Lodging in Paris

What is your budget; a 3 bedroom is not easy to find and will not be cheap. One with more than one bathroom will be hard to come by.

How long will you be there. An apartment is great for a longer visit but often more headache than it is worth for a short visit.

Montmartre is not central and probably not the best for a first visit and you will burn up the kids' energy with commuting to the sites you wish to visit. I would look for something near the Luxembourg Gardens in the 5th.

You are pretty optimistic if you are American to be planning for this May -- we lost our trip with grandchild this April and are tentatively planning to do it fall of 2021 and are not wildly optimistic even then. Hope you are right about this.

The best way to approach accommodation recommendations is to state your budget window per night in euros. Nothing would be particularly inexpensive about a 3 bedroom apartment. Anywhere in Paris (any of the 20 arrondissements) could potentially work for you given the various trade-offs relative to location. Outer arrondissements will obviously cost you less than single digit arrondissements.

Wally - please allow me to correct the location of the Jardin du Luxembourg which is entirely in the 6ème arrondissement.

hey hey lindah
as others have said, need more info. what does "relatively inexpensive" mean? how many days, budget in euros, ages of young grandchildren, amenities you need, what main attractions you hope to be near?
paris is an expensive city, more so with 6 and the time of year you are planning. don't know where this virus will lead to, when countries will open, do's and dont"s. lots of people want to travel as soon as they can, your time period starts the summertime, which means supply and demand (they all want the same kinda place for families), refundable and what the cancellation policies are, early checkin and luggage storage, retrieving keys to an apt. my own opinion would be to look for either 3 rooms for 2 people or 2 rooms for 3 people, which gives you a better choice of where to stay, any mobility issues walking up and down many stairs/steps with bags or do you need a lift/elevator.
sorry to be delores downer but lots to think about and consider, are you headed somewhere else after paris? whatever you are planning, i'm sure attractions you want to see will need prior online booking, no walking up and waiting in line, bring lots of patience, can only go as fast as slowest person in family. good luck
aloha

This is all so helpful! Thank you!

Montmartre is NOT where I would stay with 3 minor grandchildren. The area is just a bit raw for kids, and while not necessarily unsafe, it is an area which doesn't feel particularly homey or relaxing. It has a number of adult emporiums, so there is a gritty feel to it. It is really far from most of the tourist sights, so that requires longer travel times to visit the "must sees." It's not a bad area, but it's not centrally located.

I just ran a couple of quick searches for 3 bedroom apartments on VRBO. It is actually possible to get some that are reasonably priced, but you may have to go out to the 10th, 11th, or 13th Arrondissements to get the price you like. In the 5th, 6th, and 7th, you will pay a lot. It's worth spending the time to research this carefully because you need to make sure that you only rent apartments with a 13 digit registration number. The Metro is everywhere, and while you will be traveling to see sights, that and the buses are easy to use.

We have stayed in Montmartre for months here and there and none of the neighborhoods we were in were 'gritty'; they were charming -- they are not however central. Of course it is a huge area and some areas are seedy or gritty.

Jane, just so we're clear, I actually LOVE gritty, especially when abroad. My brother in law and his wife were troubled by the Montmartre experience on their first trip. I found the 10th to be delightfully raw, but appreciated its relative proximity to famous Parisian sights and experiences.

I agree with some others who have suggested they would not choose Montmartre as a neighborhood to stay in with family.

I am definitely open to suggestions about other areas of the city that would be close to the various sites & that would give us the feel of being in beautiful Paris.

I go to Paris every 18 months or so (not this year of course) and always book apartment thru vrbo and have always had good experience. I as well have booked for next May so hopefully things will be better by then

Just enter your search criteria and see what it gets you to fit your budget etc.
I personally always stay in 6th arrondisement - near Luxembourg Gardens which is close to most of the major attractions

Good luck

https://www.vrbo.com/search/keywords:paris-france?petIncluded=false

Over the years, I think I have stayed in just about every arrondissement of Paris and I have concluded that all have great spots to stay in for a trip to Paris depending on the requirements and the tradeoffs that one is willing to make, but I think for most first time visitors, parts of the 4th, 5th, and 6th arrondissements are ideal, if the budget allows it. For six people, in May, unless prices are really changed as a result of COVID-19, I think you will be looking at spending at least $450 per night to get 3 bedrooms in these areas. And then the question will be how many bathrooms do you need for 6 people to get ready? I grew up with my family of five in a house with one bathroom and we made it work so I am sure that you can make it work but do you want to do that while on vacation. I have found that getting that second bathroom in Paris can really push up the price.
A specific budget would be really helpful because I do not know what you mean by "relatively inexpensive." Here is a pretty good looking place with a registration number: https://www.vrbo.com/1882907a?adultsCount=3&arrival=2021-05-09&childrenCount=3&departure=2021-05-15&unitId=2058581. I have never stayed and know nothing about it except that a couple of weeks ago, a friend who is dreaming about a trip next October sent me the link and asked me for my views on its location, etc. I think it is relatively inexpensive for the location. A few years ago for a couple of nights in August, my family of four plus two other relatives stayed at Hotel Residence Henri IV (https://www.residencehenri4.com/rooms) in their apartment and a room and we paid 490€ per night. That rate was around 200€ per night less than it would have been in May or June.

