As far as I'm concerned, you can have any icon you want! :)

Well, congrats : you gambled and you won big time. I lived 9 years on rue de Lévis and have passed hundreds of times by your future hotel (in fact, it was next to my hairdresser! ). It's a simple, but good hotel. Rue de Lévis is the quintessential Parisian pedestrian market street, the neighborhood is quite upscale, and the Villiers métro, 3 minutes from your hotel, quite practical (2 lines). So, bon séjour !

We stayed at this hotel for 3 nights in October 2001. It was ok; not fancy but certainly acceptable. Rooms on the small side, lobby had no real lounge to speak of, but it's more than adequate for sleeping and showering. The street market is interesting and that is where most of the restaurants in that immediate area can be found. We thought restaurants in that part of town outside the street market were a little thin on the ground. Also, there is a taxi stand not far from the hotel, but you may have to wait a while for the taxi...it's not the most popular taxi stand.
I would not go out of my way to stay at that hotel (we usually stay in a 4* hotel in the 16th; if we were to stay in the 17th it would be at the Princesse Caroline), but if it were "assigned" to us as part of an inexpensive package trip, we'd be fine with it.

We loved that neighborhood around the Parc Monceau, although we didn't stay there. One day while visiting Paris last December, we had fun exploring the area, trying to find where some of the famous 19th-century artists had lived. We had just finished reading a couple of books on John Singer Sargent and "Madame X", whose former home is now the Cape Verdean Embassy.

It is a beautiful area. I recommend Thirza Vallois' walking tour books, especially (for you) volume 3, which covers the 17th and other "farther out" arrondissements.

We stayed at same hotel in 1999 two times, when it was marketed by Comfort Inns. It was a plain but clean room with fairly new bathroom, good breakfast, and a quiet location. As with most older buildings, you may be able to hear other customers in the hallway, or maybe in the room next to you if they are loud, but otherwise it was perfectly fine. I don't know if they have maintained the property well, but it was nice enough back then.

As others have mentioned, the neighborhood is very nice with 2 Monoprix (one is groceries, the other is the 'department store'), a market street, local launderette, boulangeries, cafes, etc. A short walk to the metro... walkable to Parc Monceau.

We have developed a preference for non-central locations, having stayed here 2 times, the 15th once, and the 14th two times. Hopefully, you will enjoy it too.

Just returned from our trip to Paris last night. Just wanted to take a minute to update everyone on the hotel, etc. As far as the hotel is concerned, it was very nice for the budget hotel that it was. The rooms were small and it could definitely use some freshing up but for what we paid, it was great. The neighborhood was great and the breakfast very nice. It was quiet at night and the market was lovely as well as the Monoprix and it was very close to the metro stop Villiers. We had a great time.

A few quick observations about Paris:
- I didn't see nearly as much dog poop as some lead you to believe will be around. I'd say no more than a usual big city.
- I didn't see anyone urinating on the street. Maybe it was too cold. :)
- The lourve is HUGE!
- The effiel tower is cool!
- Pastries are YUM!
- I liked Paris, but I didn't feel that "ooooh, I LOVE Paris" feeling some people feel. But it was very nice and I'm glad we went.

Thanks to everyone for all of your help and advice!

P.S. For those going soon, the top floor of the Effiel Tower is closed until Feb 15th. (Thats what the sign said) we were only able to go to the second level.

PJI-

Welcome back. Glad you had a good time.

I've only been to Paris twice, but I think it grows on you. I really enjoyed it the first time, and liked it much more the second. I find myself wanting to go again. Strange, because as soon as my plane landed in Rome the first time (not the first time I was in Italy), I was just awestruck and, yes, in love.

Guess it's a case of love-at-first sight vs. friends-first?

I know what you mean Leely. I LOVE Italy. Absolutely LOVE it. Especially Sicily but that definitely stems from our living there for several years and the love of the people and our friends there. I did like Paris, but I don't see myself going back anytime soon. There are too many other places in the world on my list!