Hi, I'm trying to decide between several hotels:

Bel Ami
Axial Beaubourg
D'Angleterre
Hotel de la Place des Vosges

With my family I stay at Pavillon de la Reine, but I am solo this trip and do not want to pay that much for just me.

I also tried a budget route once and stayed at Le General in the 11th, and that was horrible. I didn't realize there could be that much difference in quality. The walls and pillow(!) were dirty and I was terrified all night by a horde of loud, drunken men who happened to gather outside my 1st floor window.

So I'm looking for something in between... Axial seems to offer prices similar to Le General, but the website and reviews seem to offer better quality. Is this true? D'angleterre seems to have a loyal following, and Hotel de la Place des Vosges is just very close to my usual stomping grounds. Bel Ami's rates are higher, but do you think it will be the best route for someone who likes the subtlety and serenity of Pavillon de la Reine?

Thank you for your help. I have been reading through this message board all day and it is wonderful.

I'd choose the Angleterre since they have renovated their rooms, but they still don't have a/c in case you need it. I do not care for their strict cancellation policy. I know that if one makes a reservation one should be serious and don't cancel. I'm referring to instances in case you have an unforseen event that forces you to cancel the Angleterre's policy is pretty strict. You get a full refund if you cancel like a month or so in advance. Otherwise, the location is tops.

Hi Seeking Info.

I posted this hotel a couple of days ago. I found this hotel after spending hours and hours looking and hemming and hawing and just took this for whatever reason and it turned out really well.
I was with my husband but all the time, I made mental notes if I would be safe if travelling solo.

CHeck out Hotel Castex in Bastille (bet 3 and 4) It is very clean and safe- almost family like.
There is one person at the lobby so it is a very small hotel but very convenient. Hardly anyone on that street but you never felt heebie jeebied. GREAT restaurant right across the tiny street. Very quiet street bordered by bigger streets on either side. 3 metro stops, food, cafe everything with a couple of minutes. It was $95 Euro when I was there this month. I was really glad that I didn't stay at some of the places I heard of but knew nothing about. There are certainly some rowdy places that I would avoid on my own during the day.

Ask for a courtyard facing room and there is A/C.

Be very careful if booking the D'Angleterre..there are 2 hotels with that name, one on rue Jacob and the other on the champs elysees. You want the one on Rue Jacob! The remodeling looks very nice and the location and that of the Bel Ami are tops in my book!

Have a look at Hotel Pratic, in the 4th...It is a lovely and newly renovated hotel. It is on Place du Marche Sainte Catherine...They have nice double rooms with a view on the Place.Maybe it ca interest you...http://www.paris-hotel-pratic.com
Have a nice trip in Paris!

With respect to Audirennes I had asked a friend about Hotel Pratic as she likes staying in the Marais. I thought the rooms looked allright via their website. She said she had a look inside and the lobby is very tiny and so are the rooms. They are small even for Paris. She finds the rates a bit high for the quality.

Thank you for these great responses! I have narrowed my choices down to Bel Ami and D'Angleterre as I think I'd like to try staying in the 6th. I have been quoted 200 Euros/night for Bel Ami and 130 Euros/night for D'Angleterre. I've only got three days/two nights stay before moving on to Brussels so I don't mind paying the extra 140 Euros total for the Bel Ami if it is a considerable jump in quality. But if you think D'Angleterre is only a small notch down, I'm fine to stay there instead. Thanks again! I will follow up with my final choice, and let you know how it turned out!

If you really want to go through with the Angleterre I would choose that for sure. The Bel Ami looks sterile, charmless when I walked by its lobby. Kind of too minimalistic and the rooms are pretty small. I would advise you to save the additional 140 euro.

I prefer the D'Angleterre and find that the photos of Bel Ami show it to be a bit cold and austere.
The Angleterre is very charming and comfortable, we find the staff to be very good at their jobs and the service is good.
We were in Paris in March and walked by to say hello, the updating that we could see was very nice.
I have friends in London who weekend in Paris frequently. They stay at the Place des Vosges. I know nothing about it but that they like it and I love the area.
But I would prefer the 6th also.
Are you more confused now?

Dear Francophile03,

Maybe your friend has not seen the newly renovated rooms....??I found them really nice with a new tapestry...in a typical French style...I agree for the lobby, nothing fancy, but I found the breakfast room very nice too...

Sorry, I forgot to say I was talking about Hotel Pratic...I also stayed in this hotel recently as Audirennes and was happy about it...

Seeking_info -

Maybe <b>Hotel Le Clement</b> in Saint-Germain-des-Pr&eacute;s? (Great price, location and tripadvisor reviews, fwiw)

www.hotel-clement.com


Lulu

Hi Morganne, it's not the Pratic's decor she didn't like. She thought the rooms too small even for Paris.