ktsharon

We found two hotels that seem to be in our price range, but can't decide which to stay at. They are in differnt areas of Paris, so I thought I would leave it up to the Fodor universe.

The first is the Madison Hotel, on the left bank on Boulevard St. Germain. The second is Hotel L'Aubusson in Montmartre on Rue Dauphine.

We are in our sixties and wish to truly enjoy 3 days in Paris. Is one a better location or preferable in any other way?

Hope to find the answer. Thanks

Ryan

I don't know either of the hotels, but for a 3 day stay the best way to maximize your time is to be centrally located to the major tourist sites and the hotel on Blvd. St. Germain should fill that need.

Flyboy

I think you would really like the Madison and the location is absolutely superb. Go for it.

StCirq

Well, I would definitely stay in the Madison over the Aubusson, because the St-Germain area is far preferable to the Montmartre area, IMO. Much closer to the center of town and just generally a nicer area.
That said, I don't know either of those hotels personally. I always stay in the 7me.

Sue4

I would definitely think the Madison in St. Germain would be preferable to a hotel in Montmartre. The Madison is very centrally located on the Left Bank, and I've heard good things about it, altho I've never stayed there myself. But I do know the area is wonderful.

There is also a very lovely hotel called the L'Aubusson in the St. Germain area, but I don't know anything about the one in Montmartre.

Patrick

I thing you are horribly wrong in your information.
Hotel L'Aubusson is indeed on Rue Dauphine, but that is in the 6th, not in Montmartre. I don't know where you got the idea it is Montmartre.

Of the two, I would think from all my readings and from seeing them both (but not the rooms) Hotel L'Aubusson would be the nicer of the two.

Incidentally they are not very far apart. L'Aubusson is very close to the Odeon Metro stop, and in quite a busy area of restaurants, galleries, etc. Just a block from Rue Buci.

Maribel

ktsharon.
Just to echo what Patrick has told you-the
d'Aubusson on the rue Dauphine is most definitely in the 6th, Left Bank just 5-6 blocks from Le Madison.
I have stayed in the Madison and I've toured the d'Aubusson.
The Madison is less expensive, as doubles start there at 150 euros (www.hotel-madison.com) while at the d'Aubusson doubles start at 260.
(www.aubusson-paris-hotel.com)

Both are lovely hotels. We stayed at le Madison in their deluxe double which faces the Boulevard St. Germain (room 36) which was very large by Paris standards and very stylishly decorated with a beautiful Italian tiled bath and extremely ample storage space. On their web site, click on "our rooms" and our rm 36 is pictured in "room type 2". Rooms 22 and 24 have a walk out balcony.
We loved the Madison.

ktsharon

wow! -- I guess that I AM wrong about L'Aubusson and that it and the Madison Hotel are quite close to each other. Thank you all for pointing that out!! And I am glad to find out that they are both in the RIGHT(left area!!

Now with that in mind it turns out that the L'Aubusson is $40 a night more than the Madison. I wonder if it is worth it????

Patrick

Well it would be to me. I think of it as a much nicer hotel than the Madison (although the Madison is fine). I'm just surprised it isn't a whole lot more. Those prices Maribel quoted sound right to me too.

CalgirlSusan

L'Aubusson is only $40 more than The Madison? Grab it quick! It's a beautiful hotel.

ktsharon

wrong again! It was $140 USA dollars different, so I think the Madison will win out on price alone, although the L'Aubusson did sound lovely.

Thanks all for straightening me out. Wow -- so much confusion, and I am not even there yet! Yeah for this Fodors website. You have helped me know that I am staying in the right area and at a nice hotel. Many thanks

klondike

I wouldn't have any qualms about staying at the Madison. It is lovely. We are older, too, so the fact that the metro stop is right next to the Madison is a definite plus, especially in inclement weather.

Underhill

When you compare rates between the Madison (which we love and keep going back to) and the d'Aubusson, be sure to compare the same types of rooms. I think the Madison's room sizes might be a bit larger, which makes them a good value for the price.

One advantage to the Madison is that it's near not one but two taxi ranks--each about half a block away.

Marianna

Underhill (and anyone else who has experience staying at the Madison), are there any rooms to avoid in the Madison? Which rooms would you say are less desirable than others?

We have a reservation at the Madison for this summer. We booked through Utell and selected their run of the house rate. Although we could note preferences on teh reservation, we are having second thoughts about this since Utell's explanation of "run of the house" varies somewhat from explanations posted recently on this site. Utell's point was that there isn't a bad room in the Madison and that you could be assigned to a better room than you would expect at that rate.

Any suggestions for rooms to avoid?

Thanks.

klondike

Upon arrival there is nothing wrong with asking to see a couple of rooms so you can choose between them.

Christina

We had this same discussion on here not that long ago, specifically in relation to Utell, I think. "Rune of the house" does not mean you'll get a better room than you paid for. It means you have to take whatever they give you. Sure, they could decide to give you a superior room for a std rate, but I wouldn't hold my breath on it. "Run of the house" always means you have to take whatever the hotel decides to give you. I think it's a US hotel booking term (used on Expedia, etc), I've never heard of it anywhere else. I'm sure the Madison is a nice hotel but do not believe that there is no variation in their rooms, there is,and I've read some comments from folks who did not like their room at the Madison when it was at the lowest end category. They themselves have a pricing structure that varies by room. If you book that kind of rate, you won't have the same rights as regular customers, although you could ask to see a couple rooms within the category you are allowed to have for the rate you paid (if there is more than one available or if they want to give you a choice). If they have a particular room to give you they want to get rid of because it is least desirable, don't expect them to let you see a bunch and choose.

I don't think you need to worry a lot unless you know the rate you are paying is a lot less than normal.

amberkat

We are considering the Madison or the Victoria Palace. The Victoria Palace seems to be much more expensive. How are the rooms and beds at the Madison?
The price that I got was for a "French" double bed. Is that a small double bed? If we need to jump to two single beds, then there is not much of a price difference. I have also read good reviews about the Hotel de l'Abbaye. Can anyone compare these hotels for me? I think that they are all in the same area. Thanks in advance.

shellio

Amberkat, I don't know the Victoria Palace, but the Madison and Hotel de l'Abbaye are very different. The Madison is right on Blvd. St-Germain, close to the intersection with Rue de Rennes/Rue Bonaparte, a very busy, lively area. It's also a larger hotel (5-6 floors?). I've heard nice things about the larger rooms, but haven't stayed there. The Abbaye, which is my favorite in the area, is much smaller and on a quiet street about 4 blocks from the Madison. Although it's very conveniently located, the Abbaye feels like a sanctuary, particularly as it's separated from the street by a courtyard and has a lovely garden terrace at the back. The standard rooms are quite small, but larger ones are available, as are suites. Breakfast is included in the room price and served in a morning room opening onto the garden or in the garden itself if the weather allows.

Tere

I stayed at the Madison, it's nice. I toured the Aubusson and it's much better than the Madison. DON'T stay at the cheaper rooms at the Madison. The view is to the back, the stairs of the building, and the rooms are dark and depressing.

ira

Hi lilliancroft,

You have now posted twice, your only posts, about your fabulous apartment.

When do we see your trip report?