Paris Bathrooms
 

Ok what is it about Paris hotel bathrooms that seems to set them apart from most of the world? Well for some reason a lot of them have these hand held shower hoses and No Shower Curtains!

Adding a shower rod and curtain is not an expensive fix. I have seem this complaint on numerous Paris hotel reviews on many travel websites. You would think that this issue would be addressed- or is it one of those cultural things that everyone just has to accept because thats the way it is in Paris?

I have been looking for a Paris hotel in the range of say $300 that has a bathroom that is modern and with a stand up shower and door/curtain and the room/hotel is not in need of a major refurbishment.

It seems that each time I get a recommendation - I investigate and there are several reviews which point to dated carpets, bathroom issues, beds that are too soft or too hard, etc.

Don't get me wrong we love Paris- its our favorite city- but the hotel room experience is an important part of our vacation. (we are not a member of that club which says - we just sleep there so it doesn't matter).

I have been looking for a hotel that meets our needs now for 6 plus months and everytime I think I have found one I find several reviews which bring up these same issues.

Why don't you try a less expensive hotel that is nice with a shower and shower curtains such as:

http://www.hotel-grandes-ecoles.com/
http://www.balcons.com/

I've had showers and curtains at both of these places but please confirm before booking.

I've never stayed in a Paris hotel that cost more than $150 a night.

I've never had a hotel room with any of the problems you describe above.

Try the Luxembourg Parc. Power showers and full shower curtains. Great place to stay.

http://www.hotelluxparc.com/

I've had the same problems with low budget places, but at your budget (215euros/nt), there are plenty of places that look to have nice modern bathrooms.

www.hoteldesgrandshommes.com

We mostly stay in apartments, but have also stayed in hotels with none of the problems you mention.

Best bathrooms were at Hilton Paris (now Pullman) with a ridiculously low ($100/night) Hotwire rate, and Hotel Concorde Lafayette, with a ridiculously low TravelZoo special rate ($130 including amazing breakfast).

But, bathrooms at Hotel Muguet, Hotel Langlois, etc., have been just fine as well.

Smaller hotels seem to refurbish rooms all at once, and increase their rates immediately thereafter accordingly. The larger hotels, though, refurbish rooms on a rotating basis, so if the room you're assigned isn't all that "fresh", you can ask for another.

Carpets are tough because guests do things to them. I know one hotel that replaced the beds because of complaints that they were too soft, then folks complained they were too hard.

You have to carefully study reviews. Some people quibble over everything, or have a major complaint and add all sorts of others so as to have a long list.

There are a LOT of very nice hotels in Paris for $300/night. And, you may want to consider the advantages of an apartment.

You could be describing the Hotel Bonaparte where I stayed the last week in September. Fortunately, I didn't pay $300 a night but felt for the price paid (164 euros for superior double) that the hotel could have been better-maintained.

The quirkiness of the bathroom I put down in part to the fact that in these very old buildings, bathrooms have to be worked in as best they can into the existing structure, under the eaves in the case of my room. As for no shower curtain, I no longer fret over getting the floor wet, which I usually do. Actually prefer no curtain to those often provided which are too short and cling to you while you're trying to shower.

BTW, the Bonaparte is in a great location and the morning staff is very helpful.

Please, whatever you do, don't tell Ira that the Bonaparte was anything but outstanding!

Too late, Dukey. Forget to mention the scruffy white cat which lounges on the check-in-desk. Am very allergic to cats so not a welcome "feature" for me.

I've never stayed in a hotel in Paris with a shower without a shower door (no curtains, but I really don't like them in hotels as they can get gross with mold). Some people don't understand that the nozzle on the tub is not necessarily for a shower, it is to rinse yourself off after using soap with bathing. This is to conserve water. If there is no tube or slot on the wall high up to put it in to simulate a shower, it is not a shower. I've had quite a few hotels like that in France, some older ones or deluxe ones may have tubs not meant to be used as a shower. It isn't the cheapest ones, sometimes it is the expensive ones.

However, when I have had a nozzle that can be used as a shower (by inserting it to a slot on the metal bar on the wall), it has always had a door to prevent spraying the room, although it does not run the length of the tub, but it's never bothered me.

The traditional smaller French sabot tub should have a sprayer but is not meant to be a shower--at least I've never had one of those that was meant to be a shower.

I have never have a hotel with a stall shower in Paris without a door on it, and I have had that in some cheaper Paris hotels (as they have put in smaller bathrooms into older hotels that didn't used to have them "en suite") as well as nicer ones--a stall shower that is not a tub.

