Paris 4 star recommendations? So hard to decide!
 

We are trying to get a good deal on a room from Sept 13-18 for 5 nights and thought the Best Western Chambiges http://www.smallandeleganthotels.com.../Chambiges.htm
was perfect. They gave us a rate of 214 euros for the 1rst 2 nights and 229 euros for the last 3 nights. That's ALOT of money for us, but we were willing to go for it as the hotel looked fantastic (as per reviews and their website). We just found out it's a handicapped room on the ground floor and they wouldn't move us higher as the other rooms with 2 twins or a king (which we need - we can't do a room with just a queen) are suites and much more expensive.

Any ideas of another hotel in the right bank preferably UNDER 198 euros a night? We tried a few that have been recommended here via your previous posts and they are all booked!

My lord, I guess this is peak time. What's up with that - I thought all the kids were back in school? So much for our ability to find the shoulder season...

We found Le Meridien Montparnasse (I know, it's on the Left Bank, but it looked interesting) at around 197 euros per night http://www.lemeridien.com/france/par...1_fr1610.shtml
as it looked modern, semi-expensive but with large rooms and 2 twin beds or a king, and we might get a killer view overlooking all of paris and maybe even the Eiffel Tower from one of the higher floors - see amazing website pics (HUGE hotel). Anyone stay there? I know it will not have a drop of Parisian flavor, but it looked nice! I'm not sure I could sell my wife on it as it's a businessman's hotel of sorts. We also looked at Best Western (I guess they own almost every hotel in Paris now!) Etoile St Honore that had decent rates of around $189 euros a night, but one guy on Trip Advisor gave it a horrible review and said that he could hear the couple above him having "romantic relations" through the paper thin walls and would definitely not recommend it. When I told this to the Best Western lady on the phone, she said she's been setting people up there for years and has only heard great things! Who to believe? Plus, that doesn't put us on the Right Bank... I don't know, maybe the seemingly pricey Right Bank is overrated. I was just hoping to stay somewhere different this time as I totally DID the left bank 5 years ago when I went to Paris.

Hotel Abbaye and a few others recommended on people's 10 best lists for Paris hotels under $200 were booked. We are lost when looking at long lists of hotels. Some people on here say stay away from Opera arera as it's crowded and noisy; we just don't know. I look them up in Trip Advisor to find a review and invariably there are two totally contradicting reviews or there's just not much information at all.

I'd love to treat her to an incredible place like the Four Seasons George, Doubletree or Hotel Crillon but we can't afford $450-750 a night!!! Are there places about half that nice on the right bank you could recommend? Even a really small hotel with Parisian character would be nice!

She wants a comfortable two bedded or king bed room that's really quiet, and not a shoebox, with a decent view of something other than a trash dumpster or a back alley. This will probably be our only trip to Paris together and she wants to live it up a bit, but not spend our whole wad!

Help...
Steve and Julia Robinson
Silver Spring MD
USA

I think you owe it to yourself to at least see what is being offered by the various discounters such as 180096hotel or discounthotel.com
Sometimes you can get some very good rates through these folks if you don't mind paying the entire amount up front. Just a thought.
You might try srs-worlhotels.com or utell as well although the latter are technically not discounters per se.
Hotels need to sell rooms and it is sometimes amazing to see just which ones are, in fact, giving blocks to discounters to "move" for them.
Good Luck on your trip

HI
do a search here or elsewhere at fodors.com under Destinations, Paris, hotels for guest comments on the following right bank hotels. Also look for comments at tripadvisor.com

the Brighton (no a/c, and street noise can be a problem but fabulous location)

the Madison (left bank)

Caron de Beaumarchais (in the Marais area, but right bank)
you will find many good suggestions.

I have a file on Paris; if you'd like to see it, email me at
[email protected]

I meant to add, the above suggestions are not 4 stars, 3 stars I think, but I usually pay attention to amenities and not stars.

Assume you've seen the item in today's Post Travel section about hotel discounts in Europe....including those at www.franceguide.com

Thanks! You all are FAST. Ok, I'm pretty excited. I just called Le Meridien Etoile on the Right Bank http://www.lemeridien.com/france/par...1_fr1608.shtml and all of a sudden they now have a "buy 3 nights at 230 euros, get a 4th night FREE". Sweet deal - saves us an instant $265 US. Plus, they give a Full Breakfast the last morning. This puts us at $210 US a night for the 5 nights, a full $225 less than Hotel Chambiges in their ground floor handicap room for the 5 nights (that's a free $45 dinner each night for us! Yeahhhhh).

