The largest tiny room in Paris? Help a solo Paris traveler!
 

Okay, I know Paris hotels have been done to death BUT my head is spinning from too many choices...here&Otilde;s the question. I will be getting a single, or the smallest double as I am traveling alone. I&Otilde;m used to small rooms through my travels to other countries...are Paris single hotel rooms even smaller than that??? I&Otilde;ve narrowed it down to these few (yeah, I&Otilde;m indecisive):<BR>Danube<BR>Odeon<BR>Verneuil<BR>Lev ant<BR>Familia<BR>Des Grandes Ecoles <BR>Minerve<BR><BR>I would appreciate any comments and/or suggestions from other solo paris travelers. My budget is up to $120 US per night, and want to stay in the 5th or 6th arr. I do want to book soon as there is a big auto show on my dates of travel and I&Otilde;ve heard things book up quickly. Thanks in advance for any help!

Ask for Room 54 at the Welcome Hotel, 66, rue de Seine, 6&egrave;me. FAX 1-40-46-81-59, www.welcomehotel-paris.com. I think this is the greatest location in Paris. The room is not large, but adequate, in my opinion. You can see the Eiffel Tower if you stick your head out the window. The best p&acirc;tisserie/deli, in my opinion, is just down the street at 76, rue de Seine--G&eacute;rard Mulot. Lots of nice shops and restaurants are in the neighborhood; the Buci Market is just out your door, and there is a Champion Grocery across the street.<BR>Boots

The only hotel that I've stayed in as a single is Hotel Saint Marie le Marais<BR>http://www.france-hotel-guide.com/h75004stmerry2.htm<BR><BR>I paid well under US$100/night with breakfast served in the room. And, it was plenty roomy for one person, well located, very clean, and I would recommend it. You mentioned the 5th/6th as your preference, but this hotel is a 5-minute walk (about) from the Left Bank and near 2 Metro stops.

Sorry ... I meant Hotel Saint Merry (don't know where my head was).

Though the website I posted for the Welcome Hotel is on their brochure, I came up with something else when I tried it. The FAX number, however, is correct. Boots

I'm sorry I can't comment on single rooms in those particular hotels, my Parisian single room experience was in others (none I'd recommend). My only thought is that in general, single rooms are awful in any European hotel I've ever been in and I would never book one again. However, they were no more awful in Paris than in Belgium, Netherlands or other countries. I only book small doubles now. Any hotel that labels something a "single" as opposed to double is giving you the smallest, worst room in the hotel or they wouldn't need a special label for it, in my experience. These rooms are often terrible in all ways, not just size, they are the worst locations, noisy, odd shapes, etc. However, it sounds like you've been in them so know what they're like.<BR><BR><BR>Good luck! Your hotel list looks good in general, though, so my advice is go with a double room if you have a choice. There are probably some exceptions where a single room is okay but without specific knowledge of one and its size and location in the hotel (including view, they often look upon a wall or shaft of some kind), I wouldn't book one. Your budget should allow a modest double room in the 5th, for sure.<BR><BR>I think the above room by Heather sounds okay, better than I've had. I believe it must be Saint Merri. Merri is a male saint, the name is a contraction of Saint Mederic.

You all are so great to respond so quickly! And Christina, you are so right about single rooms being cramped and odd shapes...I had one in Rome that was about the size of a closet. If I can afford the double, I'm going for it!

BB:<BR><BR>If you're willing to spend up to $120 per night, the Hotel des Grandes Ecoles is fantastic. You can get one of their single rooms for 95-120 euros (about $108) and judging by the sizes of the double rooms, this would probably be more than adequate. It's a charming hotel in a great location and I'd highly recommend it.<BR><BR>Good luck!<BR>Carol

The Welcome Hotel does have a great location, but it is very noisy at night, esp. if it is warm weather and you have the windows open.

BB,<BR>If you're willing to spend 130 euros, you can have a truly huge for Parisian standards double, rm 15, on the 4th fl of the Danube, in a fantastic location in the 6th on the rue Jacob near the Seine. We chose the Danube especially for the very ample size of their streetside doubles. However, no a.c. so I wouldn't stay there in the summer. Our friends' double at the nearby Verneuil was miniscule.

