I have stayed at both the Deux Iles and Lutece on Ile St. Louis. The Deux Iles I stayed there this past March and the Lutece I stayed there in Dec. '04 before their renovations. I favored the Lutece more in terms of the general decor of the hotel and mostly I liked their staff much more. Both hotels book up months in advance (I made my reservation six months in advance). If you are interested in either place inquire now. Streetside rooms I didn't find to be noisy but then again we were located on higher floors. Staying on the Ile St. Louis is really special and you will not regret it.

"Anyone every heard of the Residence des Arts 14, rue Gît-le-Coeur in the 6th? It is a sister hotel to the Villa de Estrees (does not have anything available even in the high end of my price range. They have 2 rooms available and an internet rate of 165 euros. Each room has a separate kitchenette area."

Yes, I stayed in the top floor apartment with a friend about five years ago. It was great -- nice bath, spacious living room, king size bed in BR. A stone's throw from the Seine and just around the corner from Place St. Michel. We could lean out our window and see the spire of Ste Chapelle.

I don't know what the other rooms are like, but the location is good and your price sounds good to me.

Whatever you decide to do, DO NOT stay at Hotel D'Angleterre on Rue Jacob in the 6th! It was absolutely unacceptable, despite the pretty website and the rave reviews on TripAdvisor. I will be posting my review--along with photographs--in the next couple of days.

Anna Roz

Yikes, what a job! I had no idea that September was a busy month in Paris. It's a great month to visit other places in Europe. It was pretty shocking to see the difference in room rates in September compared to other months.

I spent many hours trying to book a room and experienced a great deal of difficulty. Either the hotel was booked, or only a few of the 5 nights we needed were available, or the rooms that were available were unsuitable for one reason or another, or only suites were available, or the price was stupendously outragous.

I finally did get a room this morning. It's at the Hotel Latour Maubourg for 233 euros per night with no breakfast provided in September (it's an additional 15 euros--I didn't get it). At lease it's a deluxe room. I hope it works out. This is our first trip to Paris.

I almost booked at the Hotel D'Angleterre, but they wanted 290 euros.

Thanks so much for all you help and guidance.

Sue

Another endorsement from Villa D'Estrees - only 10 rooms total(2 on each floor). One room is larger than the other. Service is also excellent. I just read a bad review that was recently posted about the staff not being helpful but just from reading the tone of the person who posted on TA, granted she was frustrated, I am wondering if maybe she approached the staff rudely to begin with. Another poster commented that they were very unhappy so they transferred to the Plaza Athenee instead and I do have to say, that if they did book at the Villa d'Estrees expecting that it was going to be on the same league as Plaza Athenee, they will be disappointed indeed(not that I've stayed at the PA) but because it's really not even comparing apples to oranges. Just my 2 cents. I did look at the Residence Des Artes across the street and although it is not bad, it is not the same level as Villa D'Estrees. The elevator also stops in between floors literally and you need to walk up the stairs partially(consequence of retrofitting older buildings) and the elevator is very very small so if going up the stairs and getting into very tight spaces is going to be a problem, I wouldn't take Residence des Arts. Both locations can't be beat, a block from the Seine - and a lot of very nice restaurants around - check out Ze Galerie Kitchen and Les Bouquinistes - the same menu for lunch and dinner at Ze Kitchen Galerie but the price of the prix fix lunch for appetizer, entree and dessert is the price of just the entree in the evening.

Hope that helps!

I too have just started my search for a hotel room in Paris for 4 nights in early June 2007. My wife and 2 daughters (21 & 18) are looking for a smaller hotel with alot of charm near the main attractions, with a friendly staff willing to assist with dining reservations, etc. where we can give the girls alot of freedom and sight-see, shop, dine, etc. all pretty much within walking distance of the hotel, or excellent access to transportation. The girls would appreciate a room with a memorable view. We aren't on a tight budget, but we're thinking we might look to a slightly less expensive hotel and get 2 rooms instead of a quad if we can do so reasonably. If you have any recommendations that seem to particularly fit this description, either previously posted here or not, I'd appreciate a reply on this thread...either the quad, or preferably, 2 very reasonably priced rooms, with AC of course. Thank you.

We have always enjoyed Hotel Tourville in the 7th. Ask for a superior room. One block from metro stop, nice bathrooms (my wife loves their towels and pillows...the little things), nice and helpful desk people. Near Rue Cler (sorry AnthonyGA), Napoleon's Tomb, Eiffel Tower and Rodin Museum.

Lots of good restaurants within walking distance.

((H))

I stayed at Residence des Arts a few years back, and was satisfied. It was as expected for the price & location (I have been to Paris many times, and my experience is that it is very expensive compared to comporable rooms in other major cities). The location was awesome. You will really feel like you are in the heart of Paris. We hardly had to take the Metro (the first time I could say that). Not that I don't enjoy utilizing the Metro (in fact I like the Metro a lot), but I liked all the time that was saved getting to places. That alone makes the price worth it. If your vacation time is valuable, you should factor that into the price. That said, I wouldn't call the rooms luxurious by any means, and the service is "Homey" and not like the big luxury hotels at all. As expected since it's about half the price. They were helpful in making restaurant reservations, offering assistance for transportation and helping us finding a salon (and making appointments for us). They also made us some good espresso in the morning, but you have to request it. But that's not really necessary since it is in the middle of an area with numerous excellent cafes, bistros & restaurants. It is also near the very lively & delicious Rue de Buci market. If you MUST sleep with your window open, it IS a noisy area, especially being over a bar and across the street from an Irish pub. But if you close the windows, they are excellent, and you can barely hear a thing. Personally, I slept very well.