Where to stay in Paris: Rue Monge or rue de l'Universite?
 

I have read many comments here about the Hotel Monge on rue Monge and fewer about the Hotel Saint Thomas d'Aquin on rue du Pré-au-Clercs (off rue de l'Universite) they all were very favorable.
My wife and I are planning to spend 5 days in Paris in mid-October and wonderig which area to pick. The quoted prices for both hotels are very similar (a "garden view" room at Hotel Monge and standard at the other) so this is not a differentiating factor.
If you know both areas, which would you prefer and why?
Thanks for helping us to make a decision!
Fred

ttt for Fred.

Maybe you didn't get any hits because there is a similar thread currently running. Might want to check it out. Good Luck.

I'd probably prefer the rue Monge for its Latin Quarter location and proximity to interesting sites, although the rue de l'Université might be quieter.

I'd definitely go with St Thomas d'aquin. Rue de l'Universite is rue Jacob with a name change! You can walk to the D'Orsay, Louvre, Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame ,Tuileries ,Rodin and many other places very easily from there. There is plenty of night life in the area and many good cafes and restaurants and lovely shopping.

I'd choose the St. Thomas d' Aquin. I like the area a little more than the area by rue Monge. I read that the brighter rooms at the St. Thomas d' Aquin are the street facing ones. Maybe you can check with them. The location is very nice.

I can't speak for the hotel and what it may be or not be, but we are in an apartment on Rue de Beaune right near St Thomas d'Aquin's location, and I second the motion of Jody and Francophile.....it is soooo near many major sites et al that it is hard to resist.

I am not familiar with the rue de L'Universite, but this past May I stayed in a hotel near Rue Mongue and found the area to be just great! It is close to Metro stations, next to Rue Mouffetard (and its market, nice restaurants and cafes), and of walking distance to attractions such as Institute de Monde Arabe, Pantheon, College de France, and even to Notre Dame. I am sure you will enjoy the area as well. Good luck!

I am familiar with rue l'Universite and my son almost stayed at the Monge ( he went there, and decided not to stay there) so I would vote for Universite..you cannot beat the area..

A bit late but I hope not too late for a sincere 'thank you' to all of you who wrote comments and an update to where we finally ended up: it was the Hotel Saint Thomas d'Aquin (http://www.aquin-paris-hotel.com/english/Main.htm). I am happy to report that my wife and I were very satisfied with the hotel, it is on a very quiet street (for Paris standards) and the staff was very helpful and indeed cheerful!
The location is hard to beat: we could walk around the corner to the Musée d'Orsay and across the Seine to the Louvre, but even to the Picasso Museum, and the Centre Pompidou ... and both of us are not spring chickens we do qualify for senior discounts ;-)
But to satisfy the other side, on the morning of our last day (Sunday) we went to rue Monge and also rue Mouffetarde and took in all the dancing at the end of the street and enjoyed a superb lunch in a Persian/Maroccan (what a combination!) restaurant whose name I have, unfortunately, forgotten.

On a different note, we also had a most pleasant surprise concerning TGV travel when we arrived in Paris-CDG. Because the machine to retrieve our prepaid tickets didn't work we were instructed to go to the counter to pick them up. Fortunately, a very helpful SNCF employee recommended that we should buy a 1-year carnet for seniors because the tickets would be cheaper and in addition we got a very substantial reduction on an AVIS car rental in La Rochelle - 40% less than what we had reserved at AVIS directly in the USA!
Anyone still out there who believes that Parisians are unfriendly and not helpful??
Fred

fred0211, I'm glad you had a good visit to Paris and a great stay at the Hotel St. Thomas d' Aquin. St. Germain's a very nice area as you found out firsthand.

I was just surfing tonight for 2007 and the tripadvisor.com reports on Thomas d'Aquin were great. I had some emial exchanges with them a few years ago, and they were very nice.

I will probably stay there if are trip is not in a month that I consider AC necessary.