paris accomodations for 4-6 students
 

Hello,

I will be going on a ~2 week trip to Europe in a group of 4-6 university students. I've been looking at staying in youth hostels versus budget hotels versus apartments, and am wondering what the best deal would be, and what the pros/cons are. Obviously hostels are very cheap, but seem to be less safe and generally less comfortable. Paris hotels seem to have triple rooms that would make them quite affordable, and apartments can house up to 6. Does anyone have experience traveling in such a large group in Paris?

We are also going to Italy (Venice, Verona, Rome) and Germany, so suggestions concerning these places would also be appreciated.

Topping so someone with more experience can help.

We had a triple room at two hotels in Paris in June. (We started and ended our insane trip in Paris, thus the two hotels.) Hotel d'Albe in the Latin Quarter is near many of the things you would like to see. Hotel Opera Dannou is a couple of blocks from the Opera House in the 2nd arrondisement. Dannou was wonderfully helpful and I loved their rooms. I don't know if the two hotels will be out of your budget, but they were both to our liking. Check them out on the website I listed below.

My best bet is that you would like to stay in the Latin Quarter (5th) if you are a group of university students. You will find many restaurants/stores in a college student's budget in that area.

For Venice, you might want to check out the hotel Canal & Walter which is located near the train station. There is no elevator but the triple room we had was very spacious. You are able to access the hotel by going over the bridge to the left of the station and turning right once over the bridge. The hotel is less than 5 minutes away. Breakfast (continental) is included in your stay.

Be sure to check out www.venere.com and www.traveladvisor.com for hotel reservations and feedback. I used both sites religiously when planning our trip.

Good luck!

You don;t say what your budget is.

Hostels can be very inexpensive - and I'm not sure any apartment or hotel that inexpensive would actually have all the seeming advantages.

What price are you looking for - for all six together - or each?

Also- I suspect the answer may well be different from city to city.

Have you done any specific research on hostels/apartment prices yet? And does everyone in the group have the same standards/flexibility?

no, I don't, but I know Paris accommodations fairly well. Given your situation, I'd forget the apartment idea. First, it is not easy to find apartments for six people in Paris. Second, it sounds like you would only be in a Paris for a few days if your entire European trip is two weeks, or do I misunderstand that? YOu can't rent apartments (even if you could find some for six people) for a few days. Besides, you'd have to pay in advance, deposits, etc.

The triple budget rooms sound fine for you. The Albe above sounds good, there are other budget hotels in the Latin Qtr. Another good one that is a step up from a hostel is the Hotel Marignan; you could get a triple there for 110 euro max.
http://perso.wanadoo.fr/hotel-marignan/html/p1_a.htm
Also check out Hotel Andre des Arts in that area; there are actually quite a lot of budget hotels in the Latin Qtr.

YOu could probably even get three doubles in a 1* hotel and pay just a little more than a hostel (which runs about 15-20 euro per person in a group room, I think). I think the Hotel Tiquetonne is only around 40-50 euro for a double and is a good location.

I've never heard hostels are that dangerous, what kind of danger do you mean? I'm sure they aren't as pleasant as a hotel room, though, which I think you can get.

You need to be a little clearer on how much time you are talking about in Paris, I think.

I don't know the apartment situations in some of those other places, but I suspect that in general trying to get an apt. for 6 people for stays of a couple days (you have a lot of stops) is not going to be very feasible.

Thanks for the advice, everyone!
Sorry about not being clear earlier. We will be in Paris for 3-4 nights. Some apartments I looked at required either a 3 or 4 night minimum stay (of course, weekly rates are better), but it is true that they require safety deposits of several hundred dollars. The cheapest ones I saw were for 120-150 dollars/night for 6 people, which is very very cheap. Hostels run 18-25 euros/night, it seems.

What I meant by hostels being "less safe" is that travelers seem to get their luggage stolen more easily at hostels (esp. in dorm rooms) than at hotels. This is just a general impression that I got from reading some message forums, but please correct me if this is the wrong impression!

I'm currently looking at the Hotel de Nevers, which has great reviews on tripadvisor.com, and has very cheap triples (~70 euros). Our budget is max 30 euros/night/person.

As an aside, it also seems that hostels include breakfast in their rates, whereas breakfast is 5-10 euros at hotels (which seems pretty steep ...).

