Tere

Can anyone help me decide between both? The Madison will cost me 200 Euros more for the whole stay than the Saint Paul. I look at its site and it looks lovely but that more money....! Will it be worth the money to stay there or will I be very well also in the Saint Paul, in St Germain and save some money for other things? Please help me decide. Many thanks in advance

Christina

There are two Hotel Saint Paul's, but I am assuming you mean the one on the Left Bank. Both the Madison and St Paul are in St Germain and both have convenient locations, so don't decide on location.

I'm sure there are rooms in the Madison that are smaller, also, so I would get clear on the possible room size and not just the photo unless you know that's your room style. It also makes a big difference if that $200 is spread over two days or one month, for example. To me, I'd spend the extra $200 for a nicer room experience if that was going to affect my trip for 10 days or more, for example. I wouldn't for 2-3 days.

Maribel

Tere,
We stayed in the Madison's (gulp!) 240 euro, very large and extremely comfortable front room with view of Place St. Germain( sigh!). It's the "Chambre de type 2" picture on www.hotel-madison.com.
But we did this as a final 3 day, Easter wkd. birthday celebration splurge; this being all we could afford. And to afford this, we stayed at the budget-antique-boutique Danube (140 euros now for rm 15) on the wonderful Rue Jacob, also in the heart of St. Germain for the first 5 days.

We looked at the St. Paul on Monsieur Le Prince, which is closer to the Latin Quarter, which doesn't hold as much attraction for us now as it did in student days. But on that street we thought Le Clos Medici looked fresher, more contemporary, more inviting. They're most likely in the same price range.

I'm sure you'll receive many varying opinions and great tips on this question.

Tere

Thanks Christina and Maribel for your replies. The Saint Paul is the one in St Germain.
I will be spending more 200 Euros for the 4 nights I will stay there.
At the Madison it is in one of the smaller rooms, a double standard courtyard, 205 E per day with breakfast. At the St Paul it will be a double superior, one of the largest rooms, 156 E per night with breakfast.
What do you say now? Many thanks again.

Degas

Tere, I think all of us have faced similiar decisions in the past. A couple of issues stand out in my mind that might influence your eventual choice:

Is this a very special occasion?

Will you be spending much time in the room other than to sleep and shower?

Sounds like the St. Paul will provide you with a "good" stay and the debate is if a "better" stay is worth the 200E. I tend to agree with Christina that a short four day stay usually isn't worth spending the extra 200E.

DonTopaz

I stayed in the St Paul on a recent visit. The hotel's location was great, but the room I was given was small, dark, and a generally unpleasant place to be. Although I'd planned to stay for 6 nights, we moved after the second night to the Hotel Ferrandi a few blocks away (other side of rue de Rennes and closer to Montparnasse tower) -- not as convenient a location, but a much more comfortable place to stay.

Christina

gee, I don't know, I think it's sort of a crapshoot because you don't really know how the rooms will turn out. I've also heard some negatives about the St Paul as above, but I've read the same things about the Madison.

Given the St Paul was a superior room, and it's only for four days, I'd probably go to the St Paul for that big a savings. At least you know the location is good and a lot of people do like that hotel.

QueenMab

We stayed at the Saint Paul about 4 years ago and had a very nice room on the first floor. It was a quad room because we had our 2 kids with us, so I imagine it was larger than normal. I didn't see any of the other rooms. But we enjoyed our stay there and didn't have any complaints.

fluffy

Tere- le Madison is my favorite hotel in the 6th, maybe even the entire left bank, so it gets my vote.I would check out expedia and hotels.com I saw a recent special for le Madison on one of those sites just a few days ago.I'm pretty sure it was on hotels.com
If you want to email me @ [email protected] I might have some other suggestions for you in the 5th & 6th.I also have a list of about 30 restaurnats in that general area if you would like those as well.
Viva la France
Fluffy

stever

Good luck getting into the Madison. We tried it for a # of different dates and they were totally booked for our Sept. dates!

It looks nice if they can fit you in.

Steve

Tere

Many thanks for all your answers. I guess I will follow your advice and choose the Saint Paul. I can use the spare money on the hotel to buy something I really like or go to a more upscale restaurant