This is so helpful. Many thanks

Thank you. This is all so helpful & I really appreciate everyone’s help.

We enjoyed staying in the Parc Monceau area near the Arc de Triomphe. Other areas to consider would be near the Tuileries or the St. Germain area. The 8th and 1st arrondissements on the right bank of the Seine are very nice as well as the 6th arrondissement on the left bank. We visited the Montmartre area to see Sacre Coeur, but did not feel comfortable staying there. Wishing you a wonderful time in Paris!

The 4th (Marais and Ile St Louis), the 5th (Latin Quarter) and the 6th (St Germain des Près) arrondissements are the best for 1st time visitors, imo. The Luxembourg Gardens in the 6th is fantastic for adults and kids, and they have a wonderful playground for kids.

Great information. Thanks so much!

We stayed in Le Marais last summer and loved the location. We walked to Notre dame, latin quarter, the louvre and took the metro to Champs elise and the eiffel tower. We had an apartment that I feel was relatively inexpensive since Paris can be pricey although I honestly don't recall the amount because it was reserved through my inlaws timeshare company. We were planning on returning this summer and had another apartment in the same general location reserved through VRBO again what I would consider a good deal. You can customize exactly what you want through VRBO when searching for a place to stay and I am comfortable with them so I would recommend them. Walking and exploring is part of the adventure as well as taking the metro. Good luck!

Hi Lindah, I’m so happy to hear you are ready to lead the family back to Europe again! Since you were in Paris back in 2019, did any of the neighborhoods you visited spark your interest? You mentioned Montmartre, which I think was up the hill from your last lodging. BTW, happy belated 80th!

My goodness. U sure do have an incredible memory!!! I’m very impressed, & am very curious as to how in the world you know my age?????

Well, actually you mentioned it in your Maui post. I just loved following and responding to your posts during the 2019 trip. You’re amazing. But anyway back to 2021.

For a second visit, I agree with others who mentioned the Left Bank or Marais. You may find cheaper apartments in the 15th arrondissement or Montparnasse area (not too close to the Gare).

Barbara, thanks for clarifying what was making me scratch my head about how you knew so much about me... My last trip was with my 3 oldest grandchildren. This trip is to fulfill a promise to my next 3 grandchildren. I’ll have 4 more (grandchildren) after this who are eagerly awaiting their turn. I’ll have to find a money tree, as well as the fountain of youth in order to do this‼️ Wish me luck 🤪

"Classic" 3 Bedroom & 2 Bath, the building has an elevator. My mother and I were scheduled this Christmas to stay in the "So Chic" apartment. Located in Le Marais.
https://www.apartmentsdulouvre.com/lemarais-classic

This apt looks wonderful but unfortunately it is way over my budget. Thank u tho for reaching out

This apt looks wonderful but unfortunately it is way over my budget.

It might help you, in your search, to understand that 350€ per night for a 3 bedroom, 2-bath apartment in Paris is very reasonable, particularly for one with an elevator and air conditioning in a relatively desirable location.

If this example is way over budget, it would be very beneficial for everyone to know exactly what your budget window is (in euros). Knowing your expectations is the only way someone can offer meaningful suggestions.

Paris and grandchildren always makes me think Luxembourg Gardens and staying somewhere close by. Apartments are hard to come by and Paris hotels don't like you eating in the rooms.

So interesting that u mentioned Luxemberg Gardens because I’ve been looking in that area. You are so right about apartments being hard to come by.!

Because there are six of you, and not knowing the children's ages, go to Booking.com and do a search. You can put in three adults and three children, plug in kids ages, and your dates and it will give you options in US dollars for the grand total for all the nights selected. Its a good resource and allows you to see pics of the rooms, and locations. This is your best bet since you say 350 Euro is out of budget.

If 349€ per night is over your budget, I think you are going to have a hard time finding a place for 6 people in May near Luxembourg Gardens. With a budget of under 349€ for six people per night, I think you may want to focus on the double digit arrondissements. My suggestions are the 11th and 14th.

