DH and I recently decided to go to Paris for the holiday, and, now, of course I’m completely obsessing over which hotel to book….some help from the Paris experts would be great….

As far as price, all the hotels are pretty much the same. We are not overly concerned about the size of the room nor about how friendly and/or helpful the staff are (or is it is?) We do want clean rooms, the most comfortable bed, linens and pillows possible and access to coffee first thing in the morning, breakfast not necessary.

What I am most concerned about is the location of the hotel…..As far as location, I’m envisioning a place with a genuine neighborhood feel, residential even if that’s possible in the city center areas….close enough, but not too close to the tourist congestion, plenty of quiet, narrow streets to explore. If the hotel is on a quiet, narrow street, that would be ideal. We would like casual neighborhood bars/bistros in the vicinity and would prefer a neighborhood that caters more to the 30-something bar scene (low key with live music that’s not raucous) than to the 20-something crowd. (No offense to 20-somethings – I used to be one…. But I can’t keep up with you anymore and I need my beauty sleep!) Antique stores and shops with exotic home accessories would be a plus.

Okay, here’s the list:

Hotel Britannique – only one in the 1st
Hotel Bourg Tibourg – love the exotic look…currently my first choice in the Marais based on website photos
Hotel de Lutece
Hotel Bretonnerie

Or are they all so close together that it doesn’t matter, I should just pick one already…

Hi

Refer www.tripadvisor.com for reviews of the hotels you selected. This may help your enquiries.

Cheers

When my DH told me last November that he wanted to take me to Paris for our anniversary in June, I spent 2 solid weeks researching hotels and finally decided to stay at a b&b after reading about them in Sandra Gustafson's book "Great Sleeps in Paris." Many people don't know that b&bs are even an option in Paris. We had a fabulous stay at a great price. Before you decide, take a peek at www.bed-and-breakfast-in-paris.com. The agent has about 100 homes all over Paris at various price ranges. Ours was on the Ile. St. Louis and did indeed have THE most comfortable bed and pillows imaginable!! Just giving you another option to consider...

Whatever you decide, have a wonderful time!!

I stayed at Hotel de Lutece and can recommend it highly. Location is the best thing here as you couldn't be closer to both Notre Dame and the Marais since the hotel is located on an island. The hotel itself is very clean. Decor is simple, bathrooms are a bit outdated and ours needed renovating yet that is very minor. I heard some rooms are a bit small but we reserved double yet got a triple, not sure how or why. It was a comfortable room. Bed (large double) was actually two twins pushed together. The coffee is the best I've tasted for breakfast coffees. Breakfast is served from 7 a.m. to noon if I remember well.

I stayed in Hotel Britannique and it is one of my first choice for Paris 3 star hotels in the center...This hotel is particularly well-decorated, very original but in a typical French style...really beautiful!
It is totally centrally located, very clean, there are a lot of bars in the area..
For antique boutiques, have a walk around Saint Germain des Pres, there are a lot of small antique shops...
http://www.hotel-britannique.com

Have a wonderful trip!

I have stayed in all four hotels.

The Bourg Tibourg (formerly the Rivoli Notre Dame) is by far the most dramatic with decor done by Jacques Garcia. Be advised that the rooms are THE smallest I have ever seen. The only place to sit is on the bed. Bring your own lamp as lighting consists of two sconces over the bed with red silk shades. Great bathrooms however. The hotel was renovated about 4 years ago and is the most expensive of the group.

The Bretonnerie is around the corner from the Tibourg in the Marais. This hotel has by far the largest rooms of the group. Everything, including the walls, is upholstered in fabric. Recommend getting a "charming room". Probably the best value and a very nice property.

The Hotel de Lutece has a wonderful location on the Ile St. Louis. Rooms are simply decoated but adequate. Least favorite decor/room but terrific location.

The Britannique gets the best reviews. I stayed there in May and had a lovely room with a tiny flower filled balcony. Newly done bathroom with shower stall which was great. Not my favorite location.

You won't go wrong with any of these.

This is late, I know, but I did want to say thanks to you all for your advice on the hotels I inquired about...


worldinabag: I actually did check trip advisor...that's how I was able to narrow it down from the 1,000+ hotels that I was looking at on tripadvisor down to just these 3 or 4!

wyf4lyf: Thanks for that website...very interesting idea. I am considering this for next spring when I travel with friends...but probably not this time with DH. (He's a bit grumpy to be around other people in the morning!)

We went with the Bretonnerie as it seemed to be well located and the best value..the bourg tibourg looks great to me, but it was a little more than I wanted to spend this time.

Thanks again for your input

Happy travels,

Have only stayed at Hotel de Lutece and it was really nice. I liked staying on the island, very unique.

I think you will be pleased with the Bretonnerie. The location can't be beat. Fun shopping, restaurants, etc. Great neighborhood to wander around.

From a quick read of your criteria, I suspect a hotel in the 5th arrondissement, fairly near the Seine, might be best. The more lively Marais is close by across the river, and rue Moffetard would not be far, either. I do confess to puzzlement regarding the following: "As far as price, all the hotels are pretty much the same. No, lodging prices run from 60 euros per night to several hundred euros per night, with good value and poor value throughout the entire range.

Dave, which one of those hotels can you get for 60 euro a night?? I don't think the price range of those four is from 60 to hundreds of euro, I thought they were about the same, also.

You're right Christina. I was confused by the remark about hotels at the top of the post, with the four hotel names several hundred words down at the bottom. This is an argument for not hanging around the board circa 6 a.m.!

Dave

yeah, or not reading or typing at 6 am, anyway.

Dave -- the 100 or so words that you read before getting to the names of the hotels was in an effort to avoid the inevitable questions arising from a much shorter question..

You know, tell me about yourself, what are you looking for in a hotel, what's important to you, how old are you, do you want nightlife, sightseeing or what, etc., etc.

I was trying to be clear...if long posts bug you, then maybe you should skip them

Christina is right...all the hotels range in price from 145 eruos to 200 euros...

oh, I'm sure Dave wasn't bugged or anything by your post, I think he just read it quickly and probably thought you meant all hotels in Paris were about the same rate (I think that's what he meant).