I reserved at the Hotel Muguet for now since the cheapest rate that I have heard from so far is 100E there. Others have not replied yet. I will update you all if I find a better rate. Thanks for all your help!

My only concern is about the hotel staff, and I am still thinking that I would rather be in the 5th. Is the staff at Hotel Muguet so unhelpful. I like to ask about recommended restaurant, or places to find things of interest or even how to get somewhere. Anyone have positive experiences with the staff at Hotel Muguet? Anyone know anyhting about Royal Cardinal, Hotel Royal Cardinal or California St. Germain - these were on a discount website at 85-90E.

I would definitely recommend the Hotel Eugenie. It is on Rue St. Andre-des-Arts in the heart of the Latin Quarter. There are a lot of little bars/cafes etc in the street.

http://www.eugenie-hotel.com/uk/

It might be a little out of your budget, but the location makes it worth the money IMHO.

We have stayed at Hotel Muguet several times and were exceptionally pleased in every way! (Especially with the superb modern air conditioning.)

So fortunate that your dates are available...

I would have mentioned Hotel Muguet, but you said you preferred the Latin Quarter, St. Germain, or Marais...and it is usually booked up way, way ahead.

We loved the location of Hotel Muguet in the 7th. Though "quiet" at night, this is a good thing. It is hardly devoid of nightlife, and when we were elsewhere late at night (St. Germaine, Montparnasse, Montmartre...), a taxi "home" was quite reasonable, as it would be no matter where you're staying.

Place de l'Ecole Militaire is fabulous (many bus connections, metro stop with escalator, not a connecting stop, where you can easily purchase a museum pass or Carte Orange). There's a L'Opentour stop right there. And, a pharmacy, post office, several charming cafes.

And, "the neighborhood" is chock full of appealing, charming, moderately priced, dining destinations. And, some very nice night life if you know where to go. Not to mention the shopping. Rue St-Dominque is the quintessential Paris street lined with those specific shops of every sort...

Not to mention the proximity of Rue Cler, of Rick Steves fame, which is just not as touristy (sort of like Niagara Falls) as you may think, or have been led to believe.

We've always found the staff at Hotel Muguet most helpful and accomodating. I think those that don't may be, unknowingly or not, quite rude and disrepectful.

For example, as we were checking out last time, a gent with a huge garment bag on his shoulder, plowed through those standing at the front desk, knocking everyone aside, and demanded "I need a taxi to the airport - my flight leaves in an hour!". The three ladies at the desk were busy with other guests, and there were one or two others waiting. He was ignored. He repeated, "I need a TAXI, RIGHT NOW!" He was ignored. He spun about (batting everyone around with his garment bag) and declared, "Well, I guess I'll never stay HERE again!"

Others have complained that one (now deceased) of the two poodles belonging to Mme is not friendly, even nips them, but, in Paris, it is rude to approach someone's dog without asking first.

And, I've seen complaints that Mmme does not allow folks to bring in their "take away" feasts to enjoy in the fabulous courtyard garden. Well, if you'd even seen the mess left behind some expect others to clean up...you'd understand why.

Folks complain that you must leave your key at the desk when going out. But, this is just so they know when you are gone (and will know whether to ring you with an incoming phone call or take a message) and housekeeping can enter the room without disturbing you.

The value for the dollar at Hotel Muguet is exceptional. Each time we returned, many improvements had been added with little increase in the rates.

The decor is always "fresh" and housekeeping could not be more meticulous.

For sure, Mme, and the rest of the staff are quite "all business" at first, but they quickly warm up to you if you are mannerly.

Also as we were leaving last time...every morning I would go to the front desk with a lunch/and or dinner reservation for them to place for us. On a piece of paper, I'd have written the restaurant, phone number, our name, the time, etc. And, they'd place the reservation. While we were waiting for our taxi to the airport, Mme came over and asked (and she is just not so confident of her English as anyone has any right to assume), "Oh, how did you know where to go every day?" And, "How were the places you went?" Believe me, prior to that, I found her most efficient, but quite chilly.

After we returned last time, I e-mailed Mme because a) I'd forgotten to leave a gratuity for housekeeping, and b) I'd destroyed my bedside lampshade by placing a hand towel over it, to dim it a bit, so I could read before going to sleep without the light shining in my husband's eyes. The lampshade sort of melted and I wanted to pay for it. Well, she replied that a) "all services are included in the room rate", and b) "Don't give the lampshade a though."

I've stayed at the Muguet, but didn't need the staff for simple directions or advice, so really can't comment on that. However, the night clerk was quite rude to me when I asked a simple question about the phone system. I disagree with djkbooks assumption that anyone who is treated rudely by their staff is asking for it and must have been rude and disrespectful in their questions. All I did was ask a simple question and I didn't do it in any rude manner, whatsoever. Those people have an attitude. I certainly wouldn't book or not book the hotel on that, but I didn't really need them a lot. Which is why it was even worse, I didn't ask hardly anything of them. The night clerk is not very nice, he's just rude.

actually, to be fair, I'm not sure it was the night clerk I'm talking about, as I didn't ask the question late at night. But it was a male. I didn't like the place myself, but I'm not gaga over rue Cler.

Well I have reserved Hotel Muguet for now but am still looking around and have emailed places based on all of your recommendations. So we will see what happens. I am somewhat picky and definitely want a clean and comfortable place - I don't care that much about the size of the room. I hear mixed reviews about places that I have seen at the discount sites for about 85-90E. How likely do you think there might be a cancellation at recommended hotels in 5th/6th. Should I try them again closer to my dates of travel?

