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Post by Jazz on Feb 7, 2009 4:58:00 GMT
I usually rent a studio or apartment, but if I were to go for only four to ten days, I would stay in two hotels in two distinctly different arrondissements. Here are some that I like and I have done a reconnaissance trip to most of them. They range in price from 35€ (single) to 110€ (2 people). 1. Eldorado Hotel: www.eldoradohotel.fr (17th Arr.) This is worth looking at for the site alone. Last year I checked it out and had a drink in their inner courtyard. Intriguing. It is near Place Clichy and the rooms begin at 37/€single. 2. Hotel des Grandes Hotels: www.hotel-grandes-ecoles.com (Latin Quarter, 5th). This is just off the old market street, la rue Mouffetard. The private garden is lovely and many of the rooms have French doors that open into it. 3. Hotel Vert Galant: www.vertgalant.com (13th). Or, www.paris35.com/2250/paris-hotel-4060-hotel-le-vert-galant.htmlThis hotel also has a lovely garden courtyard, and, you are in the heart of the largest Chinatown in Paris. Some of the rooms have kitchens. 4. Hotel du 7ieme Art: www.paris-hotel-7art.com (Marais, 4th)...on rue Saint Paul in, of course, Village Saint Paul...a 10 minute walk from the Seine. 5. Les Degres Hotel: www.lesdegreshotel.com (Marais). This is just a few metres from the Seine and the two islands. 6. Hotel Chopin: www.hotel-chopin.com (9th). It looks modest but great. I am intrigued that the entry to the hotel is not on a street but from within the beautiful Passage Jouffroy. 7. Hotel Torcy: (18th, but NOT Montmartre, further east), no website. 58 rue le Torcy 75018 Paris Telephone: 01 46 07 27 29. Recently, on another travel site, I read a very appreciative review of it by a couple who had been guided there by a suggestion of Kerouac. 55€/night/2 for their finest room. They were very pleased. 8. Hotel Utrillo: www.hotel-paris-utrillo.com (18th, Montmartre). 9. Hotel de Nesle: www.hoteldenesleparis.com (6th, Saint Germaine) Twenty rooms painted with frescoes and check the hammam. 10. Hotel Caron de Beaumarchais: www.carondebeaumarchais.com (Marais) This is the only expensive hotel in my list, 130€ and up. I just like it, it appeals to my sense of history. This is a great site for many hotels that are 30-50€/night: www.paris35.com/2250/paris-accommodation-hotel-1.html
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Post by Deleted on Feb 9, 2009 23:03:36 GMT
I have Swiss friends coming to Paris in about 10 days and one of the group will not be lodged by me. If they had dared to ask me, I would have said yes, but we all would have regretted it, because my hot water heater has barely enough heat for 2 people, let alone 3 and certainly not 4, and that is assuming a very frugal shower anyway. So the 4th person will be staying in the nearby Hôtel de Torcy, which was well reviewed on another site, even though I had mentioned it without knowing at all how it might be.
If the "luxury" room at 54€ is as good as has been claimed, I will certainly make it known here.
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Post by lagatta on Feb 10, 2009 0:23:31 GMT
Was that reviewed on Lonely Planet or TTC?
I've found nothing about it online, except its address. At a hotel, abundant hot water is a big plus (even if in the corridor bath, if one is alone). Unromantic as those cheapo modern French hotel chains on the edge of cities are, sweetie likes them for the indulgent pleasure of showering at least twice a day.
I'd certainly like staying near Place de Torcy with the Chinese and Vietnamese restos. And as usual, there is a métro close by.
One thing I do like if it is available is a bit of a kitchenette, but that usually boosts the price. Oh well, I guess we can discuss MODESTLY PRICED self-catering units/rentals if jazz starts up a thread about those. I love street markets and preparing food - though "cooking" sounds a bit ambitious for what one usually does while on holiday.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 10, 2009 5:58:06 GMT
No, it was somewhere on the Fodor's site, where the address had been seen in that "ethnic itinerary" bit that I wrote. I'll see if I can unearth it.
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LouisXIV
member
Offline
L'estat c'est moi.
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Post by LouisXIV on Mar 25, 2009 1:30:28 GMT
Jazz, I just wanted you to see my "icon"
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Post by Jazz on Mar 25, 2009 5:33:22 GMT
C'est beau, Louis!...
