All advice welcome for June 2018 trip to Fr, mainly Paris, 8 women ages 18-74

Google is your friend. I googled "hotel Leveque" and got "Grand Hôtel Lévêque" near the Eiffel Tower.
Website: https://www.hotel-leveque.com/

It is a not uncommon name, there may be others of the same name. Does your 1999 book give an address?

I'd want to make sure your accommodations have AC during that time frame.

I'd look in the whole area around Rue Cler for a hotel. I've not stayed in Grand Hotel Leveque but have visited a friend who was staying there. I found it rather dark and dingy but they like it. Rick's current Paris guide book just gives it a lukewarm recommendation. I'd really wait until you have the guidebook in hand before you start booking things. I'd also not book "non-refundable" rates. These will be cheaper but you're better off with something you can change if needed.

Not sure what "budget" means to you but one of the less expensive hotels many here recommend is Hotel Diana. I've not stayed there and don't know about the AC, just know it's frequently recommended as budget. It's not in the Rue Cler area, though.

Be sure to understand the Air BnB rules in Paris. To be a legal rental a 13 digit registration number must be available, otherwise it's not a legal rental and could be pulled by the owners before you arrive. Doubt you'll find one unit for 8 people.

Also know that you'll have to book the exact number of people who will be staying in each room. If a room specifies it's for 3 you won't be able to sleep 4 in there like you might be able to in a US hotel.

If you do decide to go to Amsterdam or another big city, I hope you'll arrange flights open jaw - in to one city and out of the other instead of having to back track to Paris to depart.

Grand Hotel Leveque, 29 rue Cler is the one I stayed in previously. Thanks so much for great feedback. I will be watching this forum as our plans evolve.

Great reminder re AC and non-cancel, will pay attention to those amenities and requirements.

Thanks all.

Just got back from staying at the Hotel Londres Eiffel not far from Rue Cler. It was a lovely small hotel with wonderful staff. It has air conditioning in most (?) rooms and a very small elevator. Rick Steve’s tours often stay there (I was on one and stayed an extra two nights). November is the off-season so I thought the room rate was quite reasonable, but it might be quite a bit higher in June.

I would suggest emailing them (rather than trying to book online) telling them what configuration of rooms you need (how many beds, how many people sharing, etc.) and see what they can do for you. I think a lot of the rooms are “cozy” (small), but at least one room that my tour group had featured three beds. When I made my own arrangements, they were most responsive.

You do know that 1999 is almost 20 years ago! LOL

I was just helping family over the weekend book rooms for 5 for next July. They got 2 rooms at Londres Eiffel, one room for 3 and one for 2. I do not think they have any quad rooms and not sure if they have more than 1 triple.

I have used Paris Perfect for apartments twice and would highly recommend them. I am not sure how many their apartments can accommodate as I just needed room for 3. They are also in RS Paris books.

Tour d France begins 6 July in Brussels --ends 28 July in Paris

French Open tennis ends 9 June

The Women's soccer runs 7 June to 7 July

Happy travels!

AirBnB is the way to go for a large group on a budget. Start searching now and make a list of favorites, which you can share with others in your group. You can specify a certain number of beds, bedrooms, etc., in your search to narrow it down. There are definitely places that sleep eight, but you have to look closely because often these are family apartments where some of the beds are kids or even toddler beds. And the capacity generally assumes doubling up on beds and sofa beds.

General advice about travelling in groups: Have a heart-to-heart well before you leave. Insist that individuals can strike out by themselves without the group being resentful. Trying to do everything together guarantees some disappointment for everyone. My group meets for dinner to discuss the adventures of the day.

First - buy a new guide book, and buy a Lonely Planet or other guidebook as well - Rick Steves books leave out a whole lot of France.

No offense, but the Rue Cler neighborhood is pretty lame. You would be better off staying elsewhere.

Agree you should expand your search and look beyond just staying around Rue Cler. There are many perfectly nice areas in Paris and Rue Cler, frankly, is a little dull and IMO has lost a lot of its charm simply because its so overrun with people who've read the blue book and feel they must book something in that area.

An apart'hotel like Citadines might be an option for your group - they have multiple locations around Paris.

I also agree that Paris Perfect is a good (but somewhat expensive) agency if you want to find apartments for your large group. They do have some locations where they rent out multiple apartments in the same building. I don't know if they have any 1 unit that would be large enough to accommodate 8 adults - you'd have to ask. Tell them what your budget is and see if they can help find something.

