Paris with My Mother
 

Hello,
I am taking my 62 year old mother to Lisbon and Paris for her first trip. We are debating between the Hotel Mayet 3 Rue Mayet, 75006 Paris, France and Hotel de Nice 42 Rue de Rivoli, 75004 Paris, France. We would appreciate hearing any thoughts about the area/neighborhood and the rooms themselves. We are hoping to experience a little old paris and love to walk to sites and cafes.

Merci!

I would pick the rue de Rivoli address which is two steps from the Marais. But if the windows face the rue de Rivoli, it might be more noisy than the other hotel.

Have you chosen a hotel in Lisbon? I can highly recommend the Avenida Palace. Right in the center of old Lisbon, next to the Rossio train station, lots of good cafes and shops nearby. It's a gorgeous old building, and the breakfast room will knock you out it's so pretty. The breakfast served is extensive: eggs benedict, proscuitto, fresh crepes, fruits, meats, etc.

They have great service, too. Check their newsletter for some specials. Even without a special, it is very affordable, as is all of Lisbon.

Both look small and funky design wise. Rooms are quite small, as are bathrooms. Location wise, Mayet is in a quieter more genteel feeling part of town, Nice is in a better position for wandering around the Marais, but...
Have a look at reviews on TripAdvisor - sounds like the Nice may be a crap shoot. It's not a place I'd book for my mother's first European trip.

I'd choose a hotel in the 6th over the rue de Rivoli address.

If you are considering the Latin Quarter, we were recently at the Hotel St Jacques, which we liked a lot. It was a very good price, as well.

We booked Hotel Aviz for Lisbon, but now are wondering if we should spend jus tone night in lisbon and then head to the nearby towns. So excited!

I stayed at the Hotel de Nice a few years ago and have to say I would recommend staying elsewhere. The rooms are old and the welcome wasn't that warm.

I would do a search here for hotels as there are several threads that list hotels many of the posters here have enjoyed. I think you would enjoy staying elsewhere more. I have enjoyed recent stays at the Relais Bosquet (7th) and Louis II (6th) although the rooms at the Louis II were "tres petite." We were warmly greated and felt very comfortable at both places.

What was it that interested you in the two hotels you have mentioned?

KTtravel, Thanks for the reply. We are planning last minute for a trip in May so lots of the usual suspects weren't available. we wanted something affordable with a neighborhood in walking distance to sights and cafes. We are both huge walkers typically averaging (4-8 miles a day) on vacation.

I also wanted her to get a taste of old Paris. She studied French but never had a chance to go during college.

I've stayed at Hotel de Nice a few times, although not for several years (I now prefers apartments). It's in a great location (I love the Marais area), near a few metro stations, and there are many great places to eat or enjoy a drink/coffee and people watch. It's a lively and fun neighborhood full of character and history. The location is very central Paris, so it's easy to walk out the door and head in any direction to explore. The rooms can be small (and definitely an old Paris feel), but I found them fine.

3 Rue Mayet is a very nice location - very close to Vaneau Metro and a nice walk in different directions. There are many, many cafes on Rue de Sèvres and Rue du Cherche-Midi if you want to eat/drink/snack close to the hotel.

More importantly, IT IS ALREADY MAY! Pick something and book it - even if you want to keep looking for that "perfect" hotel.

Don't worry bardo1 I did. I just can't stop myself from wondering if I made the right choice.