Rick Steve's Recommendation
 

I will be visiting Paris for the first time in April and am thinking of using one of two hotels in his guide - the Grand Hotel Leveque or the Hotel Turenne. How would you compare the two?

We stayed at the Hotel Leveque a couple of years ago and it was fine for the prices. The rooms were small but clean. Rue de Cler is a great pedestrian street with all kinds of little shops and carts where the food was terrific. Our room overlooked Rue de Cler so was a bit noisy early in the morning when the vendors were setting up their food carts. But for the price and the location, we would stay there again.

We actually found we preferred the Hotel Relais Bosquet, in the same neighborhood as the Leveque. It was in the same price range and a bit nicer I though. And more available since it's not in Rick Steve's book! Those hotels can be very hard to come by.

Hi Bob, <BR>I can tell you more about the Leveque after October. My cousin & I will be there for about 10 days beginning midmonth. <BR>Bon Voyage, <BR>BC

I haven't stayed at either, but I'd copied this recommendation on the Turenne from the Bonjour Paris website <BR> <BR>"A friend swears by the Hôtel Turenne, a 34-room ** hotel in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower. He is such a frequent visitor and recommends it so highly on the message boards , that <BR>sometimes, I think he gets a commission. If not, he should. It is clean and near good public transportation. The hotel has air-conditioning and its rooms have been being updated during <BR>then past ten years". <BR> <BR>For the Leveque, scroll down on messages between yesterday and today, there were some specific comments on it. <BR>

A friend stayed at Leveque and didn't like it. Liked Hotel Muguet and Champ de Mars better.

Have stayed twice at Leveque, once for 10 nights and liked it a lot. Rue Cler is nice local neighborhood within walking distance of E. Tower, Invalides and Rodin Museum. <BR> <BR>Nice clean rooms with cable TV and according to wife, nice bathrooms. Can be a bit noisy in the early AM, around 5:30 to 6:30, on the front end where we stayed, but all in all a nice place and good value. Request a room away from Rue Cler if you want to sleep later. <BR> <BR>Also, a very small elevator. <BR> <BR>OF

Stayed at the Leveque four years ago. I thought it was a real bargain, but I will admit that all I all I usually care about with a hotel is decent service, along with quiet surroundings and a clean bed and bath. The location is good for some sights, and a metro stop is five minutes or less away. You will be in a good spot to grab a quick bite in the morning, and there is a post office nearby. I slept very well, and I don't do well in noisy places. I did ask for a room off the street when I reserved.

Stayed at Hotel Muguet and liked it more. Quiet, clean, charming and very reasonable at around $80. It is very close to Rue Cler. Rue Cler is fun during the day, but dead at night.

Bob, <BR> <BR>Have tried to get into this hotel but it always seems booked. Anyway, my parents swear by it! They spent two weeks there this spring and could not have been happier. Keeping in mind that it is a budget hotel they said it was clean, comfortable and in a good location for getting anywhere. They did comment on some street noise, however, said that higher up it wasn't a problem and that the street looked beautiful! Good luck.

We stayed at the Leveque in Oct '99. We three couples found the Leveque very charming, especially at $67US per nite. Rooms were spacious enough, very clean, and the view from our third floor room onto Rue Cler and the markets below reminded us of a colorful jigsaw puzzle. Several friends have tried to book there since, with varying degrees of luck. We liked it a lot.

We stayed at Leveque last November and thought it was a very pleasant little hotel. Our room was small but no smaller than other hotels in this class in France. The bathroom was modern and well equipped. Cable TV. Big plus is the in-room safe, not usually found in this price range. Our room was on second floor on back side, so no view of Rue Cler but was nice and quiet. The hotel offers a typical breakfast of coffee/tea and rolls, and we found the price was actually cheaper then going out to a local cafe. All in all we thought this hotel was great value and would not hesitate to stay there again. <BR> <BR>We visited the Hotel Champs du Mar and found it to be very nice, a bit more upscale and a bit pricier. We know people that have stayed there and they report it is also very good value. <BR> <BR>Either one would be good. Book WAY early because these little hotels are very popular.