Should I stay at Hotel Leveque or Hotel Queen Mary in Paris?
 

I am debating between these two hotels in Paris - Hotel Leveque and Hotel Queen Mary. Please keep in mind that this is my 1st ime to Paris and the items that I definitely want to see are Eiffel Tower, Louvre, and Notre Dame. I am pretty snobby when it comes to my hotels so please let me know which one you consider to be "elegant." So, I want an upscale hotel in a good location so I don't have to take metros everywhere.

Thanks guys!

The hotel Leveque is on Rue Cler in the 7th. It is a noisy location. The hotel is rather shabby. It would not be my choice. I've never heard of the Queen Mary. If you are looking for a nice budget hotel see if you can get into the Hotel Champ Du Mars it is on a side street rom Rue cler and although small it looks pretty nice.

Suzanne - Oh my goodness! You are right - Champ Du Mars looks very nice! I just requested a reservation. (no online booking engine or prices on website.) Do you know the prices for June/July? I am looking for a double room for two. Does it include breakfast?

Thank you so much Suzanne. This is a diamond in the rough.

The Hotel Leveque is so wrong on so very many levels for someone looking for elegant and snobby.

The Hôtel du Champs de Mars doesn't fit your requirements, either, unless you have changed them. It's not elegant or snobby, and I'm not even sure it has AC.

Never heard of the Queen Mary.

St. Cirq - thank you so much for the information on Leveque.

Champs de Mars actually looks very nice. I am praying it has AC.

Jill, the Champs du Mars IS very nice. It's just around the corner from the two hotels I've been staying at in Paris since 1972. However, it doesn't fit your criteria, as I understand them. But if it looks nice to you and has AC, go for it.

I should add that you'll probably take the métro to every one of the places you mention wanting to visit, except possibly the Tour Eiffel, which is a 10-minute walk from the Champs du Mars if you're a fast walker. That is, unless you are one of the many people who don't mind logging 10 miles a day or so of walking in Paris. I always walk just about everywhere, but the fact is, the city isn't laid out with all the sights conveniently gathered in one area for tourists, so you generally are either walking a lot or taking the métro or buses.

What are the hotels you have been staying at? I want to take a look at them.

Not saying, because they're not elegant or snobby.

Jill, if you could perhaps name some hotels you've stayed in elsewhere that met your standards, people here could more easily make suggestions. I had lunch at the restaurant in the George V last time I was in Paris (and felt momentarily intimidated, although of course the staff was so gracious that feeling melted away within 30 seconds). If someone asked me for an "elegant" hotel, that is what I would suggest. If someone asked me for a "cheap and chic" hotel, I'd probably come up with something else. So clarifying exactly what you want will go a long way to improving the suggestions.

Have you looked at the Hotel du Danube? It's not elegant but I found it very nice and quite well-located. Anyway, there are buckets of hotels in Paris and buckets of people on Fodor's who have stayed at them.
http://www.hoteldanube.fr/

If the Hotel Champs du Mars had air conditioning, I am certain it would say so on the hotel's own web site (where room prices are indeed posted.) It doesn't. Very likely, AC will not be needed, but there could be a hot spell.

Leely2 -

okay, so I think the wording "chip and chic" would be better. You are right. The words elegant and snobby has gotten many people (not you) very upset. (quite amusing actually) The standards that I am used to are Westins. (I am a preferred Starwood member.) However, the Westin Paris is over 379 Euro a night. In the states, you can stay at a Westin for under $200. So, I guess "cheap and chic" would be the way to go. Your suggestion looks lovely. Thank you so much. The only thing is that I don't think the hotel has AC. We are going at the end of June/July so we would need the air. Hope this helps. Thank you so much Lee.

I just remembered a hotel we stayed at years ago. It is a bit off the beaten path. Has a nice street market twice a week. Had A/C. Room was small but nice. Did not include breakfast. It is called Tryp De Saxe.

I might try Hotel Muguet. It is slightly more elegant the Leveque and still relatively inexpensive, for Paris, at about 140 euro for 2 with no view. I agree with others that you'll be taking the Metro, which is convenient to Muguet. By the way, the Paris Metro is really great. We enjoy using it.

There are many hotels in the Champs de Mars area. Nearby is rue Cler ( and neighboring side streets) where there are a number of hotels popular with Rick Steves' fans. Hotel Leveque is not 'upscale' by any standards, and not remotely like any Westin I've ever stayed in. Hotel Champ du Mars is a little better but I'd still put it in the same bucket as the Leveque. And I would say the same about Hotel Muguet. All popular with Rick Steves fans, definitely budget. I have stayed in all three over the years. Nothing wrong with them, if budget is what you want.

If you want something a bit better, and actually in a much better location for doing a lot of walking and seeing more of Paris, you might look into Grand Hotel Saint Michel, 19 rue Cujas. It is like a small, elegant, boutique hotel you might find in Seattle or San Francisco. You can generally get a room there for 125-145 Euros if you book a couple months ahead.

Have stayed there a number of times. One block off Blvd St-Michel, a few minutes walk from Metro stop and RER, very near the Sorbonne, Pantheon, Cluny Museum. A few minutes walk from many good restaurants in St-Germain and Latin Quarter, also near rue Mouffetard market. Easy walk to Notre Dame & Ste-Chapelle. There's nothing 'grand' about it, but it's a lovely little hotel with a great location, helpful staff, the breakfast room in a 'crypt' beneath reception. My husband and I were there in February a couple years ago and it was a warm, cozy, and romantic place to stay.

For a hotel in a good location that comes slightly close to elegant you have to pay at least 300 €/night in June.

the hotels you are picking are not remotely the level you are seeking. The

sorry, some glitch, to continue ...

The hotels you are talking about in the rue Cler area are veyr budget hotels -- the Leveque was a 1* hotel just a few years ago, I think it and the Ch du Mars and now 2* hotels. They are not REMOTELY elegant or upscale. I've heard of the Queen Mary, it's a nice 3* hotel, but it is also not elegant or upscale, but it is in an area that might suit you in that regard -- near the Madeleine, very convenient and the Madeleine has some nice food shops and it's near the Opera and the Place Vendome. It is the most elegant of those three, I would guess.

If you really are picky about hotels and want elegant and upscale, you should not be looking at 2* hotels at a budget price, nor 3* actually. Why not use Priceline or something to get a higher level.

Christina - you are right about Priceline. I am just nervous about using it since they don't reveal the name of the hotel until after you book. Can you use Priceline and then cancel the reservation if I don't like the hotel?

Thank you for the information on the Rue Cler area. Do you think I will like the Latin Quarter area? (I want to see Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, and Louvre so I don't want to be too far from these areas)

It is easy to get around Paris. I think you will have no problems seeing the sights you seek regardless of where you end up staying. Have you looked into the Intercontinentel. It looks very nice.