Sir, thank you sir!

You could stay in many parts of Paris and be in residential areas. In fact, you could be in a more residential area in some of the inner quartiers if you venture more than a couple hundred km from the Seine, which many folks do not. I'm thinking of the 5th, for example, most folks who talk about staying in it only mean a very small area. The 16th arr is huge, also, with a lot of different areas in it and some I would like to stay in and others would be too far out for me.

In any case, I wouldn't personally want to stay in the 7th around those govt and embassy buildings as it's rather quiet for my taste without restaurants and stuff, as someone mentioned. However, the 7th is not touristy because of the Eiffel Tower -- tourists go to the tower and right around, they don't roam all over the 7th arrondisement because of that. In fact, any area with a tourist attraction only has lots of tourists right around it, in general. I could get back to the 5th as one example, or Montmartre for another.

Actually, the area you named in the 7th doesn't really have much to do with the Eiffel Tower (near the Orsay).

And a very pretty Drill Sergeant too, I bet
Sir yes Sir LOL

Hi Scarlett. You made me blush. I'd send you a little heart, but I don't have the patience to learn how!!!

Christina, I am happy for your input, and I just reviewed a thread with your Marais hotel recs.

I chose the hotels around the Orsay in part because of the price and a/c, their ratings from Tripadvisor, and because there actually are many restaurants in the 7th that appeal to me. Now, I know that many of them may be closed. Also, the area is close enough to walk to the 6th at night (right?), an area I am more familiar with, which is comforting since I will be alone. But....I'm also interested in the Marais....I'M SO CONFUSED!!!!
What a pleasant dilemma.

Maybe I should start fresh. I'm looking for a 3*, air conditioned hotel. What do you suggest and why?

Many thanks!

Hotel D'Angleterre, rue Jacob, 6th.
3 * a/c . Our favorite hotel in Paris so far.
(( L )) =

Christina knows her Maris hotels better than I. We've stayed at the Pavillon de La Reine, on the Place de Vosges. Lovely, but it's not a three-star. The Hotel Caron de Beaumarchais, in the Marais, receives high marks on decor, calm and friendliess of the reception, and I'm pretty sure you can find reviews, probably, to start, with search function of this board. In the 7th, the Hotel Varennes meets your criteria. Hopscotch is spot on about the 5th around Place Maubert. Low-key and elegant on some streets. The Hotel de Notre Dame, on 19 rue Albert, close to Place Maubert, is very pleasant. Rooms smallish but well equipped. But I'm not sure whether it's air conditioned.

That's 19 rue Maitre-Albert, and here's the Hotel de Notre Dame:

http://www.cybevasion.com/hotels/fra...e-dame_73.html

A nice place, but I see nothing about air conditioning.

Iregeo,

There are 37 reviews of the Hotel Caron de Beaumarchais on Tripadvisor.com. (I'm at loose ends this morning, waiting for my wife to return from Uganda and tell me more about those cute storks that perch on the buildings in Kampala.) But back to Paris: The vast majority of those reviews are positive, an impressive number are glowing -- and there are a couple of sour notes. I think we'll stay there ourselves one of these nights!

Dave, you are so kind. I looked at the Varenne, which seems to offer a wonderful summer special -- 99 euros! The hotel looks lovely, too.

Pavillon de La Reine -- I wish!! Probably better wait to spend that kind of cash until my husband joins me.

I received a quote from Le Caron de Beaumarchais a few days ago -- 130 euros. About the only negative comment I saw had to do with the size of the room, which I don't think will be a problem for one person.

I think I just need to step back for a moment or two and decide on an area. I now have about 10 quotes from hotels! Should be enough to choose from!

Thanks again. I hope your wife gets home safe and sound with many good stories to tell.

We stayed in the 7th a few years ago during the last two weeks of August. Some restaurants were closed, but there were still plenty open within walking distance of our hotel (Muguet). It was very quiet at night - often we were the only ones walking back to the hotel but I never felt unsafe (we were two women).

I love the 16th. It's where we usually stay in Paris. It is mostly residential and parts of it are also very lively with excellent cafes, restaurants and shopping...for example, around the Place Victor Hugo and parts of Passy. Other parts have more of a village feel, like the Auteuil section with its lively street market on Wednesday and Saturday mornings. Still other parts are a little TOO residential, with nothing but apartment buildings, one after the other (mostly over toward the Bois de Boulogne) for example, the Boulevard Lannes.

In August, I would not stay in the Auteuil section. It will be a little too quiet, many of the residents away for their holiday and it can look depressing, all those apartments with their security blinds rolled down and shut tight.

BTilke, I often read your posts and enjoy your style of travel. What are some of your favorite hotels in the 16th, as well as other areas of Paris?