JHK is right. But also use Hotels.com as well as Booking.com.

If you're looking at apartments, be sure your choice has the required 13-digit registration number. You don't want to find a place and then have it pulled out from under you when the authorities spot it as an illegal/unregistered rental.

Great information and greatly appreciated. I'm wondering if hotels.com also includes apartments in it's listings. I will definitely check it out. Thank you all!

lindah, good point if Hotels.com lists apts. i tried getting an answer on their website but couldn’t, called their 800 # and couldn’t talk to a real person so calling was useless. Sorry for the bad rec, looks like they don’t.

hey hey lindah
how many nights are you staying in paris and what is your budget in euros? like others here have mentioned, there are 6 of you and traveling during busy summer season. some apts may have a limit as to how many people in apt, minimum number of days to stay, may have closed, retired, or sold because of covid-19 and not interested in renting. the apt brushtim mentions, looks to fit your family and in the area to see sights and tocard agrees with it. if too much, look further out of center as JHK. we stayed in the 14th in a one bedroom which was nice but was too far away for us, and the cost of transporting your group will just add up. sometimes we just grin and bear it, book em danno. lol
otherwise look at renting 2 rooms with 3 beds or 3 rooms with 2 beds. include each person per place, if omitted they can deny you.
some hotels may not have calendars up yet for may.june, keep looking or email them. hoping you find some place.
aloha

You are so nice to have gone to all that trouble! THANK U!!!!

lindah, least i could do after recommending them... : )

Booking.com does list apartments, along with other kinds of lodging.

After you get your initial results, you can filter by criteria relevant to your needs. Please note that putting in the GKs' ages is very important. It affects the size of the place, the number of beds and the kind of beds. If the kids are too old, they will be considered as adults.

Relevant criteria include Property Type, location, price range, amenities and more. For apartments, do not choose the star ratings. Those are for hotels. Choose Review Score instead.

You can continue to add more filters, or change them or remove them if you get too many or too few results. Just play around with it and you'll become a pro in no time.

As others have said, be sure to verify that the apartment is legal with the right kind of registration number. These days I'd do that first before paying much attention to anything else about the place.

lindah, have you checked on VRBO.com? I just started and found this 3 bedroom in an area i like at $153/night:

https://www.vrbo.com/1872430a?adultsCount=2&arrival=2021-05-29&childrenCount=4&departure=2021-06-08&unitId=2048085

This 4 bedroom, 2 bath at $207/night. While not technically in Paris, it almost is. If there’s a mêtro close by, i would consider it:

https://www.vrbo.com/1856690a?adultsCount=2&arrival=2021-05-29&childrenCount=4&departure=2021-06-08&unitId=2032316

I’ll look for more later!

Edit: that’s all i found on VRBO.

My goodness. You have given me a wonderful road map. Booking.com - here I come! Many many thanks.

lindah, there's quite a few on Booking. I put in for 10 nights, so divide the total you see by 10. Now you have to filter by location. I recommend getting a good map of Paris, keeping in mind that Notre Dame is the center of Paris.

https://www.booking.com/searchresults.en-gb.html?label=gen173nr-1FCAEoggI46AdIM1gEaIkCiAECmAEJuAEHyAEN2AEB6AEB-AELiAIBqAIDuAL3mob7BcACAdICJDI1MTgxNjY4LTEyMDktNGY3Yy05N2M3LTkxNGE5ZWViMGI1NtgCBuACAQ&sid=1a97117b0e0ad4c193912e20323437ce&tmpl=searchresults&age=0&age=0&age=0&checkin=2021-05-31&checkin_monthday=31&checkin_year_month=2021-5&checkout=2021-06-10&checkout_monthday=10&checkout_year_month=2021-6&class_interval=1&dest_id=-1456928&dest_type=city&dtdisc=0&group_adults=3&group_children=3&inac=0&index_postcard=0&label_click=undef&no_rooms=3&percent_htype_apt=1&postcard=0&raw_dest_type=city&req_age=0&req_age=0&req_age=0&req_age=0&req_age=0&req_age=0&room1=A%2C0&room2=A%2C0&room3=A%2C0&rows=20&sb_price_type=total&search_form_id=11661bfb3c730102&shw_aparth=1&slp_r_match=0&srpvid=f4191c17619e00f2&ss=Paris&ss_all=0&ssb=empty&sshis=0&ssne=Paris&ssne_untouched=Paris&top_ufis=1&nflt=ht_id%3D201%3Bfc%3D2%3Bpri%3D3%3B&rsf=&activeTab=main

Hotels.com does list homes and apartments. Some places are listed on both booking.com and hotels.com, but not always, so best to check both. Good luck!

