We just got back from 2 weeks in France and wound up the trip with a weekend in Paris. I had looked into hotels for my family ( wife plus 6 yr old daughter) and didn't feel like experimenting this time with cheap but "charming" budget hotels in the city.

I ran across a deal with Suitehotel , a brand of Accor, that worked out well for us, and it just might for you. We got a LARGE new studio that would easily sleep 4 people for 53 euros/night. This place had a 3 sinks plus a shower and a full bathtub. They provided coffee and croissants free, and you could pay extra for a full breakfast. It was located next to a Carrefour, a hypermarche and shopping mall, and sits above the site of the Montreuil flea market( another "plus" on the weekend)

The "catches":

1)It is just on the other side of the peripherique, in Montreuil, but is easily accessed by Metro (#9)that stops about 200 meters away at the Porte de Montreuil. You can be in the center of town from here in about 15 minutes by Metro (also, a good connection to the RER at Nation is 3 stops down).

2) The deal is a package for Friday, Sat and Sunday nights. It is 159 euros , all inclusive , prepaid, non-refundable for the 3 nights . The normal room rate is 99 euros (which we thought wasn't bad at all, either, considering the quality of the room), if you want to extend your stay. ( We moved outon Monday, the last night and went to Etap in the next building- what a letdown!)

We found it a great alternative for us, but if you really want that "Paris" atmosphere of the Latin quarter etc, or want to be able to walk to your restaurant, etc, this is not for you. The neighborhood is not the greatest, but I wouldn't call it unsafe. Another big plus turned out to be the ride back to CDG that was a snap on RATP public bus #351. This bus picked us up next to the Port de Montreuil metro stop on Blvd Davout and deposited us directly at Aerogare 1 within an hour for the sum of three metro/ bus tickets.

Rick

Thanks for the information, Rick. We're headed to Paris in the morning on the spur of the moment and will check this place out. It's either that or an Etap at this late date!

The hotel (inside) looks great, very nice... I just can't get past the 'industrial' visage of the location (based on the PagesJaunes photos)... next to a Carrefour, parking lots and the flea market grounds.

My attractive daughter was bothered nonstop by young men when she visited the Montreuil flea market. I wouldn't recommend the neighborhood for young women.

Yes, the immediate neighborhood is industrial, but just across the expressway is more or less the Paris you are expecting, also the other direction toward Montreuil.

The neighborhood is not at all touristy. Like most of Paris, it seems to have a disctinctly Middle Eastern flavor. I see no reason to spend any time there, other than perhaps the flea market on the weekend, or the Auchan Hypermarche.

But the connections to the parts of Paris via the Metro are quite good and since, in many cases, you will be riding the Metro from anywhere you choose to lay your head, it doesn't make much difference.

My family and I found it overall far better than the some of the seedy budget options we tried before in the 5th and 6th.

Rick