First timers 60+ going next April. Filtered through a lot of information and have narrowed it down to these three with some secondary choices That said, if anyone has a must consider spot please advise. Views and balcony's are a priority as is King beds.
First choice
Hotel Lutetia
Relais Christine
Grand Powers
Second choices
Hotel Pont Royal
Hotel St Germain
Cour des Vosges
Good luck with the King bed. Be sure to make a direct inquiry about the King bed --- in all of our years of travel in Europe we have never seen a King bed BUT --- we rarely stay above three stars so the five stars might have King beds.
PS. Wow, just check the web site for Lutetia. I am impressed. At $1500/night I am sure you can get a King bed. Very nice -- well beyond what we have ever experienced. Have a nice trip.
Hotel Lutetia. Only been there for drinks but if I could afford to stay there I would. I’ve stayed at Relais Christine and it’s lovely but it’s no Lutetia. You will have no problem getting a king at the Lutetia but I don’t think you will find one at the Relais Christine. Just about every room at the Lutetia has a king bed. I looked at it because I was thinking of spending one night there in October but I canceled the trip. I stay near Cour des Vosges when in Paris and it is so low key that I did not notice it as a hotel for about a year. It’s gorgeous. I don't know if it matters to you but Cour des Vosges does not have a lobby area. Do you mean Hotel Saint Germain on Rue due Bac? If so, I have never seen such a huge price range for hotels that are in the running. Other than the Grand Powers which I have no idea about, the Hotel Saint Germain is not in the same class as any of the others that you listed. The Lutetia is a palace. The Pont Royal is close to that. Relais Christine is top notch. Hotel Saint Germain is fine but if you can afford any of the others, go for it.
Hotel Lutetia the only Palais class hotel on the Left Bank. They have a number of balcony rooms with magnificent views of the Eiffel Tower. The other Left Bank hotel, Relais Christine, is a beautiful hotel but I really prefer Hotel d'Aubusson just around the corner.
As far as Grand Powers, any hotel situated in the Golden Triangle is on the most exclusive real estate in Paris. I don't know what prices you area being quoted for these properties but, for the money, I like Hotel d'Aubusson.
The Lutetia is an Art Nouveau beauty . I've walked around in the public areas , and will book a room there as soon as I win the lottery . It also has a quite interesting history . Writing from Lyon now , so a bit lazy about writing more.
If you can afford the Lutetia, it is probably quite a treat, as this is a famous, gorgeous historical building. A balcony room, if available, could be loud due to the traffic, though.
However, as a rule, King size beds aren't that common. They may be available at the hotels you list, but would a queen-size bed, which is 160cm wide in France, be enough for you?
I agree with Tocard. If I had that kind of $$$$ I'd choose Hotel d'Aubusson.
Thank you for all the advice. We looked into the Hotel d'Aubusson although beautiful, they only have double beds, no balcony rooms left and no view. Its our first trip and we don't mind spending more. it's our 40th anniversary, right? Heading on Viking cruise afterward from Lyon Avignon. Good back up.
For beds you need to inquire as to bed size; they don't have 'king' beds and there is a bed sold in the UK called a 'queen' which is a large single -- we once got an apartment that advertised a 'queen bed' and had one of those. (this was in Amsterdam)
A 180cm bed is sort of a king; a 160cm which is fairly common in hotels is sort of a queen; a 140cm which is the standard French double bed is like a US full i.e. very cramped. If we cannot get the size we book a twin room as I am not sleeping on anything smaller than a 160 with my sprawling husband. Many hotels push two singles together and make them up as a double bed -- those tend to be 'queen size'. But the best way to find out is to just ask for the width of the bed in their double room.
I've stayed at the Hotel d'Aubusson twice, in a Junior Suite that was connected to superior double. I wanted a king bed in the Junior Suite but they said that they did not have any king beds at the property. The Hotel d'Aubusson is a lovely hotel as is Relais Christine (another one that I have stayed at) but they both are not in the same class at the Hotel Lutetia. As mentioned by another person on this thread, the Hotel Lutetia is the the only palace class hotel on the Left Bank of Paris. I've stayed in a couple of the palaces on the Right Bank and the level of service is out of this world. So much so that sometimes it felt like too much sort like, really I do not need that much attention. Of your three initial choices, I think you have them listed in the right order if you want a king bed, a balcony, and an interesting area. One thing I have concluded from staying in some of the Right Bank palace hotels and visiting a friend who lives there is that the Golden Triangle of Paris is not the most interesting area of Paris.