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Post by lagatta on Oct 19, 2009 0:30:04 GMT
Should self-caterng places and alternative lodging go here? In any case, La Maison Zen is somewhere in-between, and a Buddhist variation on the usually Catholic-based "convent and monastery stays" theme. It is near la Gare de Lyon, and marché d'Aligre, just south of Bastille. You have to be reasonably quiet and remove your street shoes, which is rather charming. Internet access. Seems like a nice place for someone working quietly, but in a fairly lively neighbourhood - and close to very lively Bastille. 35 Rue de Lyon, 75012 Paris, France www.maisonzen.comNo, I haven't stayed there. People I know have, and have liked it. Would be perfect for a certain type of traveller, whether zen or simply quiet.
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Post by Jazz on Oct 19, 2009 21:06:03 GMT
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Post by Jazz on Oct 19, 2009 21:33:48 GMT
Lagatta, re: your #2 reply...it would be an excellent idea to begin a separate thread for MODESTLY PRICED self catering units...studios, apartments in Paris.
I think that the Upper Limit should be 500Euro/week. Often, studios, apartments offered at that price for the week, drop to 1000-1500Euro for the month. I have found many beautiful places in this range.
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Post by lagatta on Oct 19, 2009 23:47:02 GMT
So happy to see Jazz! There is another guide to monasteries and convents in Italy, and I believe in Spain as well. Think I posted the Italy one on the Thorn Tree back when. I was thinking of the Zen Centre in particular for someone who wanted quiet, for example if we are writing while there. Not a party scene. It is sort of middle-of-the-road in terms of vocation: it does have a meditation room open to guests but doesn't impose any discipline on them. Religious and spiritual-owned places range from hotel accomodation like any other (some of it spartan, some of it quite luxurious and more expensive, but rarely break-the-bank, always very clean) to rretreats where people are expected to participate in worship, meditation or other spiritual disciplines. Which doesn't interest me, though sometimes peace and quiet does. So does the wifi internet access, if I'm working. I may have also posted the Valdesian guesthouses somewhere here as well. That is a (non-fundamentalist) Protestant confession in Italy (also in the French Alps and Switzerland) that has very good, clean, low-cost guesthouses including one in Rome, and one need not be of that confession or of any faith. Rick Steeves puts that kind of place, as well as houseboats, castles, paradors etc under "alternative accomodation" though that board is more than a bit of a mishmash. I haven't been back to look at the Thorn Tree in quite a while. slowtrav.com (slow travel) is very much centred on rentals/self-catering places whether flats or houses, though most of what they review is more expensive. There are some economical places listed on that site. I guess youth hostels and such would fit more in here. Probably not many people here are interested in the more party-type category of youth hostel, but this could change if we broaden our membership and get more student and youth members. Moreover some hostels really cater to families, to travellers of all ages, or are interesting for other reasons. When I arrived at the ... "youth" hostel in the outskirts of Perugia, I was the youngest person there, and other than my slightly-older colleagues it was occupied by ... a small busload of pensioners. I had a nice big room and a lovely en-suite WC with a bidet as well as the shower, basin and toilet. At the time, one had to take a bus into town, but now the minimetró is up and running and there is a station right next to the hostel. Here is the hostel website by the way: www.perugiahostel.com/
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Post by lola on May 7, 2010 14:49:30 GMT
K2, do you remember how your friend liked Hôtel de Torcy? I'd probably get an apartment when I get to Paris, but just for future ref?
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Post by Jazz on May 7, 2010 15:18:47 GMT
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Post by Deleted on May 7, 2010 18:33:54 GMT
Okay, here are the three main 'tourist' (as opposed to 'residential') hotels the closest to my very own Marx Dormoy metro station in the slums. I cannot recommend them, siince I have no reason to go to any of them and have not seen the rooms, but they might come in handy for the financially challenged. And people should also know that there are several hundred similar hotels all over Paris that they will never find through internet bookings and rarely in guidebooks. First, the Hôtel Torcy, mentioned above. Walking past it, I can see the lounge and the breakfast room on the ground floor. As for the street, it has a delightful selection of more than a dozen Asian restaurants. I recommend three of them: Tintin, La Locomotive and New Thai San. Tintin is modern, La Locomotive is traditional, and New Thai San is pretty basic. I have also eaten at the 'Japanese' (operated by Chinese/Vietnamese) Shin Juku. Quite good food, both the sushi§sashimi and the yakitori. On rue Riquet, there are two more basic hotels, right across from each other, with just the cute little pedestrian market street separating them (rue L'Olive). Hôtel de la Poste, with an Arab café on the ground floor, of the sort I do not frequent (but nothing wrong with it). Plenty of other nice cafés nearby, including the Roi du Café and the Café de la Poste, both right next to the metro exit. Hôtel Riquet, with a pretty good Indian restaurant on the ground floor, although the last time I ate there it was under different management. All of the rate signs are as of last week, which should prove once and for all that Paris is not an expensive city if you don't want it to be.
