Why stay
in an Charming hotel in Paris?
Many
Americans think hotels are cavernous high-rises where a
road map is needed to find your room at the end of a
hallway. Or motels, where each room looks alike, and one
can drive right up. Sure, there are the chain hotels in
Paris. And some very chic and very pricey larger hotels
with rooms and services galore. But, some of most
sought-after digs within its city limits, are the ones
with only a few rooms. Choosing a hotel in Paris is no
easy feat. Reserving a room, unless one plans far in
advance (or is a regular customer), in one of Paris'
many "charming" hotels can present a greater challenge
-- especially if it is "during the season.". The season
can be in the summer, spring, fall or when any large
show is taking place. Remember, Paris is a big
convention city and not just for fashion. To complicate
matters, what was a dog of a hotel (or where you would
not want your dog to stay) may have recently been
redone. Renovated and new "boutique" hotels spring up
like mushrooms. Designers and construction crews must be
making out like bandits. Hotel owners have gotten the
picture loud and clear that many people want certain
luxuries (such as a full bath) without paying an arm and
a leg. The first decision is which neighborhood is for
you. There are Right Bank devotees and Left Bank folks.
They will rarely convince one another that "their" side
of the Seine is better. For that reason, a first time
Paris visitor should look at a guidebook and decide
where they want to hang their hat. However, tourists
should keep in mind that no matter where they end up,
they are only a metro (subway) or bus ride away from all
the "must-sees." When doing price comparisons, keep in
mind that Paris is more like New York than Cincinnati,
when it comes to commanding big dollars. But, at least,
you would be stuck paying a big city tax.
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OR
Click on the selected district
Tour Eiffel
/
Champs Elysees /
Champs Elysees - Trocadero
/
Arc de Triomphe /
Louvre - Concorde /
Madeleine - Opera /
Marais - Bastille
/
Opera - Montmartre /
Saint Germain des Prés /
Quartier Latin /
Montparnasse - Luxembourg
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ON
THE RIGHT BANK...
Costing
less than $200 per night for a double room: The majority
of these hotels are given a 3* rating by the French
government. Most hotels serve only breakfast and rooms
in Right Bank hotels tend to be larger. But not always!
And they tend to command higher tariffs since this is
where many people who come to Paris on business want to
stay
ON
THE LEFT BANK ...
In our
opinion, the Left Bank is where many more of the
"charming" hotels are located. One caveat: rooms can
vary enormously in size. Some are so small that it's a
toss-up as to whether or not there is room for you
and/or your luggage. When reserving, be sure to specify
what size room you desire. More often than not, unless
you book months in advance, the larger rooms will
already be taken. If you settle for a smaller room and
find that upon showing up in the hotel's lobby, that it
is really tiny, ask if there are any larger rooms
available. Hotels often have last minute cancellations.
The Latin Quarter, Saint-Germain-des-Pres and the
Montparnasse areas have been long time favorites among
tourists. Possibly due to the fact that there's lot of
action and these quartiers (neighborhoods) have fewer
office buildings and are less dependent upon business
unless they are the retail type. No matter where you
find yourself, you can't avoid bumping into unexpected
stores, a café (or more) on each block and narrow
streets that begged to be explored.
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