If Citadines and Paris Perfect are out of your price range, then consider a budget chain hotel like Ibis. They may lack French charm (think of it as the equivalent of staying in a Hampton Inn), but you'll get A/C (which is kind of rare in apartment rentals) and an elevator (also not so common in many Paris apartment buildings). And search online for whatever is in your price range on a website like Booking.com. But check any prices you find on Booking.com with those of the hotel's own website. Booking.com also allows you to filter your search by neighborhood, price, and they even list some apartments.

The Tour de France is only in Paris on the last day, so shouldn't affect your stay there at all.

I second Southam, Everyone needs to agree that the entire group doesn't always need to be together. All it will take to destroy friendships is one person who believes the group should stay together. I visited London with a group of five friends way back in 1975. One friend had it in her mind that she was the group’s “tour guide”. By the third day Tour Guide was upset with the rest of us. She didn’t talk to the rest of us for the next five years. Was upset with me the most cause I wanted to sit on a bench in Hyde Park to people watch. It was a "waste of time."

All advice welcome for June 2018 trip to Fr, mainly Paris, 8 women
ages 18-74

2019 I'm guessing? :-)

First, using a 1999 RS travel book, tried to send email to hotel
Leveque, but did not deliver. Does anyone have current email address.
LOL have ordered current RS travel book. It is in the mail.

It's good you're getting a book that isn't nearly 20 years old! I commend you all to go to the library and peruse Fodors, Lonely Planet, Frommers and other guide books in addition to the RS one you've bought. I'm a fan of Fodors in particular in addition to RS.

Looking at hotels in Rue Cler but we are open to other suggestions,
including airBNB.

Not a fan of Rue Cler as I found it sterile & pricey. Even RS in his PBS program labels it very touristy. We stayed in the 6th arr very close to the 5th and loved it. Our hotel was a 4 minute walk from the RER Luxembourg station which takes you quickly & easily to Gare du Nord and CDG. There is a magnificent outdoor market on Rue Mouffetard and another market a few blocks away by the Censier Daubenton métro stop that you can get to easily by bus, métro or on foot depending upon where you stay!

Hi lavonne,
According to previous posters the rue Clear area is lame, dull, sterile & pricey.
Those value judgements are made with some criteria in mind, which we generally don't delve into in this limited space. But it doesn't follow that if they didn't find what they wanted in the vicinity of rue Cler, that your group will also be disappointed. For what it's worth, we've stayed in that area a bunch of times and have no regrets.
There are plenty of shops and restaurants in the surrounding streets and ample access to public transportation. It's only a short walk to the Rodin Museum, Invalides, the Eiffel Tower or the Seine. It's a longer walk to the Louvre, Musee d"Orsay and Tuileries, but still do-able. (I'm a couple of years older than you and don't find it outside my range.)
Tourists carrying certain books? I guess we each walk around in a slightly different Paris. I don't chat with passersby so I have no idea if they are residents or tourists and I have never noticed RS books as I was coming and going.
To each his own. The rue Clear area doesn't have to be everyone's favorite place to stay, but I can't see why it wouldn't be a good base for your group.

We are about to embark on a similar trip - 5 women, all related, age range 18-71. Some of us have been once, some twice, some never. I can't wait! :) We go in January for a week.

I was going to suggest staying in the Latin Quarter. It's so lively with brasseries on every corner and is quintessential Paris. I recommend Hotel Royal Saint Michel and Citadines St Germain de Pres. Both can accommodate your party in a combo of rooms. Breakfast is offered at both. Location is amazing for both. Steps from the Seine and Notre Dame and the metro/RER C (CDG and Versaille line).

Have a great trip!

I will add...that in my group of 5, we will stay together! But, we are like minded. It is me (43), my daughter (18), my mother and her 2 sisters (my aunts) who are 71, 70 and 58. :)

I have stayed at both places I recommended. You could do 2 1 bedroom apartments at Citadines or 3 rooms (3 triples would be comfortable) at Royal St Michel.

I’m not a fan of rue Cler either but, whether you like rue Cler or not, I think the point is don’t limit yourself to that area. June 15-21 is packed with tourists and finding rooms for 8 might be tricky, if you limit yourself to the rue Cler area, it will just be more difficult.

Hotel Diana, which Pam suggested, is a great budget hotel in the 5th arrondissement (the Latin Quarter), a much more fun area than rue Cler imo and way more central.
Notre Dame is the center of Paris and I like to be as close to the center as possible. My favorites are the 4th, 5th and 6th, in that order.

For a very budget hotel take a look at Hotel Marignan in the 5th at 13 rue du Sommerard (you can Google it). I’ve stayed there, and a friend has, it’s a good hotel for very budget travelers and a great location near Notre Dame.

You might also try Booking.com and Hotels.com, be sure to read reviews. I’d book directly with hotel, not through those two sites.

