotel des Balcons also on rue Casimir Delavigne. Very nice hotel exactly in your price range. Owned by a lovely family. Ask for a room on the street with a balcony (they are small, but you can still sit there and have your coffee...get your first breakfast delivered to the room!)

I highly recommend this hotel. Very close to Blvd. St. Germain and lots of shops and restaurants. Clost to Luxembourg Gardens and the other way it is within walking distance to the Seine or east to Notre Dame.

If you want any more info on this hotel you can email me at [email protected].

I thought the hotel and the rooms at Hotel St. Germain in the 6th were charming and very nicely decorated. Great street too, rue de bac, and in your price range. We stayed there for our 10th anniversary in 2002.

http://www.hotel-saint-germain.fr

You might want to check the "Hotels de Charme" web site and then cross-check possibilities against lastminute.com for possible vacancies at recommended hotels.

To offer an alternative opinion, I stayed two nights, in two different rooms at the Hotel des Balcons last January, and didn't care for it at all.
In fact, we moved two doors down the street to the Hotel Delavigne and were very glad we did.
In our opinion, the Balcons was shabby.
Our first room was not only the smallest room for two people I've ever been in (taking into account Paris-style hotels) but it reeked of smoke, the towels were threadbare, the furniture plastic.
The second room we were in was very much larger (at a higher price of course) but still had bare vinyl floors, decor that was tired and worn, and plastic furniture. The breakfast was pretty good, but not as lavish as I'd expected. The front desk staff was minimally polite.

For 20 euro more per night at the Delavigne, we felt we had a completely different experience, with pretty and fresh decor, good-size room, completely modern and well-supplied bathroom, etc.
The breakfast was fresh juice, wonderful large croissants and baguette,and good coffee, fewer choices than at the Balcons, but high quality.Staff were very helpful.
We found the Balcons to be depressing, the Delavigne to be thoroughly cute, even elegant, and convenient.

Just goes to show how hotels can produce different reactions in different people.

Ratestogo.com is also a good last minute booking service.

Thanks everyone for your wonderful advice! I've made notes on in ALL. Turns out my husband booked us via Priceline and got 5-star Inter-continental Le Grand for $215/night. A great deal, but definitely the small hotel I was thinking of! It is, however, a lovely hotel, I've been reading. Anybody know anything about LE GRAND that they'd like to share?!
Thanks again!

the Grand reopened during the past year after an extensive renovation

The hotel is lovely and that's a terrific deal through Priceline! We had a wonderful luncheon at Cafe de la Paix in May. Gorgeous room and the food and service were excellent. Have a fantastic anniversary trip!!

FYI: the Intercontinental Le Grand may call itself a 5* hotel, but that's a hotel chain rating, not the official Paris tourist board's evaluation. In Paris the highest rating is 4*L (for luxury).

I think the OP was referring to Priceline's 5-star rating.

Le Grand looks grand; congratulations!

Kind of funny that no one on Fodor's suggested a Right Bank hotel. Perhaps we are all quite alike in our Paris choices. :-)

Well, I have a Right Bank recommendation! :)

Hotel Brittanique http://www.hotel-britannique.fr/ It has a brilliant location (quiet street in the 1er, two blocks from the Louvre, steps from the Seine) and a "ritzy" feel and plenty of charm.