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Post by lagatta on May 7, 2010 19:45:30 GMT
Well, I really wouldn't call where you live the slums nowadays. There are very few actual slums within the Périphérique any more - I do remember some nasty slums not very far from you in decades past.
From outside those hotels look clean, but one would have to look in the rooms. I'm sure the café at Hôtel de la Poste would be fine for an early-morning coffee. Run by Kabyles like so many of those places?
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Post by Deleted on May 7, 2010 19:57:34 GMT
I wouldn't know. I have never set foot in it, not understanding why anybody would go to a café so close to home.
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Post by lola on May 7, 2010 21:18:43 GMT
Thanks, Jazz and K,
cheap! They do look fine from the street, don't they?
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Post by lagatta on May 7, 2010 23:14:10 GMT
kerouac, it is different if you are far from home and have nowhere to make coffee in the morning. I never go to the Italian men's café across the street from me either. lola, will be very basic. As long as it is clean and not TOO noisy, no prob. I've stayed at such places happily for short stretches and not had any bad experiences. But you can also find places slightly better appointed for just a bit more. If you are thinking of daughter's arrival, if she has to stay somewhere for a couple of nights before settling into her home away from home, you might be happier sending her somewhere like Le Centre International de Séjour de Paris. www.cisp.fr/cisp/index.asp - site also in English. This is like a youth hostel - no age limit, and I've stayed there, but it particularly caters to school groups and young athletes like Mlle Imec. There is a decent economical restaurant (sort of a cafeteria, but the food is ok) and even a swimming pool, though I believe one must pay a few €. The prices have gone up since last year - while still economical, it is a bit more expensive than kerouac's basic hotels, but includes at least breakfast, and demi-pension includes one full meal as well.
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Post by lola on May 8, 2010 0:38:03 GMT
Thanks, lagatta! That's good to know about. Did you stay in the one in the 12th, or the 13th?
I was thinking emergency plan D.3, I guess. I'd pay more to put my daughter up than I would myself, if something happened with the host family. At this point she flies in the morning she presents herself to be housed.
Sure wouldn't want her up in the mean streets of K's 'hood by herself. I've seen the photos.
My younger daughter thinks I owe her a few mother-daughter weeks in France since I took her sister to England the spring of her first college year. So I'm thinking it over still.
May I mention bedbugs? There's been a resurgance of them in the US, even pricey NYC hotels. Has anyone run across them? That would be my main concern with a 25 euro room.
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Post by lagatta on May 8, 2010 1:12:44 GMT
Bedbugs don't recognize price lists. Here too there is a resurgence of bedbugs (punaises, in French) and they hit posh districts as much as poorer ones. And unlike cockroaches, there is very little relation to cleanliness. Oh, you can be very clean and have cockroaches too, but they will proliferate more quickly if there is a lot of rubbish and food scraps to eat.
K's hood is mostly immigrant families - fine people. And nowadays, a lot of perfectly generic Frenchpeople who are chased out of other neighbourhoods by frenetic real-estate speculation, although they are perfectly normal working people. The problem for a very young woman not used to Paris is "les dragueurs" - men, of every ethnic group, who latch on to young women who seem to be from afar. They are no more (and no less) likely to be violent rapists than men and boys in her hometown, but they are very annoying.
I stayed in the one in the 12th as it is close walking distance to where I was working at a conference. It is a fine emergency plan place, with people at the desk used to dealing with teenagers and young adults from everywhere in Europe. I think the two centres are equivalent in what they offer; it depends on which is closer to places one is going to. For example, the other one (13th) is easy walking distance to the Cité internationale universitaire de Paris (see kerouac's thread). Both are close to the edge of Paris proper, but that doesn't mean "darkness on the edge of town".
Well, at this point the mother-daughter weeks will mean you flying over at some point and taking no2 daughter on a special trip. Could be England, could be somewhere else in France or who knows. Depends on what both of you like to do.