This may not meet your standards, but one of my favorite Paris hotels is the Aiglon in Montparnasse (3*, nowhere near your price range) and it has shower stalls with glass doors, and has for many years. They are not tubs at all. The hotel is hardly rundown as it just entirely renovated within the last few years (it was never run down in all the years before that, either, I've been staying there periodically for about 20 years).

oh, sorry, but as for this comment of yours": "It seems that each time I get a recommendation - I investigate and there are several reviews which point to dated carpets, bathroom issues, beds that are too soft or too hard, etc." well, it is hard to find a hotel that is perfect to everyone, I'm afraid. You will read some bad reviews on the Aiglon, some of which I find astonishing in comparison to my experience. So go figure. But who is going to say a bed is going to be perfect for everyone. A lot of people like beds that I do not.

I agree that those hand held showers instead of a proper shower head is extremely irritating. I always wonder whether the person that invented this idea never washes their hair?

But - there are hotels with shower curtains - many of them.

As for beds being too soft or too hard - I wuold ignore that part. EVeryone likes different kids of beds - but unless you're the princes of the pea (or the hotel is a dump with ancient beds) this is usually not an issue. (I find most are too soft - but have just leared to live with it - since I can sleep tandingup in the subway if necessary.)

I recently stayed at the Hotel de L'Abbaye in Saint-Germain. I paid 260 euros a night and had a very small tub ( French sabot?) with hand- held-shower/sprayer and no curtain or shower doors. I've gotten use to the hand-held showers, but I expected better at the L'Abbaye.

We have a hand-held shower unit in our bathroom, attached to the wall so that it can also be used in the normal way. I wouldn't want to do without it-and it works just fine for washing the hair. You just wet your hair, put the shower unit down for a couple of seconds, shampoo up, and grab the shower head to rinse or just put it back in the holder.

The Madison hotel has baths with attached shower heads and shower curtains.

I can tell that no one here has stayed at a British hotel that has only a bathtub. Now that makes for hair-washing difficulty.

I see that certainly cultural differences are not accepted as readily as others. But since there are chains such as Holiday Inn in Paris, people who need an Americanized bathroom should not have any difficulty finding one, if that is the priority.

certainly = certain

One of the things we appreciated about the Victoria Palace hotel was the shower curtain

Now that I've thought more about it, I do recall the bathroom in the Best Western Eiffel Park had a tub, fixed showerhead, but no curtain (which was no issue for me). However, after a few days, a different maid, apparently, had switched the water flow from the shower to the faucet and I had a heck of a time trying to figure out how to reverse it. There was no obvious means of doing this. A call to the front desk resulted in instructions to pull on the tip of the faucet. I never would have figured that out!

Just saw on HGTV a couple looking for place overseas (forget where but it wasn't France) and the showers all had that 1/4 partition that is about useless for keeping floor dry. No one seemed concerned. Is there a drain in the floor to address this?

The hand held shower for the French is to use when they have soaped themselves down. (less water wastage). The water is used only when needed.

Upright showers waste a lot of water. I like them, but they do waste a lot of water

Those handhelds can waste JUST as much water if you leave them running. A "navy shower" solves the wastage problem but a lot of people figure they've paid for a hotel room and all the water they want, all the lights on they want, etc., etc.

I agree with Kerouac, maybe the showers should be viewed as just another part of the french experience. I've been to France quite a few times, and I would have to think hard to remember if I ever had a curtain/door. It is not something I would serach out.

I went, I showered.

Reminds of the stories of the facilities in Ghana when I went...if France worries you... :)

Oh and one more pet peeve- the lact of counter space in these bathrooms- you can maybe fit your toothbrush and comb - but thats it. Now if its just guys maybe, but for women this is clearly not going to cut it. They have creams, brushes, make up, lipstick, etc.

Ok I guess I'm just spoiled by the Asian hotel experiences - pay your $200 and get 5 star quality, great bathrooms- double sinks, stand up showers with real doors, make up mirror, plush towels, bathrobes,coffee maker, and the room decor is up to date.

I guess I'll have to lower my expectations when we vist Paris again. Its our favorite city but not when it comes to their hotel experience. I love the small hotels with character but not paying a lot for what we get.

BillT,
I guess it's what I would called travel personalitiy.

Some people put a premium on the hotel, the services, the fluffy towels, etc. Others see it as a place to store luggage, and a human body for 8-9 hrs a day :)

That being said, a clean centrally located room can be found without spending $$$.

The handheld shower with no curtain is a European curiosity I will never understand.

This thread reminds me of all those "all the hotel rooms in Paris are small" rationalization threads we've seen.

Like the bathroom counter space, it all depends on which hotel you stay in. I've had bedrooms in Paris hotels which were way big enough but I also was willing to pay for that so-called "larger" space. It's when you DO pay and you STILL don't get what you think is your money's worth that can certainly cause concerns and understandably so.

Dukey1 - that is an excellent point. You can pay more and think you are getting more but sometimes it turns out that you don't. In the end its a crap shoot. The hotel experience is important to us-so that is why I continue on my long quest to find a hotel in Paris that meets our needs.