You will not find a cleaner hotel than the Muguet anywhere. The cheaper rooms are very small, but have the same luxurious towels and high count cotton sheets, ironed at that, as most 4 star hotels. We have stayed there countless times through the years, and have watched the 2 girls grow up into beautiful young ladies, and have gotten to know the entire family very well. Mme Pelletier is very proud of her hotel and plows the profits back into constant renovations. Her next project is to decrease the number of rooms by combining some of the smaller ones into larger ones. Her occupancy rate is among the highest in the area.

The hotel de suez has very clean rooms for 95-100 euros. I won't stay there again because the staff was not pleasant, but if all you want is a good room and to be well located, Suez is great. It's just a few blcoks from Notre Dam on the left bank. Ask for room 407; it's off Blvd. St. Michel and therefore less noisy.

As an aside, hello Fodorites! Trip report to come!
Cooncat

For Christina: It probably was the night clerk. He speaks very little English and is quite self-conscious about it, making him seem abrupt. When we were there, all he'd say was "ask someone tomorrow at the desk". We had put money in the beverage machine and nothing came out. But, I really wanted a bottle of water (right then!) and hesitated to put more money in only to have the same thing happen again. So, I motioned him over to the machine, and in very broken French and lots of sign language attempted to explain the problem. To my dismay, he walked off! But, as we headed for the elevator, he was returning with the key to the machine, whereupon he gave us two(!) bottles of water and waved away the second coin.

Here's what I meant by being disrespectful: Someone reported that her son was staying at Hotel Muguet, having been invited on a trip to Paris with family friends. She phoned the hotel (when it would have been the middle of the night there) and said only "What time is it there?" Whereupon, she was disconnected. She phone back two more times. Now, this woman had not bothered to learn the time difference. Her plan was to see what time it was there, and, if reasonable, ask to be connected with her son.

I would guess that the night clerk did not understand your question and/or knows absolutely nothing about the phone system.

Mme Pelletier could not be more efficient or proficient. If her night clerk was fluent in English and was able to be of every sort of assistance all night long, this would mean higher rates.

Basically, the night clerk is there only to let you in after the entrance is locked for the evening and give you your key.

I don't see that having an English-speaking night clerk would automatically lead to higher rates. I don't expect concierge-type services at a 2 or 3-star, and I don't necessarily expect the guy who works the graveyard shift to be fluent in English.

I don't think someone in a service industry should be impatient with someone on the phone under most circumstances, even presuming he has a psychological hangup about not being fluent in English (which I don't need to know, frankly) or even if the caller is calling at an inopportune time. If that's the case, perhaps they should have an answering machine. I work in an office that deals with the public.
Rude is rude and I don't let anyone on my staff get away with it.

I think budget hotels have a harder time getting night staff since they pay very little. English speaking AND polite might be asking a lot :)

The 7th is very nice and residential and I agree with Christine, the rue Cler area is not That wonderful ! I would much prefer to spend my time in the rue Jacob/6th area.
We rented an apt on rue Grenelle and rue Cler/rue Dominique. While it was an apt and lovely, I missed being able to walk past the galleries and shops of the St Germain area..and for some reason, the 7th has a lot of streets that are not as pretty as in the 5th and 6th (IMHO)
But I found while looking for a small inexpensive hotel for my son for a couple of nights, that the hotels in that area offered very little and were not great bargains. For less than 100E you did not get a toilet in your room.
I think the most hotels in your price range that have good value are in the Latin Quarter and the Marais.
My son stayed at the Hotel Tinquetonne in March for under $100.

I know the hotel muguet is cheap so you can't expect much, but I am going with my boyfriend. Is it romantic? Are the mattresses in plastic?

You may have already found something but if you are still looking we like the Hotel Andrea Rivoli on the edge of the Maurais. It is a 2* and a twin is 84 euros without breakfast. It is four blocks from Notre Dame and right around the corner from both the Hotel D'Ville and the Pompidieu Center.

Wow, I've read years worth of posts about the Muguet...never 'heard' about mattresses wrapped in plastic... has anybody ever seen that in a Paris hotel? I did read once that Hotel des Arenes had plastic covering on their pillows.

A big plus to the Hotel Andrea Rivoli mentioned by another poster is that it is airconiditioned.
I stayed a few years ago(actually 7 years ago) at Regent's hotel (rue Madame) in the 6th. It was nice and clean, I am not sure what the price is these days, but then it was very reasonable.

Have a look at Hotel Rive Gauche, a 2 stars hotel in Rue des Saint Peres whiwxh might be in your budget!It is ideally located in Saint Germain des Pres. Rooms and bathrooms are very clean. Staf is great!
http://www.hotelrivegauche.com
Have a nice trip!

Thanks you Christina for your reply.

As one of the people who have had trouble with Mme Pelletier I did not appreciate the assumptions that were being expressed above.

I always waited my turn, used the polite constructions and got told that the phone was over there and that I could make my own reservations. If I asked her something in French I got yelled at in French, if I asked in English I got yelled at in English. I developed a complex after a while. I don't think that I should have to try to guess what would avoid that result.

I stayed at Hotel La Motte Picquet for several years -- Mme Ireland was very "comme il faut" -- but I learned well from her and Danielle what behavior was correct and we became fast friends.

Another more simple hotel on the same street is Hotel L'Empereur. Not as pretty, but we will probably give it a try next time.

If you don't need the front desk the Muguet is a wonderful choice.