i am going to paris with my girlfriend in october for the first time and am choosing between the following hotels:

hotel madison
artus hotel
hotel saint-beuve

i'd appreciate any info re: room size, location, noise level. i know i could scour the forums for scattered info, but thought this would be a more direct route. thanks for the help.

Hotel Madison for room size & excellent location and also Hotel Artus for great location-a bit quirky decor though I think. Hotel Ste. Beuve, beautiful, clean, good enough sized rooms, but near Montparnasse/Luxembourg Gardens, not in St. Germain proper.

All good.

thanks v. much. i am leaning toward madison and artus, and got info on both. artus is offering a double room with shower -- in your experience, does that mean the room is really small? i emailed back to find out, but wanted to know if anyone has experience with room descriptions.

Be sure to get a room reserved ASAP--October is still high season in Paris, and rooms at the hotels you mention could be scarce. Your best bet to find out about room size is to ask the hotel directly.

Yes, generally, a room with a shower means a small room. A room with a bath, I've learned, is a bit larger. In fact, rooms at the Artus are not large on the whole anyway.

Underhill suggested you book immediately and that's true; October is considered high season for trade shows and what not.

i am definitely planning on booking today or tomorrow. i just started a new thread on the madison because i read a lot of postings in april that concerned me -- one person even cancelled her reservation. while the artus is smaller (230 euros for 14 sq. meters), it consistently gets great scores. does anyone know the current status of the madison?

For value I would pick the Madison over the Artus. I know the Artus has been written up in magazines but to me 14 sq.m. for 230 euros is not justified. I've been in a cell-like room before and it's not fun after a couple of nights. And if I have to pay almost $300 for the privilege it's bothersome. Anyway, that is my opinion. I'd rather pay the same or even a bit more and stay in a larger room like the ones offered at the Madison for the twin rooms.

Like I said the Madison is okay now according to the reports on Bonjour Pari. Someone who has stayed there within the month or so may reply here though and confirm this.

For some reason I can't think fully in metric, so I had to convert that.

14 sq. m. is just over 12 feet x 12 feet, presuming the room is square, or maybe about 10 feet x 15 feet would be more typical. In any event, that is little space for 230 Euros, I agree.