Will be staying with friends outside of Paris for a few days in May and would like one night in the heart of Paris to possibly take a Seine river cruise, experience Paris @ night...

Looking for a double room hotel/hostel/B&B (doesn't have to be ensuite) for under 70 euros in a good central location...possibly near the Seine, Eiffel Tower, Louvre, or something like that?

Thanks in advance!

Frankly there are not a lot of budget travellers on this forum. Look at Lonely Planet instead. Try their Thorn Tree forum.

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34563293

Gosh Julies I didn't know I was in such good company.

Krisabug, try the hotel Andrea in the heart of town and doubles are about 84E, a little higher than you asked for but we like the hotel. It is a 2* about four blocks from Notre Dame and very close to the Pompideu.

The Hotel Studia at 51 boulevard St. Germain, tel: 33 1 43.26.81.00 You can't get any closer to the heart of Paris. Rooms start at 40 euros per night. They have no Web presence and no booking service. You have to write or call.

Try the Young & Happy Hostel (www.youngandhappy.fr) in the Latin Quarter. It caters to a somewhat older crowd than its name suggests. It has doubles as well as dorm rooms.

For the best budget accomodations in Paris (according to Lonely Planet and Rick Steves), stay in any one of the three MIJE hostels in the Marais district. A double (plus the membership fee) will cost you right around E70, but how can you go wrong staying in a rennovated 17th-century private mansion? Maubuisson is considered to be the best of the three.

Aisle seat--

I ama budget traveller myself and have found that to many people who frequent this forum, budget tends to mean a 3* hotel.

Here are two more in the Marais I found on www.eurocheapo.com: Hotel de Sejour and Hotel/Hostel Marais. And near the Louvre: Hotel de Rouen.

Clarifying what I just said. Budget to me means inexpensive b & bs, pensiones, 2* etc. whereas to a number of people on this forum budget means a 3* rather than a 4 or 5*.

Jules, Different stars for different folks.

Consider Hotel Utrillo near Sacre Coeur. I haven't stayed there since 2000, but back then it was just fine. The night life in the area is pretty fun.

http://www.hotel-paris-utrillo.com/

Only 2 stars--but I was barely in the room so who cares. I have also stayed at 4 star hotels in Paris (when on busines and not my own nickel) and I can't remember those much either.

If I were young and could walk upstairs, I would consider the Hotel Nesle in the 6th arrondissement. It looks delightful, but there is, of course, no elevator:

http://www.hoteldenesleparis.com/

And in Montmartre, there's the Hotel Regyn's Montmartre, in Place des Abbesses. Some rooms have a view of the Sacre Coeur.

Hôtel Regyn's Montmartre
http://www.paris-hotels-montmartre.com/
18, rue des Abbesses 75018
Tel: 01 42 54 45 21

Have a wonderful trip!

Sandy

Julies,
I prefer a 3 star, but we have stayed in 2 star, and they were fine. A 4 star is simply too expensive for our budget.

Sandy

This is slightly over your budget at 79 Euros but it has ensuite bathrooms and pleasant outdoor sitting area. It is in the 13th on th eborder of the 5th and a couple of minutes walk from St Medard Church and the beginning of both rue Monge and rue Mouffetarde

Faux, what is the name of that hotel?

Sandy,

That hotel site is adorable! Must stay there, even though I already have a place to stay. Can I make it up the stairs in the early part of my (gulp!) seventh decade? Yes I can, with a little discreet panting.

Oops, I am sorry, it is the Hotel Residence des Gobelins and this is the website.

http://www.hotelgobelins.com/frame.html

Contrary to julies blanket statement, there are budget travelers on Fodors - I am certainly one of them. What I have saved on hotel costs I have more than made up for in plenty of enriching travel experiences wherever I go and don't feel like I am missing a thing!

krisabug27, if you are ok with 70 euros for a double room with bath, try staying at my favorite hotel, The Hotel Kensington, Ave de la Bourdonnais, 79. It is in the 7th Arr, across from the Eiffel Tower and Champs de Mars. Metro: Invalides stop or the RER: Pont de l'Alma. It is about a 20 minute walk up and over the Seine to the Champs-Elysees.

Alternatively, try looking into hostels around the Latin Quarter and Sorbonne University area where there are a lot of students. Also, the "Let's Go! France" travel guidebook caters to single, budget, student travelers and has lots of great tips and places to stay in each arrondissement in Paris.

Résidence les Gobelins is an excellent budget hotel. I thoroughly enjoyed my 12-day stay there 1.5 years ago. The location is superb.