Thanks again!

This is second hand but those hostel breakfasts may be no more than a hard roll and beverage. Depends on the hostel. Hotel breakfasts not necessarily much better. In Paris you can easily go to a bakery or cafe instead.

I agree with Suze, don't base this on breakfasts. Hostels may just give you a stale baguette (and some coffee). I don't eat the hotel breakfast, there is no reason to -- it is almost always overpriced. For being on a budget, you have to think more about these things, not just eat breakfast at a hotel because they offer it. You can easily buy it elsewhere, some cheap takeout stand or bakery.

You're right about the safety about belongings, I thought maybe you were worried about muggings or getting beat up or something. Anytime you are in a group place, I wouldn't leave my stuff around, nor if I were in a room with a bunch of strangers. I wouldn't leave anything valuable there during the day.

I've never seen an apt. that cheap for 6 people that I'd want to stay in. Do you really mean dollars, or euro? I just don't think it's very practical if you are moving around a lot. I think cheap hotels are the best idea for you.

I completely agree that 1 or 2-star hotels, with either 2 triples or 3 double rooms is the way to go.

***Remember that in most hostels and sometimes in apartments you have to bring (or rent) your own bedding and towels.

<The cheapest ones I saw were for 120-150 dollars/night for 6 people>

Quite honestly I would be a little scared of something quite that cheap, especially if you are talking US dollar. Beside the room itself, please be careful about what neighborhood you end up in. Often cheapest accommodations are in dangerous or seedy areas or WAY far outside the city center (you will spend more money getting to where you really want to be).

Another thought is that hostels vary quite a bit country to country. For similar prices I have read reports of stunningly wonderful ones in Switzerland, and not too nice at all in Spain (for example).

I know a student friend of mine who stayed in the young and Happy hostel in Paris. She said it was fine and a good location for them. They are a bit older than the average students but felt safe there. Check out http://www.cheaphostel.com/

See if any of these have a triple room

You might also go to www.lonelyplanet.com and their bulletin board called The Thorn Tree, Western Europe branch. Lots of student and budget travelers there who are familiar with hostels and cheap accommodations.

Hello, I have stayed in triple in Hotel des Mines, 125 Blvd. St. Michele, in the latin Qtr. It is in a good location, very nice room, the NICEST staff in all of my stays in paris. it is currently $142 for a triple. Also, I like Hotel Excelsior, 20 rue Cujas, Latin Qtr, 100 euro for a triple. As a real BUDGET find I can recommend Hotel Floridor on place Denfert Rochereau, a decent breakfast is included in the price. It is accross the street from Denfert Rochereau metro and RER with direct connection to CDG. A McD is across and cheap italian, a very nice market st. rue Daguerre for good take out. It does not have a website. google it for the phone number. I have stayed in their single room and the triple room with my husband and son, nice room with decent space. I am not sure of the triple rate but if single is 51 and double/twin is 55 , the triple should be a great bargain also. I felt very safe there even as a single and it is very easy to get anywhere with the metro just accross the street. All of these hotels very clean and pleasant with good bathrooms.

Have a wonderful trip.

Floridor is 51 and 55 euros. I left out the euro part but I am sure you could have figured it out.

sorry, not very organized this morning. Hotel Floridor is 28 place Denfert Rochereau, 14th arr., Tel 01 43 21 35 53, Fax 01 43 27 65 81. I stayed in the triple about 3 years ago so do not know current rate. I was considering staying there this year and checked current rates for single and double so I posted those.

I would second the Hotel St. Andre des Arts on the street of the same name (behind boulevard St. Germain...great safe location, nothing special but clean, and the triple/quad rooms are very spacious. Breakfast is included in the price. Street side can be a little noisy, but very entertaining. Gazillion eateries fitting all pocketbooks.

The downside of hostels is 1) many are closed during the day-- and it is nice to be able to return to your room during the day if you need/want to 2) many have a curfew 3) theft is a serious concern. BUT you do get to meet a lot of other interesting young people from all over the world.

Have a look at Hotel Sainte Marie, it is a 1-star hotel in the 2nd...so it is centrally locaed, they have triple rooms at about 70€, it is very clean, staff is very friendly...It is really a good deal in my opinion..!
http://www.hotelsaintemarie.com
Have a nice trip!