Has anyone stayed at Le Meridien Etoile? Don't tell us if it was REALLY bad because I think we're set on it. I know it's a huge hotel on the Right Bank and it'll be very touristy, but it was renovated in 2001 and it looks devine. My wife and I actually love big, anonymous hotels where if something goes wrong, they try REALLY hard to fix it without an attitude. Plus, if something goes terribly bad with our room, there's always another room they could upgrade us to (1100 freakin rooms!), or an amenity they could give us, as opposed to a small hotel which isn't always that flexible.

You guy's ROCK.

Steve

Le Meridien Mont. has been coming up a lot on Priceline for $100 as well as Le Meridien Etoile for $95. Yet another recommendation for www.biddingfortravel.com. Those are the only hotels in that area that seem to come up on PL. There's a long list of recent acceptances.

Stever- I second Elaine's recommendation for le Madison hotel in the 6th, on Saint Germaine Blvd.( left bank).
It's a 3 star, but boy oh boy the deluxe rooms are nice, I think the prices are well within your budget, check out their web site: www. hotel-madison.com

I've posted at least a half dozen reviews do a search on hotel Madison and you'll get dozens of posts.This hotel is first class.
Good luck
Fluffy

Look at the Hotel de L'Arcade.
http://www.hotel-arcade.com/anglais/default.htm
This is a three-star hotel only because it doesn't have a restaurant. Otherwise, the rooms are huge and the price is right, and the location simply can't be beat.And, best of all, the people there are so nice!

Le Meridien Montparnasse is offering the same stay 4 nights, get one free. It's called the "a la carte" promotion. I've read on this board that the Montparnasse location is preferable to the Etoile.

Thanks again, folks. The Washington Post is still sitting in my driveway so I'll check that today! I emailed The Madison which looks scrumptious and am waiting to hear back from them about a twin bedded room. I also emailed Hotel de L' Arcade and am waiting to hear back from them to see if they could possibly extend their summer special rates for us!

Originally I thought the right bank would be best, as I've already done the left bank 5 years ago, but it seems that the left bank would be just fine and more our "style".

I can't believe Le Meridien is only $100 US on priceline! That is stupendous, and half the best price we could find! I'll have to look into that. For the price alone, that would make it work for me!

I'll let you all know what occurs. This site is a blessing to us. I feel much more comfortable with our travel plans now. I feel like I can finally trust someone's opinion about a place because you're not travel reviewers being paid (or paid off) to post a good or bad review!

Steve and Julia Robinson
USA

While the Madison is in an excellent location and has a great view, the service is disappointing. We will not stay there again. We highly recommend the right bank Jolly Hotel Lotti on rue Castigliones.

Hi SandC,can you please detail why you found the service at Le Madison disappointing?

You see, I think it will help others to have a differing opinion because I believe everyone here so far has given Le Madison favorable reviews.

Thanks.

I'd be happy to elaborate francophile03:

When we checked in we confirmed our rate (184 Euros per night) and were informed that breakfast was included in the price. However, when we checked out 4 days later at 5:00 am (we had to catch an obscenely early flight to Nice) the rate had jumped to 210 euros per night. Obviously the manager was not available at such an early hour, so we paid the inflated amount with the intention of addressing the rate change at a later date. A few days later we contacted the hotel, we asked the manager about the discrepancy in the rate and were bluntly informed that the lower rate did not include breakfast. Even after informing the manager that the front desk staff and our e-mail confirmation stated otherwise he would not budge.

In addition, we had unfortunately left behind a print, a sentimental memento of our trip (curse that early flight). We asked the hotel, at OUR expense, to mail it to Nice (or to Amsterdam where we were to stay at a later date). Again no luck.

Ironically, the location of the hotel and our room (overlooking Boul. St. Germain) are worth the 210 Euro per night. However, I've never stayed at a hotel where they would not honour the rate that they have quoted. The hotels refusal to drop a package in the mail (at OUR expense) also seems peculiar, certainly not an overly onerous request to make of a concierge or hotel manager.

Perhaps it was just an off week :)

I am truly sorry that you had such a bad experience. It does not fit such a highly regarded hotel as Le Madison. You would think that the manager would consider goodwill and not be so unwilling to deduct the breakfast charges especially since you not only expained the confirmation of the rate including b'fast plus your email that has it written down. I don't get it with ignoring your request to send your print at your expense also.

Perhaps it was an off week but that kind of behavior-while not unheard of-is really uncommon in a high end 3* hotel.

You can post a review and your comments on tripadvisor.com. It may help others to decide better.