Bill_H

Need a hotel for Friday - Saturday night in September. Here is hopefully enough info to help you to help me:

1) Arriving on Eurostar at Gare du Nord.

2) Will mainly be dining at two swish restaurants, one in Place des Vosges and the other near the Arc de Triomphe. Would be nice to stay close to one of these two landmarks so we can just walk to one restaurant and cab to the other. So bonus for being close to one of these.

3) Nice to just take the Metro from the train station to the hotel area as we'll have just one light bag. Not essential though, we can catch a cab or change lines on the Metro. But a plus if it's on a main Metro line from the station.

4) Price say < 300 euros, but we can go higher if need be for a quality hotel. Quiet room a must. Bigger room better than a tiny one. Large hotel, small hotel ... not that important but at least large enough to have a concierge who can help us get into one of these restaurants that only accepts phone reservations.

We've been to Paris a few times before (5? 6?) and know our way around the various museums etc, so the main thing for this trip is just having a comfortable room that's hopefully near one of these restaurants.

I think that about covers it. Thanks for any help.

Kathie

We recently stayed at the Marriott Champs Elysees. The room size was good and it is walking distance to the Champs Elysees. Also half a block to the FDR Metro station, on Metro line 1. Our room faced the back and was perfectly quiet. Excellent concierge.

adrienne

I'm sorry I can't help with hotels for you but I'm dying of curiosity - what is a swish restaurant.

Bill_H

<b><i>I'm dying of curiosity - what is a swish restaurant.</i></b>

An expensive restaurant with a rigid formal dress code. All the ladies are wearing nylons and crinkly silk or lace-taffetta fabric dresses, so they make a swishing sound as they glide by. And all the men have donned suits and ties and light colored shirts, alas.

Patty

I can't help either except to say that the Marriott CE will likely be significantly more than 300 euros a night on a September weekend. And I'm dying to know which restaurants. I know of hardly any that even require jackets any more (not saying you shouldn't wear one).

WWK

Look at PAVILLON DE LA REINE on Place des Vosges. It's a lovely small boutique hotel, sister hotel of RELAIS CHRISTINE, on the Left Bank. You may have to extend your budget depending on the dates. The rooms aren't huge, but not tiny either like some others in Paris. Good luck!

Bill_H

<b>Look at PAVILLON DE LA REINE on Place des Vosges.</b>

Thanks WWK, that one looks perfectly situated ...

<b>You may have to extend your budget depending on the dates.</b>

Uh oh, 605 euros/night ... I think we'll have to let that one pass ... but while digging in to the details and the maps around it I found two others not far away that are within the target price range.

Anyone have knowledge/opinions about these two?

http://www.hotel-paris-marais.com/ Saint Paul Le Marais 3*
http://www.hoteloriginalparis.com/ Hotel Original Paris 4*

I think my original problem was relying on priceline.com and using their "show hotels near ..." option, which didn't show any of these but rather larger chains south of the river that had contracts with Priceline. Lesson learned ...

Thanks for all the replies thus far.

WWK

Wow, Bill, that's a lot more than we paid three years ago! If you don't mind slightly funky, but still great location, look at HOTEL JEANNE D'ARC. Some of the friends are quite small, but it's hard to beat the location. The hotel is quite popular, so if you're interested, look into it soon.

And, if you don't mind a bit of a walk to Place des Vosges, look at HOTEL MILLISEME on the Left Bank. This would be quite a step up from Hotel Jeanne D'Arc, really nice hotel with elegant rooms, great staff, good location.

WWK

Sorry, that should've read "some of the rooms are quite small", lol!

BTW, not sure you'll like the location of Hotel Original. Busy road, as I remember, tons of noise.

StCirq

<<All the ladies are wearing nylons and crinkly silk or lace-taffetta fabric dresses, so they make a swishing sound as they glide by. And all the men have donned suits and ties and light colored shirts, alas.>>

Seriously? What's the appeal of that?

Bill_H

<b>"Wow, Bill, that's a lot more than we paid three years ago!"</b>

LOL ... it's a lot more than earlier in the month or in August too, just my luck we are there on a expensive weekend. In August it's showing 297 euros for almost every day, in Sept it's 450 euros the first 3 weeks, then jumps to 505 week 4, then to 605 for our weekend.

Good suggestion (nice looking hotel, right location), but we just hit it on the wrong dates.

<b>"BTW, not sure you'll like the location of Hotel Original. Busy road"</b>

I got the same impression from some TA reviews. We'll probably go with Saint Paul Le Marais in a couple of days. Will also look at HOTEL JEANNE D'ARC.

Thanks again, your post was really helpful in pointing me the right way.

Christina

Some people actually don't want to look like slobs when going to nice restaurants, I wish more people had that kind of taste. I don't frequent those places but I believe that Taillevent, Ducasse, Ladoyen, Lasserre, Pre Catalan, the Grand Vefour, Guy Savoy and Le Cinq have dress codes, for a few, even if they provide you with a jacket if you don't have one (or tie). For example, it says this right on the Grand Vefour website: <<Formal dress required.>>

As for hotels, this is cheaper than your budget but sometimes I think it is better to get a superior room in a cheaper hotel than the most basic room in a nicer one. I've stayed here and liked it, it is more traiditonal French and just about 1-2 blocks from the Arc de Triomphe. The superior rooms are around 200 euro. They will make your reservations.
http://www.laregenceetoile.com/

Getting a hotel right on the line from Gare du Nord isn't possible if you are near the Arc. It is possible around the Bastille metro stop on line 5 which runs direct to Gare du Nord. That isn't too far from Place des Vosges.

If you do want a hotel on a direct line, I stayed in this one near the Chatelet metro stop.
http://www.hotelducsdanjou.fr/

I liked it and it was very quiet due to good soundproofing, even though in a rather busy pedestrian area. The staff help was excellent. The rooms are small, though, so you'd need the junior suite to get much space. It is less than 300 euro though (288). It is a 4* hotel and does have a concierge, I'm sure they could make reservations.

I don't know the hotels you name.

Patty

I think the issue is that you're running into fashion week.

Patty

The Jeanne d'Arc is quite basic. Are you sure you need a concierge just for two reservations? Any restaurant with a formal dress code will have staff members who speak English.

Bill_H

<b>"I think the issue is that you're running into fashion week."</b>

Last trip it was the "Mondail de l'Automobile" (Paris Motor/Auto Show).

Always something ... at least I'll have a suit for Fashion Week 8-)