Hi, My husband and I are going to Paris in May/June time frame. Cannot wait! We are staying at the Hotel Champ de Mars. Has anyone stayed there and what can you tell me about it? We want to have lunch (vrs. diner) at someplace very nice. Any suggestions greatly appreciated. We thought perhaps lunch would be cheaper than dinner. What would be the dress at lunch time? Would it be very dressy even though it is daytime? Just curious. Thanks in advance for any info.

lze: You will find some info re the Champs de Mars in the topped thread "Trying to decide on which Paris Hotel".<BR>Hope this helps. Yes, lunches are often cheaper, but a lot of places have 3-course menus to choose from that are not terribly expensive even for dinner. A lot of nice places around where you will stay. Don't worry. Get the food for picnis on Rue Cler. Amazing shops.

Ize,<BR>As far as dressing up for lunch - we found that the Parisians dress much better than the Americans most all of the time. You would be perfectly comfortable going more dressy for lunch. I was so impressed seeing so many smartly dressed women and men going to and fro as we watched from our lunch table. Unfortunately, the Americans were the easiest to spot with their ball caps and sloppy jeans - don't do that! As I watched the Europeans, it harkened back to when we in the U.S. were a bit more considerate in our clothing selections. There are so many good restaurants in Paris - we spent a week there last year and didn't have a bad meal. The April, 2001 edition of Bon Appetit listed a number of selections.

I think that's a great idea as you can afford to go to the best restaurants for lunch at a fraction of dinner cost (even la Tour d'Argent is not too bad at lunch, maybe $50 for the luncheon prix fixe). You should still dress up, of course, in a nice restaurant -- a nice skirt and silk blouse would be okay. Some expensive places with reasonable prix fixe lunch menus, probably about 1/3 of dinner cost ($50-$75) are la Tour d'Argent, le Grand Vefour and Lucas Carton.

I've never stayed at the CDM, but I've popped in and checked it out a couple of times, as I always stay in a hotel about 3 blocks from there. It's lovely, and looks to be quite a bargain.<BR><BR>There are some very good restaurants in the neighborhood. One of my favorites is the Fontaine de Mars, at 129 rue St-Dominique. It's not in the really expensive category, but the food is delicious and the ambiance lovely. The Auberge Bressane, at 16 avenue de la Motte Piquet, is a great place for lunch. Yes, lunch is less expensive than dinner as a general rule. And yes, most Parisians tend to look better put together, even at lunchtime, than Americans usually do, but you don't have to get "very dressy" to eat lunch, except at the really fancy restaurants.

toppers<BR>