Hotel Londres Eiffel is very nice but not budget, not inexpensive.

Would something like this work?

http://www.booking.com/Share-swTPlB

Where to stay is obviously a matter of taste. We love the Marais area and always stay on the west edge of it across R. de Rivoli from Place Baudoyer. Great transport options...Metro, bus and close to RER B (to CDG), easy walking to many sights as well as the river, which is wonderful at night. Might be too noisy/active for some, but we like it.

ss

Sounds like a great trip! I love Rue Cler, but it kind of rolls the sidewalks up at night and has become pretty expensive. I much prefer the neighborhoods in the 6th arrondisement near the Carrefour de L'Odeon or across the way near the Rue de Buci. Metro stations are close and it's within easy walking distance of Notre Dame. Great restaurants, cafes, coffee shops, and nightlife. The Carrefour de L'Odeon is a little more relaxed and a great place to spend the evening.

Lavonne,
I just read your post on another thread, so very sorry to hear of your experience with the wire transfer. Since you need a new booking now, perhaps an apartment hotel would be a safer choice at this point. I’ve used the Citadines chain in Paris before, and their Marais Bastille location seems to have available rooms for your dates. Hopefully my post will bring you original thread back up, and others will have ideas as well.

Lavonne, I am responding in this thread to your post in the thread on booking.com and paying cash for an apartment
A couple of things: at this point, because of the scam perpetrated on you, you are no longer booking early for a very busy time in Paris so you may need to be flexible on location and the washer/dryer in order to stay in budget. Not saying this is definitely the case but just mentioning it as a possible issue. In any event, I would not focus too much on the washer/dryer because there are so many laundromats in Paris that doing laundry is rarely a problem.

I am assuming that you do not need 8 bedrooms (that will not happen in Paris in a vacation rental) so I hope that there are some in the party who will be willing to share a bed because the configuration of apartments is rarely, if ever, going to have 8 separate beds. I am taking your $3,400 cap to include things like the cleaning and service fees (if any), and the occupancy tax. That's fine but it does lower your "real" per night budget. I think you should look at Airbnb but look only at registered places. Here is an apartment that I know nothing about other than that I looked an AirBnB with your dates and budget and saw it: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/22273397?location=Paris%2C%20France&adults=8&guests=1&toddlers=0&check_in=2019-06-16&check_out=2019-06-21&s=o5yX5XkW (note the comments, which are not very positive, in the October reviews). Given your experience, I would understand if you are unwilling to try booking.com again but if you are open to them, I think they still have places available in your budget.
You may also want to, at this point, consider getting 4 twin rooms or a combination of twin rooms and family rooms in a budget hotel. Eight is a tough number to accommodate in Paris in an apartment. You may still be able to find rooms at Hotel Nations Saint Germain (No AC), Hotel Le M Saint Germain, Grand Hotel des Balcons (No AC), or Hotel Excelsior Latin.

Sorry I may have confused the posting. We are looking for accommodation for 8, maybe two quad rooms or even an apt that would sleep using bedrooms and maybe sofa beds. Only thing is that 8 women prob having two bathrooms is almost a necessity.

The reason the scammer gave me for moving to homeaway.com was the very negative traveller comments re booking.com. He sent me a link but I did check it out independently and Consumer Reports magazine was tied tothe reviews I think.

I will check out the hotels you list, Thanks so much.

See if Le M Saint Germain has 2 triples and a twin available on the same floor near each other. I think that would a great fit. The triple rooms have single beds and so do the twin rooms so you would have 8 beds and 3 bathrooms. It will probably be over your $3,400 budget though. Another one to look at is Hotel Henriette in the 13th. It has some interconnected rooms. I really do think though that even with an apartment, you will have to increase the budget to get what you want. It's hard to be a budget traveler in Paris in the summer with 8 people who all want to stay at the same hotel or apartment.

hey lavonne
sorry to hear about place. yes paris is a busy city all the time and it's supply and demand and finding apartments for 8 of you is tough with your budget, you'll need to up. check out
citadines les halles paris, one bedroom with kitchen, A/C 2 twins/1 sofa bed. rent 2 of them.
you'll be in the same place.
pick a flat-residence faubourg saint martin they have 2 one bedroom apts 1 queen/1 sofabed, oops no A/C
citadels bastille marais apartment 2 twins/1 sofabed A/C rent 2.
read the fine print, your arrival times and if luggage storage, don't want to be pushing and pulling thru streets.
don't know if your next week is decided, amsterdam is very expensive and the limit per rooms are 4, that's the laws that country decided.
hope you can find something.
aloha