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Post by lola on May 8, 2010 2:26:45 GMT
I wonder whether people would be less likely to drape their laundry on balcony rails if hoteliers provided a clothesline in the room.
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Post by Deleted on May 8, 2010 4:57:29 GMT
Not to mention the fact that drying laundry out of the street windows is illegal in Paris.
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Post by bjd on May 8, 2010 9:23:38 GMT
I find it picturesque in Italy.
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Post by Jazz on May 8, 2010 14:48:49 GMT
Lola, I think I’m a bit confused. Do I understand that you have found a family that your daughter will live with as of the day of arrival, but this is your backup should it not be good? She would then need a place immediately and with enough time to to secure another long term place. A hotel might be the easiest and I tend to agree with Lagatta, that a few euros more might be worth it. ‘Bedbugs without Borders’ is difficult to control, they like pricier hotels as well. There are many hotels in the 40E-70-range. The one that I’ve always wanted to try is in the OP, the Eldorado Hotel in the 17th, www.eldoradohotel.fr Note the prices, singles,37-63E , doubles 73-82, triples 82-90. Its in the Batignolles/Clichy neighborhood which is great. One day I went to check it out and loved the inner courtyard and looked at a couple of rooms…'funky' might be the word. Or, if you look at this site, you can get a very good idea (photos for each hotel) of cheaper, good hotels, www.eurocheapo.com/paris/hoods/latin-quarter.html?sortby=priceIt’s opening onto hotels in the Latin Quarter and if you look to the left, it is easy to search by arrondissment. The 5th is very close to the 13th where she will be studying, perhaps a half hour-45 minute walk. Hopefully, she won’t need to move unexpectedly, but another option to consider would be a Studio. It may take up to 2 weeks to find a new permanent situation and many studios/apts can be rented for a week, even 4 days. One very large and popular site is CentreParis. Since they offer so many choices, it seems to be relatively easy to find one on short notice? www.centreparis.com/short-term-rental/search/index.htmlThey are basic and well situated places for great prices…many for 400- 500E/week. Since it’s not a hotel, she can have meals at home and save on the eating out that a hotel would necessitate. Here is a great thread with personal photos of one of the studios, Denise often stays with CentreParis, www.ourparisforum.com/index.cgi?board=apartments&action=display&thread=3637 It’s large enough that you could stay with your daughter if you decided to fly over to resolve the situation, probably all three of you. Of course, they have one bedrooms as well. Kerouac’s neighborhood would be just fine, I find it intriguing. I would love to know if you found a family and where she will be staying. Once your daughter has spent a week in Paris, she will understand how wonderful the metro system is and that the entire city is so easy to access. I’m so excited for her.
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Post by lagatta on May 8, 2010 16:26:15 GMT
I know two separate households (a single woman and a family with small children) who live in kerouac's neighbourhood - it is fine. The family used to live in Barbès, a bit west of there and while they liked the lively cosmopolitan neighbourhood, in their immediate area there was a problem with violent drug addicts in the park - probably with gentrification the druggies have been moved on by now. They find the area near Marx-Dormoy much more peaceful, and there is plenty of good shopping.
The reason I suggested CISP for someone new to Paris and to overseas travel is that they can provide some guidance. Of course daughter is a young adult and doesn't need "supervision" as the younger teens there might, but perhaps a bit of advice.
Though yes, I much prefer staying in a rental studio, as I love to go to markets and even supermarkets in different countries and don't like eating out three times a day.
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Post by lola on May 8, 2010 18:17:58 GMT
Hi, Jazz and lagatta. Thank you! I was looking kind of for long range backup emergency information for the scenario you mention, Jazz. I don't anticipate any problem with her host family, of course. She's been to Paris, and is of our family the most likely to jump onto the correct métro train. She and her sister navigated two weeks in Florence, Lyon and Levanto, then home, on their own when they were 16 and 18, so I obviously trust their judgement.
It's good to know about those options; we like funky. I have a pipe dream of meeting her there in Dec. and seeing those lights in Kerouac's photos.
Was just joshing about K's hood. It looks fine to me.
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Post by Deleted on May 8, 2010 18:25:05 GMT
'Marx Dormoy' will be MUCH better in two years and will boast the most modern youth hostel in Paris. There is a major transformation underway in the old railroad yards.
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Post by Deleted on May 9, 2010 18:15:27 GMT
Just to put "my" cheap hotels in perspective, here are some wider view of the streets (photos taken today). The Hôtel de Torcy is in the background on the right. The Hôtel de la Poste and the Hôtel Riquet frame the pedestrian market street in the middle.
