"...what is your budget window in euros?"

She's still dodging that one and I think maybe "not crazy expensive but not cheap" may be the closest we'll get.

But that does not mean anything. I can't imagine what the problem is with specifying a budget. It's a total cop-out to say you're confused and have never been there before and so don't know what places cost, especially if you litter your posts with references to "cockroack-infested" hotels and "drug-infested neighborhoods." Talk about planning with a dubious attitude right from the start! Does she think we stay in places like this in these sorts of neighorhoods? The internet is rife with hotel and price information.

She should stay in an Ibis Budget and deal with the cramped quarters. It's clean, it's cheap, it's "sort of" like a Holiday Inn in the States, but not quite. They have breakfasts with coffee and tea and croissants (terrible) and rolls. Not sure she'll be happy anywhere really "Parisian," which is a shame.

perkie 1968

Please check this link, it might have what you are looking for. Please don't let some of the snarky comments bother you. I hope your family have a fabulous time in Paris and London.

http://mylittlenomads.com/paris-family-hotels

"But that does not mean anything."

Of course it doesn't. And, yes, it's a shame she can't seem to set aside preconceptions. But I suspect Paris is full of those who wonder why Paris can't just be like North America, staying in a 100€ Holiday Inn, except close to the Eiffel Tower. It is fairly entertaining to watch though.

Sarastro and MmePerdue: I don't have a set budget for the hotel, Since I'm not sure of the cost of "what I'm looking for". that's why I'm asking for help/advice.

For example: If I say that I want to pay $150 Cdn/night and you come back and tell me that I won't get what I want for that price but should expect to pay closer to $250 Cdn/night, than my budget has now changed to $250/night.

Cafegoddess; thank you.

On your other thread about London, Perkie, you finally said your budget might be around $120 Canadian. That translates to a bit over 86 Euro, or 72 GBP at today's rate of exchange, which I doubt will get you the kind of accommodations you are seeking in either Paris or London.

You might consider using XE http://www.xe.com/ as a resource to find the rate of exchange for both the Pound and Euro, so we can help more realistically. As a reference, we try to stay between €100 and €120 for a double room in a central area of Paris. That would be for a three star hotel, which is clean, no roaches or other animal infestations, unless you count other tourists, and in a vibrant neighborhood. We usually travel in May or June, so you might expect prices to be a bit higher for July.

Once you have a budget in hand you can go on TripAdvisor or Booking.com to plug in your requirements and see what is available. Once you narrow things down to a more realistic range by reading the reviews of places in different locations and price ranges we will be able to help you more effectively with specific questions.

I'm sure you will have a wonderful trip, but I wish you would not be so coy about specifics so our help could be more relevant. You have received almost 50 responses on your two posts, almost all of which have asked for the information necessary. We want to help, but this has been most frustrating.

The Eiffel Tower is pretty far away from the other monuments, museums and attractions that people want to see. It won't be easy to walk anywhere, and depending on the hotel you choose, there might be long "dry stretches" where you won't find many shops or cafes, etc. It will take you an average of 30 minutes by Metro to get to Notre Dame, for example.

So, I don't see the benefit of staying in this particular neighborhood.

Best Western is a good chain equivalent to Holiday Inn - even better, because these hotels are individually owned. I'd choose a location in the Latin Quarter or Bastille for more things to do and better transportation options. You will need two separate rooms.
http://www.bestwestern.fr/en/

Otherwise, your best bet would be to choose a family room in one of the French chains I mentioned earlier. These are spotless, have air conditioning, breakfast, and are situated in many convenient locations. Check www.booking.com for best prices and confirm directly with the hotel.

Cafegoddess that's a great website.

We have stayed in Best western Latin quarter - it's a beautiful building , excellent desk service , a breakfast room in basement or express breakfast in canopy area. It also has an interconnecting family room. It's close to many tourist areas-eg 5 mins from Seine and Norte Dame and much more .

Thanks everyone for the hotel advice.

I now have an itinerary question but i'm afraid to ask!

Ask away - but please just give us enough information so that we can be helpful.

perks 1968,

Don't let a few scare you away. Ask your question. Did you fine a hotel that will work for your family, both in London and Paris?

"For example: If I say that I want to pay $150 Cdn/night and you come back and tell me that I won't get what I want for that price but should expect to pay closer to $250 Cdn/night, than my budget has now changed to $250/night."

Perkie, I understand what you are saying. First thing you need to do though is convert to Euro. Your Cdn 150 is roughly Eur 110 and Cdn 250 is roughly euro 180. That is your common currency here.

When I budget for a trip I usually budget an average amount, knowing that in the countryside I will pay less and in cities I will pay more, but I try to keep an average. I am fortunate that I am not on a strict budget, but I still do not like to waste money or pay for more than what my needs are.

I think you could really benefit from looking at Rick Steves' suggestions for London, and wherever else you are travelling, as his info is very good for inexperienced travellers to Europe. He will give you a good idea of what areas to stay, transportation options, hotel suggestions. At least it gives you somewhere to start.

*I think you could really benefit from looking at Rick Steves' suggestions for London*
Sorry, I should say Paris for this thread, but same applies to London.

Currently dealing with hotels in Paris, since that's the first leg of the trip. Hotel Observatoire Luxenbourg, Best Western Quartier Latin, Holiday Inn Notre Dame and Novotel Paris Tour Eiffel all look okay, and are between 1730 Euro-2690 Euro for 5 nights (not sure if that's a good price for what I'm getting or not).

Itinerary issue: We are travelling July 7 (landing at noon in Paris) to July 17 (flying out of Gatwick). The plan is to have 4 1/2 days in Paris and 4 1/2 days in London (travelling by train on the 12th). Personally, I want to spend the entire time in Paris, but hubby is desperate to spend a couple of days in London. But I'm thinking there will be more to see and do in Paris, so wondering if we should change our train day to the 13th so that we have 5.5 days in Paris and 3.5 in London.

It's always something!

Forgot to mention those Euro prices are for two rooms since I can't seem to find rooms that hold 4 people

"...I'm thinking there will be more to see and do in Paris..."

You'll find that to be incorrect. Possibly the opposite. I suggest you defer to your husband's wishes and leave it as is.

There are scores of hotels in Paris that have quad rooms available. I recognized a few named in the link provided by cafegoddess above. (You did look at the link I assume.) You should be able to find very comfortable accommodations for 4 people at around 250€ to 300€ per night; less if you want.

Just for example, rooms for 4, US$150-230 a night:

http://tinyurl.com/zjyyl83

London is FAR bigger than Paris and consequently there is far more to do within the city itself rather than taking daytrips, which works well for Paris. I prefer Paris, by quite a lot, but London definitely has way more things to do.

As noted, there are loads of quad rooms, plus chambres-communicantes, in Paris. And the prices you noted are very high by my standards.