Italyss: Yup. In 1998/1999, you still need to pay extra for that locked bathroom on the outside of the building in Henry IV. And it's open up to 8pm only. I recall how the innkeeper looked at me incredulously when I asked him how was I supposed to bathe if I return at 11pm.

Amazing that nothing has changed. And I think they basically stay booked by word of mouth.

Jennyg, I utterly forgot about MY hotel in Montparnasse, Hotel des Blois. I doubt, too, that they'll be booked during that time.

Prices are a mere 40-45 euros for a "simple" room w/washbasin. The kids and I are staying in a triple for just 70 euros.

I think what threw me off was your request for shabby chic. This hotel has a reputation for being very clean, looks charming, and is close to the Metro Denfert-Rochereau which accesses the lignes B, 4, 14 (the latter takes you to the Eiffel Tower if need be). There is a laundromat across the street. But I'm not sure that it qualifies for shabby chic. However, I think it will be a great choice! Breakfast is 6 euros.

http://www.hoteldeblois.com/


ciao,
Beatchick

I'll never forget The Hotel Des Nations, on Rue de Monge over twenty five years ago, a friend and I spent the night. Not knowing about the light switches had to roam down the hall to find the toilette and recently looking for something else found that is now a three star hotel and looks nothing like back then when it was a flea bag.

Kinda like the old Hotel Rachou, right Mimi? It was so beat it was the Beat Hotel and now it's in a new (horribly expensive) incarnation as the 4-star Hôtel du Vieux Paris at 9, Rue Gît le Coeur.

http://www.vieuxparis.com

3 cheap 2-star hotels in the 15th, that seems to get good reviews:

Hotel Pasteur, 33 rue du Docteur Roux
75015 Paris, Téléphone : +33 (0)1 47 83 53 17 Fax : +33 (0)1 45 66 62 39, access via merto stations Pasteur or Volontaires, recommended by Rough Guides of this year plus 2 good reviews on www.paris.org.

Hotel de L'avre, http://www.france-hotel-guide.com/h75015avre.htm, 21, rue de l'Avre 75015 PARIS, Tél. : +33 - 01 45 75 31 03 ? Fax : +33 - 01 45 75 63 26, great reviews on www.paris.org and tripadvisor.com. I presume, though, that by it's fully booked for September - it seems to be pretty popular.

Hotel pacific, 11, rue Fondary
Paris 75015, http://www.123france.com/123/en/hotel.php?id_hot=1037, mostly very good reviews on paris.org and tripadvisor.com

I don't know if any of them is shabby or chic, but I would consider them myself.

Good luck.

Look at http://www.hrs.de . The Sévres Montparnasse has pretty cheap rates on that site, and it's in a relatively convenient location in the 15th.

Hello, I stayed at Sevres Montparnasse in Nov. My friend and I had separate rooms. Both were nice. Her room looked just like the one in the picture on the web and was charming. My room was bright and clean with more of a "chain" hotel feel. Both were comfortable and the price was great. I got my room for 54 euros and hers was 64 euros. We booked at diferent times through venere.com. I must add that the staff were very friendly and extremely helpful. I have stayed in the Montparnasse ares several times and like it a lot.

I just got back from Paris and found that cheap, atmospheric hotels abound there. In Montmartre, 25 Euros/single is the going rate for mom-and-pop hotels. I wanted to stay at Grand Hotel De Clermont on tiny, traffic-less Rue Veron, above a friendly bar that played actually great French music, but it was full. Hotel Audran also had the recommendation of French travel guides, but I found it only after staying at Hotel Bonsejour, which was well-located but too dumpy to recommend. My favorite stay was in my strangely pretty room in Tiquetonne Hotel on the lovely little eponymous street in Les Halles for 30 Euros. Quiet streets became a priority for me since I like the windows of front-side rooms and Parisian cars seems to lack mufflers. In general, I would recommend keeping the hotel prices as low as possible because food and drinks in Paris will bankrupt you and there are many charming steals to be had . . .

Thanks for posting your finds! The Tinquetone sounds great for the budget concious. There will be a time in space when I can stay at the Crillon or George V, but until that day comes...
and I still want great food, shopping, etc.
Thanks again!

I missed this thread first time around. I am simply amazed. I have never before heard of anyone looking for a hotel that "doesn't even have to be clean"! Were you kidding? You'd accept a dirty hotel? Now I've heard of everything!

By the way, maybe you can find a shabby hotel for cheap, but I assure you that you'll never, ever find a shappy "chic" hotel for cheap! Big difference.

Amazing! I noticed the extremely modest-looking Tiquetonne when in Paris recently - it looked like exactly the type of place I'd want to stay if my budget were (very) limited.

The Tiquetonne is just off the rue Montorgueil, which is really one of the best and most pleasant places to stay in Paris. It's a pedestrian street with all the charm of rue Cler, but without nearly as many Rick Steves-inspired tourists.

Before staying there I'd check out a few other recommendations for it. I'd hardly jump at the recommendation for it by someone who has publicly stated she'd be content with a dirty hotel!! (and yes, saying "it doesn't even have to be clean" IS the same thing as saying a "dirty hotel is fine with me"). The poster has never remarked on the cleanliness, perhaps because it didn't matter to her, but it might matter to others.

This is not meant to put down the original poster or her preferences. I'm just saying that we all have different priorities. So if cleanliness happens to be one of yours, it's worth checking out first.

I wanted to give Tiquetonne a try on a recent visit but gave up because the hotel is closed in August (so I couldn't book for early September). I've seen nice reviews in a couple of guide books. It's pretty cheap.

My two favorites near the border of the 5th and 6th are Hotel L'Avenir and Hotel Stanislas.

Jenny has already made it to Paris by now, but for anyone traveling in the future, Hotel Henri IV is an experience that should not be missed, as it will be a memorable one. On my first trip to Paris I paid $20 pp in a double room, in the early-80's. Reservations were made by smail mail 3 months in advance! A lovely square pointing to a lovely Pont Neuff, an area where Yves Montand and Simone Signoret once lived will be equally memorable. A suggestion for all the first-timers in Paris, and others---don't be necessarily so set on a location in Paris, as the key to enjoying Paris, seldom mentioned in guides, is the metro station location and its proximity, or relationship to your hotel or restaurant, or any point of interest in Paris. Learn how to use the metro and you will really love your stay in Paris. Of course you will walk miles in Paris, but should you get lost, and you will, a nearest metro station will easily bail you out of trouble. And finally, for the first-timers, always remember that the last 2 digits of a Paris zipcode will indicate your arrondissement. Cheers!