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Post by Jazz on Oct 28, 2010 12:48:36 GMT
Here are a few more good possibilities that I’d like to add to my list in the OP, 11. Hotel du Quai Voltaire: www.quaivoltaire.fr/index.html (7th) A gorgeous location on the Seine, on quai Voltaire, from 95€ 12. Mama Shelter: mamashelter.com/about (20th) The hotel was designed by Philippe Starck, from 79 €. Unusual to find such an avant-gard hotel in the 20th. I love that it’s close to the Canal Saint Martin and is situated in the less traveled 20th arrondissement. 13. Hotel Saint André des Arts: www.france-hotel-guide.com/h75006saintandredesarts.htm (7th), Saint Germain des Pres, 65 € and up. Great value and perfect for those who love the famous rue de Buci crossroads. 14. Hotel Saintonge: www.hotelsaintongeparis.com/ (3rd), Marais, from 105€. Historic feeling , beautiful stone walls. 14. Hotel Tiquetonne: www.eurocheapo.com/paris/hotel/hotel-tiquetonne.html (1st), Bourse. 35-57 €. 15. Villa Royale Montsouris: villaroyalemontsouris.parishotels.it/overview.html?source=googleh (14th), Montparnasse. Spanish-Moroccan design, ‘just out of the Arabian nights’, sensual and rich feeling. 16. Hotel Castex: www.castexhotelparis.com/index.html (4th), Marais. Beautiful, from 81 €. 17. Hotel le Hameau de Passy: www.paris-hotel-hameaudepassy.com/english-France-Hotel-Hameau-de-Passy/Hotel01-Hotel-Hameau-de-Passy.htm (16th) From their site… ‘Getting to the Hameau de Passy through a private lane, you will discover a flowery garden sheltered from the city rumors. Its absolute calm will surprise you: the song of the birds is the only diversion. This is countryside in Paris!’… From 51 €, for stays longer than 6 nights, the hotel may discount by 30%. 18. Hotel du Parc Montsouris: hotelparisparcmontsouris.com/ (14th), Montparnasse. This site has the most beautiful opening page. The hotel is a few moments walk from the Parc Montsouris. from 70 €. 19. Hotel Henri 1V: henri4hotel.fr/home.html (1st), Ile de la Cite. The rooms start at 70 € and could well be the only budget hotel to be found on either Ile de la Cite or Ile Saint Louis. All of the rooms have windows overlooking Place Dauphine. 20. Hotel du Nord de l’Est,: www.hotel-nord-est.com/hotel-nord-est-paris/ (11th). This is close to the Canal Saint Martin and has good rates, from 54 €.
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Post by bjd on Oct 28, 2010 14:13:29 GMT
I get the impression that you are dreaming of returning to Paris, Jazz. I think I actually stayed in the Parc Montsouris Hotel the first time I went to Paris. Coming from London, I met 2 American girls in the train. We were advised by some French students to go stay at the Cité Universitaire, but since they wouldn't allow it, we went to the Montsouris Hotel. It was cheap in those days. I guess it's still not so bad.
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Post by Jazz on Oct 28, 2010 15:03:31 GMT
Bjd, if possible, I would go tonight! Believe me, I could pack and get it all together in this small amount of time. Many of these hotels intrigue me, but I would only stay in a hotel if I went for 10 days or less. Somehow, I can’t imagine paying the airfare for such little time and would want to stay at least 2-3 weeks, minimum. Once, I stayed for only 10 days and was so upset with all the things that I still wanted to do and see. I was desolate on the flight home. So, I would rent an apartment and stay for at least 2 weeks. It doesn’t help staying longer. The last two trips I stayed for a month each and now have even longer lists of things yet to experience. It will never end. Did you like the Parc Montsouris hotel? Your input would be great, given that you look at it from the viewpoint of one who has lived in France for over 30 years. Yes, it’s still good value, especially given that it is so close to the park. I’ve spent hours looking at apartments and hotels in Paris and these hotels that I have listed are great value and where I would most like to stay. So many of the hotels online are decent/great but exorbitant, or, poor/ mediocre and still overpriced. My next career should probably be a travel agent to Paris. Many people that I know now call me for thoughts re: apartments, hotels, where to eat and what to do. I enjoy helping out, but it intensifies my personal need to return.
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