Holiday Inn Opera, Rue L'Echiquier, gave us a kingsize bed, a beautiful modern bathroom with heated towel rack, Italian tiles, mini-bar fridge etc. Our room faced the inside courtyard and had no view but the outer rooms don't have much of a view either.
I was impressed by the very wide thick carpeted hallway serving the rooms on our floor.
One renovation not attended to was the teeny little elevator which could only take one person at a time - didn't bother us and I guess the lift shaft cannot be widened. Actually it was the only thing in that hotel which let you know you were in Paris!
I see some of the feedback isn't too good - don't know where those folks were housed but we were in the lap of luxury!

Our hotel on Ile de La Jatte (on River Seine) had one of the biggest bathrooms I have experienced in hotels. Only other HUGE bathroom was at The Hotel Torcy, rue Torcy. You could move a bed in there!

Bathroom with the best view......Hotel Duquesne, Rue Duquesne, 75007. It had a French door (long window) which revealed the Eiffel Tower in all her glory - Especially at night when she gave you a sparkle whilst you brushed your teeth!

BillT,

Would you consider renting an appartment? Most, if not all, ads will feature photos, so you can see before you choose. Combine with reviews here...and away you go.

Tod- having read a number of reviews on this hotel (Holiday Inn Opera) - it clearly would not do for us. The hotel needs a renovation and this is coming from the manager of the hotel.
Too many negative reviews posted and that is always a red flag for us. I will check out the others you mention- thanks for your input, its always appreciated.

I have no problem at all with hand-held shower attached to the wall. It is what we had in almost all hotels in France and it is what I like. I am one that I do not like at all the fix shower head which is a standard in USA .

In all the hotels in Europe we had door or curtain ; I don't remember at least one without them! And I am not speaking about not luxury hotels.

Regarding the size of the room and of the bathroom, I learned something: we always book (if available) the room with bath and not only with shower (even I do only shower). These rooms and bathrooms are bigger than rooms with only shower.

If you use a hand held shower attached to the wall you have to constantly turn it on and off (on to get wet, off to soap, on to add water to soap, off to suds up, on to rinse and wet hair, off to apply shampoo, on to add water to shampoo, off to suds shampoo, on to rinse shampoo, off to add cream rinse, on to wet cream rinse, off to suds up cream rine, then on to rinse). Can you tell me that people actualy go through all this rigamarole every morning - instead of just standing under a running shower and doing it all in half the time? (And god help any poor woman who trie to color her hair at home!)

I know there is supposed to be a way to attach the tube thingy to the tub or wall so you don;t have to keep turning it on and off - but every time I have tried this it runs amok and sprays water all over the room.

We only stay in places with real showers - among other things.

As for water wastage - you can easily get water saver shower heds that use only about half the regular amount of water. Mandated where we live - and still have plenty to wash yourself and your hair.

Well I am surprised Bill as we were there only 6-8 short years ago and everything looked brand new at the Holiday Inn.
I distinctly remember my shoes sinking into the deep pile of the hallway carpet and the delight at our modern room. What a shame it needs re-doing.

You won't survive Hotel Torcy unless you are extremely patient and expect no receipt and no elevator and noisy Russians down the hall. Curtains that don't match the wallpaper and well washed but very clean bed linen.
This was an experience with a culture not at all familiar to us but non-the-less tuned out a very good stay in a huge bedroom & enormous bathroom.

If you are looking for a touristy-close-to-all-sights, The Hotel Grand Ile de la Jatte won't suit you either because it is on an island in the Seine amongst very exclusive residences. This island is for romance, honeymooners, artists and folks who love to walk along the river bank. It's quiet, very quiet.
Heres the link for you:http://www.hoteldelajatte.com/index.html

Due to the quirks of old buildings, more than once I have stayed in rooms in France where the bathroom seemed huge and perhaps even larger than the bedroom. This sort of surprise amuses and delights me. (Oh, and my room at the KL Station Hotel in Kuala Lumpur to this quirk to an infinitely higher level.)

"...We only stay in places with real showers - among other things..."

I sense a cultural backlash coming...:)

nytraveler:
I had to laugh when I read your post- if I subjected my wife to that sort of thing (the tub and shower hose thingy) then I suspect I would have to turn her loose on the french designer shops in order to get out of the hot water I would find myself in at that point. Even then I'm not sure it would be enough!

No - I love traditional european hotels - much prefer them to modern american style cahin places. but- since most of the baths were added on later I don;t know why they couldn;t put in proper ones with real showers.

We do end up in hotels (almost always) with real showers. Once we had booked such and when we arrived late due to traffic found ourselves in a room with a faux one. They moved us to a real one after 2 days - I think the maids were tired of mopping up the floods of water resulting when the faux ones ran amok and sprayed water all over the bathroom.