Question room type in Paris ?
 

OK now I am confused !! I am looking at various hotels in Paris for our October trip. The room will be for me, hubby and 2 sons ages 4 and 2. So should the room be a double, triple or quad ??

Ash

you should get the number of beds you want.
and also make sure the hotel would let the two little ones share a bed if that is your intention.

one bed for each.. quad.
one bed for each adult. and one to share with kids.. triple.

don't understand your question maybe... how could you ever do a double for all 4 of you?

p.s. french doubles are 1m40 cm.
TINY. you are better off with two single beds instead of a doulbe for two adults for more space.

That is - French double beds are just basic doubles - not kings or even queens - so two adults used to a larger bed woud be kind of squashed.

It's up to you if you want the two little ones to share a bed (then you need a triple) or have a bed each (then you need a quad - may be called a family room).

I would think if you are reserving a triple that there is a good possiblity the two little ones would end up sharing a single bed. Would that work? I would advise the hotel your family is 2 adults and 2 children so that you get a room that truly works out for all of you.

Thanks !!! I will call a bunch of hotels this weekend and see what they say. But I am thinking that maybe a triple should work for us. Thanks again for all your replies !!

Ash

Hi dab,

We always stay at the Hotel Bonaparte, 61 Rue Bonaparte in the 6th. From 124E dbl w/bkfst. Has AC

They have at least one triple.

They are kid friendly.

Tel 33 1 43 26 97 37
FAX 33 1 46 33 57 67
www.hotelbonaparte.fr

For more info, enter "Hotel Bonaparte" in the "search this forum" box.

Photos are at http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=...&y=-l95uyr

Have a nice visit.

((I))

I called Champ de Mars and one other hotel today to find out they have no rooms at all that could accomodate all of us !
Then I went to Expedia and put in 2 adults and 2 children (ages 4 & 2) to have no hotel at all show up
as being able to accomodate all of us. We do not mind the 2 kids sharing a bed infact they love it so
they do it at home sometimes too !! We defly want to stay in the 7th (close to Rue Cler - we love the area !).
Can someone help with what other options we have. I will be researchimg more over the weekend
but would love any advice. Is it really upto us if we do not mind staying in a triple or is it some legality issue that
it cant be allowed !

I have sent an email to Hotel Bonaparte but have not received any reply yet! I will try them tomorrow too !

TIA
Ashwini

What are your dates? What is your budget?

Most hotels will allow children 2 and
under for free in any room. However, the total number allowed in the room can be a legal issue in some instances due to fire regulations (but I'm pretty sure the 2-year-old doesn't trigger those).

We stayed in a quad/family room at the Hotel de la Bourdonnais, in the 7th, last June. It had two double beds for our family of four, which worked fine for us. It was a fairly large room (#503), and had a great view of the Eiffel Tower from its little balcony, looking up the pretty boulevard. I booked it through Expedia for $225/night.

I'd recommend it for a family, especially with the handiness of having a market next door for kids' snacks, etc.

The hotel had A/C and a lift, a friendly front desk, too. Offered a simple breakfast buffet, but we chose to visit Rue Cler in the mornings, for coffee, croissants, crepes and fresh fruit. A nice market next door to the hotel was handy, too. Metro stop on the corner, Batobus stop close by, too, at the Eiffel Tower. Even an ATM machine at the corner bank. Loved the location and the upscale neighborhood. An easy walk through the Champs de Mars to the Eiffel Tower.

We will be arriving on October 14th and leaving October 19th. Our budget is around 200 Euros (max 250 Euros). Is this doable ??

Ash

Maureen- Hotel de la Bourdonnais sounds perfect..I will call them tomorrow morning. Also it fits in our budget !

Ashwini

Yes, I think you'd like it. It's not swanky, but it's a clean, old-style boutique three-star hotel. The bathroom could have been updated, for example, but we thought it was a very good value-- cute and clean. I'd say contact them directly for rates, to compare to Expedia. And try to get a view room.
For youir little ones, it might be nice to have the big Champs de Mars parkway across the way, great to let them stretch their legs, run around, and picnic. All in view of the Eiffel Tower and Les Invalides. Can't ask for a better setting! Have fun.
http://www.hotellabourdonnais.com/

Yes, the Bourdonnais sounds like it would meet your needs and it's in a good neighborhood. An Eiffel Tower view room is a nice bonus (we had a similar view from our room, number 303).
When my brother-in-law travels with his family (2 kids, the youngest just turned 5), they stay at Le Meridien. Frankly, I think it's a very bland hotel, but the rooms are large and come with two beds that are 160 cm, easily big enough for the four of you.

Thanks MaureenB - This time we will be mainly doing things geared towards the boys and the parks would defly play an important role. My 5 year old son is already excited that he can play with a toy sailboat at one of the parks !! He looks at the Eiffel Tower in his atlas atleast 10 times during the day and has already decided which stuffed animals he is taking in his backpack. So it will really help that the Champs de mars is right across !

BTilke - I will add the Le Meridien to the hotels I will be calling tomorrow !

Thanks again all of you wonderful people ! Will post again on Monday with the findings !

Ash

I think your son and I have something in common-- I was such a goofball in our hotel room, making everyone in the family keep looking out the balcony at the Eiffel Tower. "Look, it's twinkling now!" (It does light up at night and 'twinkle', which Parisians probably think is tacky, but I thought it was spectacular.)
When in Paris, look for people selling Eiffel Tower trinkets by the Batobus stops, especially after dark. My son bought a cute ET etched-glass figure, that sits on a base and lights up in changing colors. Very corny, we know, but perfect for him to take home. He even haggled with the vendors, who were competing against one another to make their sales, and I think he only paid 3EUR for it. It's sitting in our TV room now!