I was in Paris in August 2001 solo. Spent 1 night on the right bank before a barge river cruise, and after the barge trip, 4 nights in the 7th district later. For me, the 5th, 6th or 7th are fine and I visited them via taxi first to see the neighborhoods. The 5th & 6th seemed very lively. The 7th is closer to the Eiffel Tower, Rue de Cler and is more residential. It was a refreshing break from the mobs of people at the tourist sites during the day. Depends on what you want. I stayed at a Best Western for $100 a night including breakfast. I had a double bed, although there wasn't lots of space around it. Would not work for 2, but great for 1. Also had TV, AC, a window over a courtyard, and a bathroom with tub & shower + hair dryer (hair dryer didn't work). As a solo trying to be frugal, I would definitely stay there again. I loved the neighborhood. They also can shuttle you to and from the airport.

I have traveled solo twice to Paris and once to Nice. All three times the room was actually a double according to the notice on back of the door. Twice I had a double bed and once twin beds. It seems the hotels just rent the same room for about the same price to a solo traveler. For two, though, these rooms would have been quite small unless you had very little luggage. Sorry I don't know the hotels you listed.

I booked at the Danube for 3 nights in October based on reviews here and pictures on their Web site. A little more than I wanted to spend (150 euros for a superior double-courtside), but Severin was so prompt and responsive to my e-mails he won me over (I'm easy)! I do have a question for anyone who's stayed there before. I saw no info on the site about how close the nearest metro stop is. Anyone?

I'm not sure when you'll be travelling, but if you do choose Hotel des Grandes Ecoles, you need to book 3-4 months in advance. They have a schedule that they go by and they will not allow you to book before that period.

Mel,<BR>The Danube is 4 blocks from the closest metro, St. Germain on Place St. Germain. But its location is so convenient to the Right Bank, we found ourselves walking far more often than taking the metro. It's an easy and pleasant walk to the Louvre.

I found the Danube website and it does look great...and the price seems right. But I do like the comments on Grandes Ecoles--haven't seen a negative one yet--but waiting until June to book for a busy week I am told in October makes me a little nervous. (I am kind of a control freak!) Has anyone stayed in one of the Danube's courtside standards? I probably shouldn't go over my budget since I will be staying for 8 nights, though Carol, your suggestion sounds tempting! <BR><BR>And thank you all again for your helpful comments!

BB,<BR><BR>Looks like you've narrowed down your list; however there's a good article on Frommer's website, http://www.frommers.com/features/articles/0205_3a.html --- discusses small inexpensive hotels in Paris.<BR><BR>Agree with other comments that it's best to book a small double room. "Single" rooms can be miniscule --- I stayed in a single in Venice in which I literally could stretch my arms out and touch both sides of the room.<BR><BR>

Maribel, thanks very much for replying re the metro location. Have you stayed at the Du Danube? Liked it?

I stayed at Le Clement on rue Clement, just off St. Germain, a block from Mabillon metro stop and quite liked it. They don't list singles, but doubles are 113-123 on the street; 105-113 on the courtyard. I stayed on the street; despite reading comments about noise, it didn't bother me (it is a small street); some prefer the courtyard, though it is said to be dark. They have A/C.<BR><BR>I booked through http://digital.france.com/hotels/hoteldetails.ihtml?HotelID=479<BR><BR>Their e-mail is [email protected]

If you end up in the sixth, the one that gets my vote in that price range is the Hotel de Seine. It's on the corner of Rue de Seine and Rue Jacob. I didn't stay there when I was in Paris three weeks ago, but I checked out almost every hotel on Rue Jacob, and this looked like the best in that location in terms of room size, attractiveness of common areas and rooms, etc. The Odeon, not too far away, looked lovely, though I didn't look at the rooms there. I thought it slightly less conveniently located, but a bit less expensive, and really close to Luxembourg Gardens, a plus.