I am looking for a 'reasonably priced' hotel in a good area of Paris for a first-time short visit. Have scanned the guides and the 'net and the more info I get the more confused I become. Can anyone suggest a hotel that they like and if possible give me the (approx) rates per night. Is it difficult to book a hotel directly speaking only English? Is phone, email or fax easiest?? Thanks.

Linda: It all depends on what you are looking for in a hotel as far as price goes. We stayed in a decent hotel in the 5th Arrondissement just last month and it was $92.00 including a good breakfast. If you want more info, including hotel phone number, just email me and I'll send the notes from our trip to you. Lee

There is an awful lot on info out there. I went to Paris for the first time over the holidays, with my 19 year old daughter. We stayed happily at the Hotel Palais du Bourbon on the Rue de Bourgogne. The hotel has a site on France Hotel Guide. E-mail me if you cannot find it. About 85$ a night for a double, including morning coffee and croissant. This is a tourist class, 2 star hotel, nothing fancy. Public areas are bare bones, but our room had been freshly papered and painted and the bath was brand new. Great location in 7th arr., walkable to everything. Good luck with it all.

Linda: It all depends on what you are looking for in a hotel as far as price goes. We stayed in a decent hotel in the 5th Arrondissement just last month and it was $92.00 including a good breakfast. If you want more info, including hotel phone number, just email me and I'll send the notes from our trip to you. Lee

Our last trip, about a month ago we stayed at the Hotel St. Louis, on the Ile St. Louis, about $115/night. Next trip we will probably stay at Hotel Suez on the Boulevard St. Michel, about $85.night. Both have bathrooms in the room, and lifts. For reservations we find faxing by far the easiest and most economical method. You may have to call to get the fax number, but an increasing number of hotels list it. Faxing minimizes the chance of verbal misunderstanding, and they will fax you back a confirmation.

My husband and I just booked a room at the Grand Hotel Leveque on Rue Cler, which I hear is a great neighborhood. It is considered a one star deluxe. We booked a double with a private bath for 350F. That's about $65. As of June 10, the price goes up to 385F, due to the World Cup games. I read about this hotel in Rick Steve's guide book and also looked up their web site. All their rooms include cable TV, a hair dryer, safety deposit box, and telelphone. I have read several people's comments about this hotel on this board. Scroll down a ways and maybe you'll find a mention. Their web site address is http://interresa.ca/hotel/leveque. Good luck.

I saw your posting on the Fodor's departure lounge and was wondering if you have taken your trip to Paris yet? You mentioned that you booked a room at the Gran d Hotel Lveque on Rue Cler and it intrigued me. The price sounds great for the amenities. If you've already been there, please let me know what the room was like. I plan to book a room this week and I would appreciate your feedback.

Been there, done that. Here's my advice. Decide on how much you wish to spend and the neighborhood which most appeals to you. How much you wish to spend will determine the ammenities you receive. But, if all you need is a room that's neat and clean (and not spacious, but don't worry about this because most aren't at any price) with a modern private bath, you can do nicely at under $100/night (except during World Cup). For cable TV, room service, better decor, and a concierge, you'll have to pay more. There are dozens of websites with hotel information (try a search on www.hotbot.com). Or, go to www.france.com. Here, you can e-mail your requirements (price and neighborhood) and they will respond promptly with several choices. Their rates are excellent, although you should check with the hotels directly for comparison purposes. I've found that rates quoted by the hotels are slightly higher. Anyway, you can book on line, or you can e-mail or fax. Be sure to get a written confirmation. Nearly all but the tiniest hotels have a reservations person who understands enough English to take the reservation. If not, and you aren't fluent in French, you probably don't want to stay there. You will need a credit card number to hold the reservation. In most cases, you may cancel until the day before your planned arrival. But, if you're a "no show', you will be charged for one night. Do check the cancellation policy when you book, however, for that specific hotel. It's best not to obsess over your selection of accomodations. If you "narrow your choices down" to a few, pick the one that's closest to a Metro stop, as you will do more walking in Paris than you can possibly imagine.

I have just returned (3 days ago) from a trip to Paris. Before going I too was hopelessly confused on booking a hotel. In the end I contacted Quality Inn. They have an 800 # in the states, they spoke english, and they quoted me in US$$. We were only in Paris 1 night and wanted to narrow down our hotel to an area of things we most wanted to see. The hotel we selected couldn't have been more perfect for us. It was $95 a night including breakfast, was in a quiet residential area, everyone spoke english, and there was someone at the front desk 24 hours a day. We were 1/2 mile from the Arc de triumphe, even less from a metro station (though we didn't ever use it except to get to the hotel). We walked to the arc de triumphe, champs elysees, had dinner, took a cruise on the river seine, and went to the eiffel tower all on the same night and we walked the entire way. We also walked to Montemarte the next day. It was a bit farther, but not too bad. Hope you enjoy your trip and my only advice is just book the hotel and get it over with....you can hash out you options for MONTHS!!! By the way the hotel we stayed at was the Peirere Etoile in the 17th arronidisment.

Don't be confused Linda. The Hotel Moliere in the 1st Arrondissement is the best hotel for the money in a geat location. It is 1 block from 2 metro stops. 1 block from the Palais-Royal and 2 blocks from the Louvre. It cost around 125 dollars for a double. They speak English and the rooms are great. There is a store 2 doors down for anything you might need and a bakery next door. It is also close to 3 great wine bars where they speak English. If you have any questions Email me. I have been to France over 30 times visiting my grandmother and family.

I'm going to Paris the first week in July. I had the same problems you're having. This one web site really helped me out. Look under www.dogpile.com and search for "A Paris Hotel Selection". There should be an exact match and many other sites. Check into those sites. Most provide pictures of the rooms as well as acurate pricing. Some even allow you to make reservations over the net. Also, if you have AOL, look in the travel section for Preview Travel, you can probably find it even if you don't have AOL. They have worldwide searches for hotels common in the United States. We communicated directly with the hotel we chose, it's a comfort inn in Paris, over the phone. We'll pay $110/night for three people. If you're going to be there while the world cup's going on you'll want to hurry up. Most of the hotels are already booked. Gook luck and have a nice trip.

Hey Linda: Paris is actually not that expensive if you are willing to try some of the smaller hotels. Having said that HOWEVER, if you just want to find a place before you go there and want the staff to speak english and want to see a map of the location, check out the best western sites - i know they are a chain, but I have stayed in their properties in Rome and Madrid, and for the price, they are not bad. Last time, I stayed in the Comfort Inn Saint Pierre near Montmatre, and although the area can be unnerving for families, it is very close to Gare du Nord if you are going or coming via the Chunnel or Brussels. I would rather recommend, if you are adventerous, to also, when you get to Paris, to look into some of the smaller hotels near the Latin Quarter. There are a lotta folks who book small hotels before they leave the US, are initially apprehensive, then fall in love with their new found secret site. Then there are others who will never again leave the US without reserving an american chain hotel room.