P.S. Just to clarify-- by "ET" I meant Eiffel Tower, not Extra Terrestrial! If you say ET to a five-year old, it would get lost in the translation.

I called and they quoted a rate of 200Euros($ 240) for all of us. I also heard from Hotel Bonaparte(via email and their rate was 174 Euros (1 bed + 1 single bed + 1 cot). So now its a tossup between these two !!

I also foud this bus and boat pass..Is it worth buying or would a Metro pass be better ??
http://www.graylineparis.com/en/bus_...discover_Paris

Maureen - I will have to lookout for those mini Eiifel Towers as my son would get quite a kick out of them ! We are leaning towards your hotel and make sure that we get a room with a view since that would be the highlight for my son !
Ashwini

I think you would be happy with a view room at the Bourdonnais. It's a pleasure to watch the Eiffel Tower any time of day or evening and even to see it turn off at night (1 am? I forget).
Just make sure you get a guarantee in writing (email or fax) from the Bourdonnais that you will be getting a view room. And reconfirm that with them before you arrive.

Anyone stayed in the junior suites at the Bourdonnais?

BTilke gives good advice. But I believe they would not absolutely promise a view room in advance. They said they'd try, as I recall. So don't be surprised if that's the response.
A room with a double, a twin and a cot might be pretty crowded, though. Did you ask for the quad/family room with two doubles? Maybe they've changed their beds since last June. Request a room by number, like 503 or 303, too, so they will know you have knowledge of their hotel and are very interested.
Whatever you choose, you will love Paris and your son will be in awe of the ET. Even his little legs can probably walk up to the first level of the tower. We walked to the second level, and I'm not sure it was worth the extra effort.
One pass we thought to be a good deal is the Batobus, which is the boat that goes up and down the Seine. It stops at the eight major sites, and just riding it is fun at anytime. Especially at night, which is a must-do activity in Paris IMHO-- to see the lovely city all lit up at night from the river is an unforgettable sight. Even the bridges light up underneath. Your sons would love it. I think a two-day pass was only about 13 EUR apiece, for unlimited hop-on-hop-off traveling until about 10:00p.m. The boats are clean and have a cover in case of rain.

we also stayed at Le Meridien Montparnasse, two queen size beds in their rooms...It is a first rate hotel.

dabsjad,

I just found a great site that might be worth a look. http://www.parisluxeapt.com/

Very modern decor. Range from 1 bed - 3 bedroom. Should suite your needs, depending on budget.

Thanks to all of you that helped with the hotel advice. We have decided to book hotel Bourdonnais and will make sure that we are confirmed a view room in writing (that is if they will allow us !!)
In preparation for the trip(does not matter it isnt until October ;-) ) I went and bought myself an Eddie Bauer guide bag to schlep around all my stuff. Hopefully by then my younger one will be fully potty trained and I will not need to carry any diapers. This guide bag is smaller than the large guide bag on their website(by cost too, this was $19.50 only) and should serve all my needs !!
Now if only if we can decide where the TGV trip will be to and which metro/bus/boat pass to get and we are all set. Both the boys are fascinated by the TGV (they have it in one of their books). We have been to Paris twice and are looking forward to seeing it from the boys view this time !! More reading to do !! Last time I had got for my neice this book from a bookstore in Paris which folds out to be a complete 2 storey house..I hope to get a castle this time for my boys !!
Ash

With two boys, they might like Angers. The castle there is a medieval fortress type castle, not one of the jewel box pleasure palaces sprinkled throughout much of the Loire Valley. The cobblestone streets winding through the old town are fun to explore and you can follow them over to the Jardin du Mail park where there is a carousel they could ride (although there is one on the Champ du Mars as well). Angers has plenty of family friendly restaurants, including creperies, that serve inexpensive and delicious meals (for you and your husband, that means a 3 course meal with wine or Normand/Brittany cider for about 12 euros each).
Caution: the TGV ride to Angers can carry a hefty price tag, so start shopping early for Prem or other discount fares.

Thanks for the info !!! How far in advance can I get the PREMs ?? 6 months ? Which means I will have to wait till about May 16th to make the bookings. Paris to Angers is about 1.5 hrs by TGV which is about the time we are looking at spending on the train. First we were also thinking about Dijon. I will read some more on both the places to see which one would be better suited to our boys !
Ash

Ash, you sound like a wonderful parent, to be planning so carefully for your kids. May I just say, having been there and done that with my two kids, your boys are so young they will probably be easier to entertain than you adults! In other words, I always thought our kids were just as happy to play in a park as to be in some fabulous location on some fancy whatever. Be sure to plan activities and memories for the parents, too, eh? Because, unfortunately, the boys may not remember much of it. Do have lots of fun, keep notes and business cards, and post a trip report, ok?

Thanks Maureen ! I have seen so many folks on my husbands side being such worrywarts when it comes to travelling to a new place, I am on a mission now !! They can never go to anyplace new w/o having a travel agent setup everything for them. Me and my husband are complete opposites of that !! We are originally from India and have been sent to UK first on employment and now are in the US. In our 20s we had seen most of Europe on our own. Seeing all this I want the boys to be well travelled and not apprehensive of new places..Already they are doing really well, we spent touring 5 days in Delhi-Agra-Jaipur in February 2005 and they were so good ! My older son still talks about the Taj Mahal. I am sure he will njoy Paris. I do scrapbooking so yes will be taking lots of photos and collecting momentos and ofcourse shopping(a longchamp purse soon to be added to my collection - only thing is my husband does not know about this !!).
Yes, I will defly post a trip report with pictures !!
Ash