My husband and I are traveling to Paris in April and would like to find a hotel in St. Germain/Left Bank area. Budget is $300-$400 USD per night. We would prefer to stay somewhere centrally located that would allow us to walk to many sites. Thank you!!

With that budget I'd stay at Relais St. Germain, a delightful small hotel with large, beautifully decorated rooms just next to the Odeon metro stop -- in the heart of the 6th.

You could also consider the Montalembert or the Pont Royal which is right next door. They are across from the Rue de Bac Metro stop.

I second Patrick. We ended up by accident at the Relais St Germain. We went back again and stayed a week. Unfortunately our budget is a little lower than that for the last trip and the upcoming trip. We are staying at the Hotel Madison and if it doesn't give us the same feeling as the Relais ST Germain we will save more so we can stay there.
Ask for the rooms in the older part of the building. Those are the larger rooms and very nicely decorated. A couple of blocks away is the Marche St Germain where we would go for water, wine and flowers for the room. On the way you will go past Gerard Mulot which is a fabulous pastry shop. The wine bar where you have breakfast is a great place for lunch.

We just discovered a new, privately owned small hotel in the 6th at 22, rue Saint-Sulpice, in the heart of Paris. It opened in August and belongs to the Esprit group. It's called the Esprit Saint-Germain and is an excellent upscale property.

Both the Classic and Superior rooms should fall within your budget (Classic 260 to 310 euros, Superior 290 to 350 euros).

Their web page is still under construction, but you can contact them via email at: [email protected]. Their phone number is: + 33 (0) 1 53 10 55 55. Or you can fax them at: + 33 (0) 1 53 10 55 56

I love the d'Aubusson, on rue Dauphine. All services and amenities, great location, beautiful little hotel. As other suggestions, on the same street,I've always read good things about Relais Christine and le Regent.

I've stayed at LeRegent several times and often recommend it, but it is nowhere near the same class as Relais St. Germain. (I stayed at LeRegent when my budget didn't allow for Relais St. Germain). d'Aubusson is nice if you go for a large deluxe room, but again doesn't begin to have the "character" that Relais St. Germain has. Relais Christine is also very nice, but again, you must get a larger deluxe room, and even then many of their rooms are quirky and dark. A lot depends on luck there.

Our favorite is the Hôtel Madison, right across from the Boulevard St-Germain-des-Prés, a great location. For your price range you can get one of the excellent, large rooms in front overlooking the Boulevard. Don't worry about traffic noise; the windows are double-glazes, and the hotel is actually set back behind a small square with trees.

We stayed at the Relais St. Germain a couple of years ago. The hotel itself was fine, but the 2 ladies who were at the reception desk (at different times) weren't very pleasant at all. I don't know if it was b/c we were Americans (which we sensed was the case - who knows????), but they were actually rude. We weren't demanding or obnoxious. We asked one where the bus that stopped outside the hotel went and then the question we asked the other lady, the next day, was if a certain restaurant was w/i walking distance. There was a man on duty the 3rd (and final) day who couldn't have been more pleasant.

Patrick - the Relais sounds interesting but we can not find a way to book a room (no web site, etc.). How do you typically book this hotel and how do you ensure that you get a good room (with only 20+ rooms to choose from)

Oh the joys of Google. I'm sure they have their own website, but now I can't find it either through all the other google junk.
Here's their fax number. I'd suggest you fax and you might ask them about their own website.
01-46-33-45-30

I've stayed in two rooms and friends in another. So far as I could tell all the rooms were very nice. Each is individually decorated by the interior designer and antique dealer owners. You might mention what you like better -- more sitting space, more desk space, brighter and lighter.
But all seem to be pretty much equal size except they have at least one suite which is supposed to be very nice. You might ask about the extra cost for that to ensure you get the best.

Hey mommyofThree2004, here's the Relais St. Germain's website, courtesy of Fodors 2005:

http://www.hotelrsg.com/

My wife and I have stayed at the following: (we loved both)
1) Hotel Pas des Calais- (see website) right off Blvd St Germaine at 59 rue des Saints-Peres in the 6th.
2) Le Sainte Beuve - (see website) 9 rue Sainte Beuve also in the 6th.
3) try this site: <www.hotels-exclusive.com?paris.htm> for other suggestions.

well - we got back from paris in may and had an incredible time. the relais st. germain was perfect. we couldn't have asked for a better location, staff, breakfast, room. thank you for the recommendation.

Tell me more about Relais St Germain, Mommy!! We are always looking for good hotels in that neighborhood!!

I am so glad you enjoyed the Relais. We are planning a return in March. There was a column about it in the August Food & Wine about how it was taken over by the former chef at the Regalade. Did you stay in the old portion or the new?