Paris hotel with a good - no, great - bar
 

HI all. What are your recommendations for a hotel in Paris that has a great bar? I'm thinking a weekend in gay Paree but it's getting cold, so I want a hotel with some quiet action. Doesn't have to be an upscale place, but would like some interesting clientele. It can be next door or just in the neighborhood - a fun place to hang out and maybe meet some unusual folks, preferably not Americans, but they could be okay too.

The Aubusson in St Germain, and the Lenox St Germain.

If it just has to be in the neighborhood, that could be almost any hotel in lots of areas. Just about any hotel in St Germain, for example, and I wouls also say the 11th arrondisement and I guess the Marais. I stay in MOntparnasse near bd Montparnasse and there are several bars along that blvd, presuming you don't really mean bar (which would mainly be in hotels or not French, there are some Aussie bars, for example) but a cafe would do. There is actually a bar in the neighborhood I usually stay at in Montparnasse that even has some jazz certain nights, the Swan Bar. http://www.swanbar.fr/

Of course Le Select kind of says it has an American Bar (which I think means mixed drinks), even though it is a cafe to me.

Christina - is the Rosebud in Montparnasse still extant ? And how about La Closerie des Lilas ?

Try Hotel Eugenie, so central, then walk about 100 yds down to Galaways Irish pub, we closed that place down one night, literally us, an Irish couple and the French guitar player, it was awesome fun( the Irish fellow was showing us pictures of his tractor, his gf was telling us about her mas b@b, the guitar guy was trying to talk politics, it was just a hoot) ( yes there were other people there, but by 2 am we were the finishers, and we are old, lol

I'd suggest Mama Shelter in the 20th. Always an interesting mix of people, very lively in the bar/restaurant at the weekends and I've never failed to meet someone interesting there over the course of my stays.

If you fancy going exploring, there are seemingly hundreds of little bars in the neighbourhood, populated by a mixture of musicians, artists and fashion/design students so there's always something nice to look at, even if the conversation might not be particularly edifying...

Thanks all. I think I remember Galaways, a crazy night, we then hopped around at various places, arguing and debating, until I called him a bolshevik and he called me a Nazi, then we went dancing and ended up back in the room with a bottle of wine. Perfect summer night in Paris.

By Galaways do you mean The Galway? And was the French guitar player named Thomas Brun?

@ Bedar -- I'm not Christina, but I also stay in the 14th, and as of this past July, both were still around. I can't see either of them going anywhere!

Gees FM, I was drunk, he was young ( hmm, maybe 28-32) and cute, short dark hair, we have pictures of him, and of my bf goofing off with his guitar, we were all feeling no pain, lol