Paris Report!
Dec 19th, 1998, 05:06 PM
#1
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Paris Report!
Well the Hotel Muguet lobby certainly was nice, as was the desk person, but we didn't stay there... my travel agent had screwed up [*$#@*%$] I'll spare you the gory details. They did find us a room at HOTEL LA MOTTE PICQUET, another 2 star establishment about a block and a half away on the corner of Rue Cler and avenue La Motte Piquet. While were were very disappointed not to be at Muguet, we had a good stay at HLMP. The rate was about $US20 less a night. The room was miniscule, but very charming. [One more suitcase though and it would have been dicey!] We were on the corner or the building on the 1st floor [2nd to us yanks]. Our windows were double glazed, so very quiet and had black cast iron railings with flowers in pots. <BR>The front desk was low on English, but I suspect my willingness to massacre the French language made them feel less of a need to speak English. <BR>The Rue Cler Market was literally around the corner. One of the best features was an ATM machine that liked our card right under our window!!! <BR>HLMP lacked the obvious "finesse" of Muguet, but we found the location superb. Just a long block to the Ecole Militaire Metro stop! Here's their website: http://www.france-hotel-guide.com/h7...tepicquet2.htm <BR>In our wanderings we also passed the Hotel Derby Eiffel, which had been our top end choice. It looked *lovely*. Perhaps another time... <BR>Food: We ate several times on Rue Cler, but our BIG meal was at Les Olivades, 41 avenue de Segur [about a 10-15 minute walk from HLMP]. Excellent, if rich, provencal cusine. Absolutely charming. We'd return without question. The fixed price dinner [3 courses] was 179 ff. We added a bottle of wine [the price escapes me] I found it in Frommers. <BR>As for sights. Well it was warmish, grey, foggy, occasionally drizzling, and the museums went on strike the afternoon we planned to go. So we did a lot of walking and went shopping instead! We did get to Les Invalides and to l'Orangerie, but many of the paintings at the latter were on tour. I must give them credit though, they had lowered the admission! <BR>The Eiffel Tower was sometimes visible, other times mostly fogged out. Very elusive and lovely actually. <BR>We attended a ballet performance at the old opera house [Palais Garnier]. Now *that* is a building! <BR>We bought picnic fixings for our overnight train trip on Rue Cler and then headed off for Budapest! <BR>
Dec 20th, 1998, 07:18 PM
#2
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Hello s.fowler, <BR> <BR>Sorry to hear tht you did not get to stay at Muguet. I was looking forward to hearing your report on the hotel as it was one of my choices for our trip this coming May. <BR> <BR>Thanks for giving us your Paris report. We're certainly looking forward to staying in the rue Cler area. We have reservations for Hotel Leveque (just waiting now for them to confirm since I mailed them my credit card number last week). <BR> <BR>I'd like to try Les Olivades. Was that 179FF for per person or your total bill? <BR> <BR>Which other restaurants did you eat at on Rue Cler? Would like to hear about them. <BR> <BR>Did you make your own arrangements for the ballet? <BR> <BR>Thanks!
Dec 21st, 1998, 03:46 AM
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My impression of Hotel Muguet was positive from the lobby and the way the front desk helped us to find another hotel. My one "negative" feeling about the Muguet is that it is on a very narrow side street. I *know* it's the 7e, but I'm not sure I would feel comfortable walking back from the Metro at night. While La Motte Piquet lacked some of the *finesse* that Muguet has, I felt safer there. And you can't beat having that ATM right under your window ! <BR>The 179ff at Les Olivades was per person. The restaurant is totally, charmingly "provencal." The total bill was about $UD90 I think for the two of us. Expensive, yes, but for your "treat" meal well worth it. The food IS rich, not so much in the butter/cream way [provencal cuisine uses olive oil], but in the use of wild game and mushrooms. I'd go back in a trice! <BR>Rue Cler...hmmm... well we ate at the PJR or PRJ Brasserie, part of a chain... it was okay... simply a meal of convenience. We ate the first day at the cafe on the corner of Rue Cler and Champs de Mars [with a view of the hotel of the same name]. Nothing special, but the sweet young waiter was so nice to us it became special! The *action* there is in the specialty shops, and there the ones that LOOK good should be. There is also a VERY expensive food emporium as well as a "supermarche" near the Ecole Miltaire Metro stop on La Motte Picquet itself. <BR>One more suggestion: For the pluperfect parisian wine bar [complete with haughty "madame"] try Au Sauvignon in the 6e. It's on Rue St. Peres near Rue Grenelle. Just order crotin de chavignol [goat cheese], bread and either the red beaujolais or sancerre. I'm still purring... <BR>Re the ballet: No, I let our travel agent make them. You pay a lot that way because the brokers only sell the most expensive seats, BUT we were in the 8th row of the orchestra! [I figure we saved some money on the hotel and by not taking taxis or eating at La Tour d'Argent! -- don't you love those rationalizations?]
Oct 8th, 2000, 08:05 AM
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My friend and I and our two teens are hoping to go to the ballet (my daughter has been dancing since kindergarten) during our November trip to Paris. Is the Palais Garnier near the Opera? Has anyone bought tickets for the ballet upon their arrival in Paris? <BR> <BR>Thanks, <BR>Kathryn
Oct 10th, 2000, 10:33 AM
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I just got back (Oct.9th) from the same neighborhood. I stayed over at the Hotel Palais Bourbon. We had Rm#3, which was Huge by Parisian standards. I would call it almost a suite. We had a giant bedroom with King bed, a separate bath and a separate small room with 2 twons for our two kids. Breakfast was included and came out to $120/night incl. taxes. Great by French standards....most of our stays have been at three star hotels and this was a two but a much larger room. The lobby wasn't chic, but had a lovely breakfast included w/coffee/tea/choc and croissants/batons, etc. It was served downstairs in a room with several tables set each day with a different pattern of Les Olivades linen. (I love Provencial linen). The mgt. spoke English especially after we spoke to them in French (I identify with your comment about how to get the French to speak English!) While we were there, we were just around the corner from the Rodin Musee, so the kids got to see the Burgers of Calais daily as they passes by the glassed-in wall where they are perched in the museum garden. We took them inside to see the Thinker, etc. Another littleknown haunt was to go toward the Pantheon and see the Musee Curie (its free) and see how the people before us brought technology to our world. The Barsserie 4 blocks from our hotel across from the Asembly National on rue Bourbon became our hangout and my daughter charmed the waiters into smiling and asking if she'd like wiskey along with her CocaCola.....yes....haughty waiters turned friendly by a little teenage girl. There's a nice toy store across from the hotel, as well and we bought teddybears, etc. There are markets and bakeries on the same block. The best thing to my son was that the owner of a brand new Maserati lived in the bldg. nest door and parked his new unobtanium-mobile right in front of our hotel daily. A dream to a 15 year old boy! And we were able to go down to the Porte Versailles for the Paris Auto Show. The kids also wanted to see Versailles.....roughly 1/2 hr. by RER and easy to do. More?
