St Germain
 

Planning a trip to Paris, May 2015. Traveling with my mother and boyfriend for 14 days plus 2 extra for travel time. St Germain area near a metro would be ideal. Any recommendation on hotels or two apartments near each other? Maybe with a little balcony? Budget around $250 per room.

Thank you!

Not my favourite area, but that's just me. It seems to appeal mostly to affluent people from North America over the age of 50. If you are in that group, go for it.

You could spend half as much in other parts of Paris.

We are not affluent but we are from North America. My mother is over 50 but we aren't. Half of $250 sounds great...which parts?

Look at the arrondissements numbered from 9 to 20, excluding 16.

Please remember that being near the Metro (which I most definitely agree with)is great but being near the Metro and not having to ride forever or change several times in order to get to the attractions you are interested in is better.

We once stayed in a hotel which was in sight of two Metro stations but to get to the places we really wanted to go and see was sometimes almost a hassle and I have tried not to repeat that mistake.

We stay at Hotel Parc St. Severin on Rue de la Parchemenerie between St. Germain and St. Michel. There are lots of other reasonable hotels in same area and plenty of really good restaurants. Our son denigrates the area as tourist central but we love the hotel and their staff, we love the area--if you avoid the main streets, and we love the transportation. Cluny metro in one direction, St. Michel in the other and 3+ bus stops all within a block or two.

I love St Germain.I think it's a really good area to stay in. Especially closer to Luxembourg garden. Last year I stayed at Best Western Trianon Rive Gauche. that was for just one night but I loved the quiet location. At the beginning of our trip we also stayed at the Best Western Tour Notre Dame, which is more in the Latin Quarter but on a quiet street right next to the museum. these two hotels are more French than you think. Each Best Western is privately owned. They were very nice inside but not sterile or generic. They had their own charm.

I meant next to the CLUNY museum.

Perhaps sanderskn will also offer to assist you in paying for these hotels.

This hotel is not in St-Germain but it's close enough. Rates are below $250 and most rooms have small balconies and is close to the Luxembourg Gardens and on a quiet street.

http://www.balcons.com/

Almost every place in Paris is near a metro station, especially in central Paris. I'm not sure why people worry about how close the metro is to their hotels since you will most certainly be walking at the other end and throughout the day. Why does it matter if the metro is 1 minute or 3 minutes away.

I agree with Dukey1 about what metro line and stop you're near rather than how close the metro is.

Kerouac why do you persist in spreading untruths its almost a form of fearmongering.. hotels in the central areas are all so expensive etc .. There are hotels in the 4,5th and 6th that are absolutely fine and well under 250 a night dear.. perhaps since you have NEVER stayed in a hotel in that area you are not aware of that.

I can name three right now.. that I have stayed in .. that are nice, clean, and have a/c ( important for summer visits no matter what some say) The rooms may be small and basic , but the locations make up for the plainness of the rooms and lack of bell boy and room service.

Hotel Eugenie( in the 6th but on border of 5th , 1/2 block to major metro and RER station and the river ,, 5 minute walk to Cluny and Notre Dame ) Rooms are basic but have ac and mini fridge.

Hotel Le Regent( in the 6th. lovely part too, cafes and markets right outside,, and a bank machine right beside hotel, nice bathrooms in this hotel,standard rooms are tiny , deluxe rooms are better.. both have ac and fridge. )

Hotel Des Grand Hommes( this one is in 5th away from busy area.. near Luxembourg gardens and directly across from Pantheon) .. nice décor.. small rooms.. ac and mini fridge.. next door is the Hotel Pantheon.. which is similar sister hotel.. book well in advance to get better rates for this hotel, can be pricey )

Now.. for OP I am going to suggest the apartment option.. since I know a building that has two perfect apartments in it.. you and bf book the Esmeralda owned by Parisbestlodge.. it has a tiny balcony with an amazing and romantic view.. the apartment has excellent air conditioning,, hard to find for apartments.. and its a beautiful room.. there is an elevator in building.. but it goes to the floor below this apartment so you will have one steep flight of stairs to room.. then mom can have apartment directly below you ( this building is only one apartment wide) she will have same view but no balcony, and same ac etc..
Parisbestlodge..
Hotel Eugenie

Sorry posted too soon. That apartment is not in 6th but in 5th, on a quiet street just steps from busy area of Latin Quarter.. metro and RER 5 minutes away.. river right there.. excellent area.

Yeah, and then there's that myth that every hotel room in Paris is small. Not if you are willing to pay they aren't.

Dukey - we stayed at the Hotel St Severin, also in the 5th near the Cluny:

http://www.hoteleurope.net/

They have particularly spacious rooms and balconies which are nice, albeit small. And it is within your budget.

good luck in your search.

Small is relative.. I find many Americans would find even an expensive room in Paris small , since some of them have walk in closets that you could have a family of four live in.. lol

I think its fair to say that to most of us from the new worlds, Canada, USA, Australia .. we have a different concept of space.. we are lucky we are used to quite a lot more then the average Europeon.

Hr

Look I have the same cup and saucer as Esmeralda! I clicked on the website and that's a Royal Albert's old country roses tea cup. I scored 5 sets at a garage sale in our hood a couple of years ago for $10. Sign might you say? I attached to profile pic.

oooh kerouac they're on to you. I will admit when I was in the 20th last trip, 2 pastries and 2 sin gas & with gas water bottles totaled to only 2,50 euros, much cheaper than some of the bakeries in the center so I hear you.

For this trip I think we might prefer to stay somewhat closer to the center. Thank you for the hotel links adrienne & annihig, I am liking them all. The balcons doesn't have any of the double rooms in May though. It's fun looking for a place to stay.

Actually Kerouac, I paid $220 a night for both of these hotels last June. That seems to be in her price range. Prices could have gone up, I don't know, but I just thought I would suggest them.

