Here are a few of the hotels that have been suggested to us. It will be my mother and I on this trip and we are looking at 4 nights in Paris.
We are still considering an apartment, but I think we are leaning towards a smaller hotel.
I would appreciate any thoughts, pros/cons, etc...

-Hotel Delavigne
- K&K Cayre
- Hotel Muguet

On the advice of friends and family we want to stay on the left bank. We are willing to spend $250-350 a night. We want convenience to the metro, cafes, shops, etc..
We would prefer smaller hotels.
We are going next fall.

Thanks!

We stayed at the Delavigne several years ago and were quite pleased. The location is superb, the breakfast is fine, and the staff quite helpful. Of course, the rooms are small, but we got a triple for the two of us and it was comfortable.

Maybe this thread will be a help http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...ank-thread.cfm

My wife and I stayed at Hotel des Grandes Ecoles,

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

in 2005. The hotel meets your criteria, and we found the staff to be friendly and helpful. It gets booked up early. Re apartments, we've stayed in them, but not in Paris. They're great money savers, and I recommend them if you're a reasonably experienced traveler.

I don't think you could do better than the Muguet. It is quiet, the staff helpful in arranging/making reservations (have the numbers, etc. for them), near NUMEROUS bus lines, and a major metro, near rue Cler which is nice to stroll, many many good eating places within blocks.

We loved the Muguet and if falls well within your price range. They couldn't have been more accomodating. Just bring a map with the Muguet marked on it for the taxi driver. It isn't out of the way, but it's down a tiny road.

There is a laundromat right down the street and the hotel will let you use their iron in the basement.

As the previous poster mentioned, the metro and bus lines are very close. You'll never go hungry with Rue Cler so near.

-nancy-it seems like Paris hotel rooms are small in general from everything I've read!
I have family that stayed at Delavigne and they really enjoyed it.
- thanks for the thread on left bank, will read!!
- sjj, I will look at the hotel des Grandes Ecoles, thanks for the advice! We are not experienced at all, this is our first Europe trip!
- Gretchen & Ann, Muguet seems to be less expensive vs. the other two. So I was curious
about it. Thanks for the tip!

Thoughts on the K&K anyone?

I think these are all good choices, but the Muguet and Delavigne are about the same category, and the K&K Cayre is higher, that's why it is more expensive. I've only stayed at the Muguet, not the other two, but know where they all are. The Cayre is a good location, close to Bon Marche and a metro, but I think the other two might seem a little more in regular neighborhoods. I mean the Delavigne is in the heart of St Germain so it's not some residential-only area, but I just think it might seem easier to walk around and see things, go to cafes, etc. The Grandes Ecoles is a very good idea, also.

The Delavigne and Muguet are about the same price, I don't think the Muguet is cheaper -- I checked both and they are both 195 euro for next April for a superior twin. That is their regular rate, although some seasonal rates may be cheaper at times (like August). The rates posted on the Muguet website say "starting at" which means you won't likely get that rate except in a low rate period, it isn't the normal rate. I don't know when you are going, so maybe you checked and it was cheaper, but generally I think those two hotels are about the same.

Hi Reese22,
My husband & I spent 6 nights in Paris in 2006.
We stayed at Hotel Bestwestern Premiere Left Bank -
St. Germain. It cost us $218.50 US$ -then.
Now, most Americans would not like the idea of a Best Western... but this hotel was great. It is located next to the oldest restaurant in the West Bank (1700's).. the hotel is in an old building, small, charming yet we had a king bed, a marble bath with a tub & shower & room to move around. Our window did open to the back of the hotel(alley), but in the distance we had a view of Notre Dame.
The down side... the walls were covered in cloth and at the top the cloth was discolored because of the ceiling A/C.
The room was not fancy... but we slept like babies.
Breakfast was also included and the location was great.
My husband overheard other people checking in that had come from other hotels where the rooms were just way too small.

The Cayre was featured in the movie "The Ninth Gate"; a fine location.

My mom and I stayed at the K&K this past May. It is an excellent hotel in a good location. First it was very very clean. Our room was on the small side but had a small balcony with a great view of the Eiffel Tower. The front desk people were very friendly and spoke fluent English. When arrived at 8:00am and were allowed to check in.
It is a 10 minute walk to the Orsay Museum and about 12 minutes to the Louvre. There are several cafes within 5 minutes as well as ATM's and pharmacies. It is in more of a residential area but for us it was great. The Bon Marche was also nearby.
Let's see we has breakfast included and it was a buffet but was very nice with eggs, bacon, pastries, etc. There are two computers in the lobby that you can use to print out boarding passes etc. It was very quiet in the hotel and around the neighborhood.
We also booked a semi private tour through the hotel to Versailles and were very pleased.
In May I paid $325.00 per night for the room.
Just a side note, as we were walking back from dinner one night my mom and I saw Karl Lagerfield and his "muse" on the Rue de Bac. Very exciting.

Christina, I thought when I was checking dates that Muguet was less expensive, but that's fine. So you like the location of this and Delavigne over the K&K?
-marsig, it's funny you mention Best Western, someone brought that up to us over the weekend. I would never have thought of a chain like that, but if its in an old building, then I guess it's something to consider! Thanks!
-oakglen, I will have to check that movie out!
- thanks for the info on K&K. It looks convenient! How neat to see Karl Lagerfield!