Paris - Hotel St Jacques or Hotel Langlois (des croises)
 

Both Hotels have almost identical rates. St Jacques has maybe a better location in the heart of saint germain des pres. Anyone stayed at both or either?

no, but I'd say the St Jacques has a LOT better location than near gare St Lazare. However, if you know and like the area near the Langlois, you should know. The St Jacques is not in the heart of St Germain, however, it's in the Latin Qtr in the 5th arr.

Christina,

I don't know much about gare St Lazare. On my previous trip to Paris I stayed at hotel grandes ecoles which was lovely. Looking for another hotel "close to the action"

I guess it all depends on what you mean by "action".

I've considered staying at the Langlois and have stayed at the Grandes Ecoles. I like the Grandes Ecoles well enough, but don't feel the need to stay in that part of Paris again.

As for the Langlois, although I'm not all that into that part of Paris (I lived in the 9eme as a student, which may taint my perception), I am intrigued by the hotel and would have stayed there on our last trip if I hadn't gotten an awesome rate in the Marais. If ever I plan a winter trip where shopping in the department stores is the focus, I will probably try to book at the Langlois. Otherwise, there are other quartiers that I prefer.

So I guess it all depends on what you hope to get out of your trip. The St. Jacques neighborhood will offer some familiarity to you; the Langlois will be rather different. To me, the neighborhood around the Langlois seems much more bustling, but not necessarily in a good way.

Hi Lex-
I just returneed from Paris and passed by the St. Jacques. It was in a great area with a charming street market a half block away. There are a number of great little bars and bistros well withn walking distance. Haven't been to the other hotel, though.

My wife and I were at Hotel Langlois earlier this year. We loved it as it was very old and friendly. We ended up with a room on the top floor and it was beautiful. Lots of room for a Paris hotel, with great antiques. We just hopped on the metro that was just out the door a few steps away to get anywhere we wanted to go, so that wasn't a problem for us.