Dukey, justineparis, sanderskn & Julie thank you. I'll be sure to check out all your hotel picks.

We'll also consider a 2 bedroom 2 bath apt if you have any recommendations. The Esmeralda is booked and some of your hotel picks are also booked for May but I'm diligently looking at each one.

The one I recommended doesn't have availability posted on the internet yet. You'd have to wait a month or send an email.

I have one for you. Check out the Mr. Prince apt from www.parisbestlodge.com. It is in the heart of the St. Germain on rue Mazarine a half block from where rue St. Andre des Arts turns in to rue du Buci. It is 2 short blocks from the Odeon metro station. Theirry from PBL can suggest another one in the area. One problem- no elevator, but that did not bother us. We love the vibe of that neighborhood, but we meet all of Kerouac's criteria minus the affluent part.

I can understand kerouac recommending some of the less touristy arrondissements to get more of a sense of real Paris. However, we were just in Paris and did like the fact that we could walk around some of central sights at night and get back to our apartment easily. By the end of a long day of sightseeing my feet are usually pretty tired and to not have to hop back on the metro or take a taxi is nice.

We stayed at the Hotel Louis II a few years ago. It was quite reasonable compared to some of the other hotels in the area and close to a metro. It is in an active, interesting, area but noise was not a problem as the windows seem to be well insulated. This is not a luxury hotel but nice and clean and run by friendly staff. Our room was teeny tiny so I would consider splurging on a larger room if within the budget.

Tessie ... when you look on some hotel websites now they will say no availability but its not because they are booked but because many of them do not allow online booking more then 6 to 9 months in advance.. so keep checking or email hotel directly and ask.

My apologies to annhig whose name I misspelled. Thanks adrienne & justineparis thought I already missed out seeing the calendars blocked off. Emailed Esmeralda and same guy, Michel, responded. Apparently I inquired about another apt he managed on Airbnb last year. There is only a week avail where Esmeralda & the downstairs Notre Dame are simultaneously free and it's the last week of April then only 6 nights in May. Will keep looking, considering all options. I dreamt I stayed at Le Meurice last night how funny was that.

letsgeaux, that area looks nice & very near the Seine, love that, perfect for mom's morning walks or near a garden would be lovely too. No elevators became the theme of our last trip so no problem here either but prefer no more than 3-4 flights with mom.

Dukey & KTtravel, we share the same sentiment about easily walking back to hotel mid day & night, thanks for the reminder. I might take kerouac's suggestion if it's an extended trip as I liked some neighborhoods outside the center and who doesn't like saving $!

KTtravel I think you might get a kick out of the first pic of Hotel Louis II listed on Booking.com. It's quite funny now but with lights off last night it scared the crap out of me.

http://www.booking.com/hotel/fr/loui...t_room=5421502

Dukey1 - Yeah, and then there's that myth that every hotel room in Paris is small. Not if you are willing to pay they aren't.

The smallest room I've ever checked out of was the one at the George V. And we did not take the lowest rate. We did not even stay the night.

That's unfortunate considering how much you have to shell out to stay there. Has anyone had afternoon tea at George V? We were going to do it last trip but they were fully booked and last minute walk-ins were only reserved for guests. I think mom would love it, the room looks so pretty.

My last 3-4 times in Paris I've stayed at Hotel Le Clément. I like it very much and love the location.

www.hotelclementparis.com

Ha, tessietoes. I had to look at the picture several times before I saw what you meant. Too funny!

In response to your question about tea at George V, if you are in the mood for a splurge, go to lunch at Le Cinq. The food is outstanding and the setting is beautiful. The regular menu can be pretty expensive but the lunch specials are very reasonable for a Michelin 2 star. We had lunch there a few years ago on our anniversary. The restaurant is right next to the tea room. We lingered there for a good while after our lunch listening to the piano player. The tea looked very nice and I would not hesitate to recommend it.

we too have had lunch at le cinq and agree that it is a lovely experience, with probably the best service we have had anywhere, not to mention very delicious food too. The set 3 course lunch [for which you actually get about 6 courses] was €85 then, which was a real steal for what we had, but the cost of drinks more or less doubled the price, so watch out if you want to drink wine with your meal.

I always think it's interesting that people push apartments when an OP specifically requested hotel recommendations.

This is even more interesting now, since the Mayor of Paris currently has a task force investigating and prosecuting agencies and individuals who advertise vacation rentals, which are illegal for leases of less than one year (or 9 months, to a documented student).

AirBnB (the company) is currently being prosecuted in France for tax fraud. It has been estimated by the Mayor's Office that 90% of AirBnB rentals are offered by tenants who do not have the authorization to sublet their apartments.

I would not suggest renting an apartment in Paris at the present time, or in the near future. The apartment you choose and pay for may not be available when you arrive - an agency might offer another unit that does not suit your needs - or you might have to find other lodging, with no help from the individual you rented from.

I think that the hotels mentioned were good choices, and there are many more in this general area. It is a good idea to stay closer to the river, since there is more street life here, but this can also be noisy. The distance to any Metro station is a non-issue, since changing lines takes all of 3 minutes and is simple to do.

An apartment is not "pushed". OP stated that she would consider a 2 bedroom apt. And those suggested are not illegal.

manouche - perhaps you should read the OP's requirements:

" Any recommendation on hotels or two apartments "

Yes, the OP specifically requested hotels but the OP also specifically requested apartments.

"The smallest room I've ever checked out of was the one at the George V. And we did not take the lowest rate. We did not even stay the night."

The George V rents rooms by the hour?

The George V rents rooms by the hour?>>

They probably do, Nikki, if you're rich enough.

Does renting rooms by the hour have a different meaning in Europe?

don't think so, Nikki.