Does anyone know of this place? A friend told me about it and has stayed there, but maybe I have the name wrong because I'm not having luck finding any posts. Thanks for your help!

I don't know about this hotel. But the way it sounds it's located in the 13th district, a working-class busy district known for Chinatown mainly, but not unsafe. It's just not what one thinks of as a "charming" neighborhood. I stayed in this area-for one night only as it was enough for me. I wanted to be in a more quiet, scenic area. Better choices can be had in the 1st through 8th districts in my opinion.

francophile03 - thanks for the info. i think we might go with the 7th.

Don't give up on the Place D'Italie area! We've been to Paris many times in the past few years and love this area because it is not touristy. Loads of shops, cafes, restaurants, and stores in the area. We stayed a few times at Le Vert Galant on rue Croulebarb--simple, clean, and Ulrich speaks several languages. Two excellent restaurants right next to the hotel. Several close-by metro stops. Let me know if you want more information.

Another plus for the 13th is that it's the location of the wonderful, old-fashioned Paris bistro Au Petit Marguery. We really like the neighborhood in that area.

moondoggie and underhill -- thanks for your posts, makes me feel better about the location. A local recommended it so you're probably correct in that it's less touristy (which I like). I will definitely check out the hotels you both posted and please don't hesitate to comment about any other must sees in this area. 2 years ago we stayed in the 14th walked EVERYWHERE, about 8-10 miles a day, and probably wandered into the 13th but don't remember the specifics. Thanks!

We stayed at the Citadines Aparthotel at Place d'Italie in October 2003. We had stayed in the same neighborhood in 1991.

We were a little concerned about being more on the outskirts of the city than usual (we usually stay in the Bastille area) and thought it might take more time to travel to major attractions.

Our hotel was less than one minute from the Place D'Italie metro station. There are three metro lines from the station so we could go everywhere we needed with one transfer or less. We really were thrilled with the huge Champion grocery store at Place d'Italie where we purchased food, wine, and soft drinks at very reasonable prices.

We walked from our hotel to Notre Dame so that we could stop at some parks and really explore the neighborhood on a Sunday morning. We saw very few tourists in our immediate area; we mainly encountered families who were enjoying the day.

The area was very safe, there were lots of restaurants (fast food and regular), shopping was also good at the mall area at Place d'Italie.

If you can get a good rate, then I would not hesitate to stay in this area.

Transportation from Orly Airport is very easy. Transportation from CDG is a little trickier but very doable. You can take the RER to Denfert-Rouchereau (sp)and then the metro. We took the Roissy bus to Opera and then the metro directly to Place d'Italie but we always travel very lightly with one small bag each.

Hope you have a great time in Paris.

Any hotel located within metres of the Place d'Italie can be a decent compromise of cost versus location. If you can get a better ( 1 thru 8th arrondissements) for the same price take it. As mentioned above, there are 3 metro lines and the Place is not too distant from the south end of the latin quarter.

The 13th is home to the Gobelins tapestry manufactury, which can be visited during a tour (it lasts for 2 hours, with nowhere to sit down) if you'd like to see exquisite traditional tapestries created. Another sight is the Butte-aux-Cailles, still something of a village; the atmosphere is rather Bohemian.