Pam, so frustrating i couldnt find apts on Hotels.com. Glad to know they do.

Glad you have nixed Montmartre, one area of Paris I will not visit again!
We have lived in many city centers but Montmartre was such a hassle to walk through. We did not feel safe.
With three children, really try hard to be near Luxembourg Gardens.
How old are the children?

hey hey
@ suki the grandkids are 10, 11, and 12.
linda, since you haven't mentioned your budget or how many days you plan to stay in paris, you replied
that 350E is too high, be sure to read the fine print of apartment policy. most of them charge you a damage deposit (300E to 1000E) to be held on your credit card. after check out and no damage, it will go back to your credit card and may take 3-7 days to return. just want to put it out there since other travelers were "unaware" and was an issue with the hold and using card.
also when looking, are you okay with walking up and down stairs/steps (1st floor there is 2nd floor here) and if place has an elevator/lift.
your group will love the luxembourg gardens, lots for the grandkids to do.
aloha

We’ve rented 3x in Paris, damage deposit not required.

An apartment with an elevator is often times more expensive.

I recommended the Luxembourg Gardens way upthread, but i doubt you’ll find a 3 bedroom apt within walking distance under €350.

I just looked on AirBnB for 3 bedroom apts. and found lots. Price ranges $100's -$200's (of course, some higher, but plenty of cheaper ones). And, like others have mentioned, check for the license number! And read the reviews! I am planning my trip for 2021 and almost exclusively have used AirBnB in the past. I also am a host in my city, so I am very comfortable using them.

Check carefully about types of beds being provided (sleep sofa? futon? bunk beds?) and the number of bathrooms. Six people would be lot of folks trying to get ready in the morning if there was only one bathroom.

Charlotte, what arrondissements were the cheaper ones? Any cheap ones by the Luxembourg Gardens? That would be so great. AirBnB is a good suggestion

indah, have you checked on VRBO.com? I just started and found this 3
bedroom in an area i like at $153/night:
https://www.vrbo.com/1872430a?adultsCount=2&arrival=2021-05-29&childrenCount=4&departure=2021-06-08&unitId=2048085

Susan, the apt. you linked is a 2 bedroom, not 3, with a futon in the livingroom. It also only has 1 review (in French) and it's bad enough that I wouldn't stay there, whatever the price. I'm also not seeing a 13 digit registration number anywhere, unless I missed it but I don't think so. But kudos for trying to do some footwork for the OP!

Susan, I only looked at IV, V, and VI. The gardens are in the VII. I have not been to Paris yet, so am still learning! On AirBnB you can filter down the areas you want.

Susan, the apt. you linked is a 2 bedroom, not 3, with a futon in the livingroom. It also only has 1 review (in French) and it's bad enough that I wouldn't stay there,

It was so bad; dirty, musty and full of mold, that the writer of the review himself did not stay.

Susan, I only looked at IV, V, and VI. The gardens are in the VII.

Le Jardin du Luxembourg is in the 6eme arrondissement, just across blvd St Michel from the 5eme. The 6eme and the 7eme contain some of the costliest real estate in Paris. Chances of finding an inexpensive, 3-bedroom apartment in this area are not good. The cheapest real estate in Paris, and I should say least expensive, is found on the northern edge of the city in the 17eme to the 20eme arrondissements.

Susan has gone to a great deal of effort to find suitable apartments but some are way outside of Paris, so far that they are beyond the reaches of the métro. I sense that the budget is modest (it would save a lot of time if you simply stated the budget window per night en euros) so I might suggest looking in the 14eme and 15eme arrondissements. These are where middle class Parisians live, outside well-worn tourist paths but still in Paris and still areas holding a great deal of interest. Any budget for 3 bedrooms, within even a very basic format, much less than 200€ a night is just not realistic.

Kathy, the 1st apt says 3 bedrooms but i trust you that it is not.

Kathy, Tocard, et al, I did my best to try to find some possibilities for the OP but it is up to them to research each one, i did not have time to do that for them.

The two that Tocard say are too far, i thought they said the mêtro was close by and why i thought they might be possibilities. I looked at their location on a map and their location seemed reasonable, and why they are affordable. Tocard, would other forms of transportation work? I know the locations are not most people’s 1st choice but under €350 for 3 bedrooms is tough. And why i thought Charlotte’s AirBnB rec was a good one.

And yes, i was going to point out to Charlotte that the Luxembourg Gardens (my favorite place on the planet since growing up in Paris) are in the 6th, not the 7th, but you beat me to it Tocard.

You all have been wonderful with all your help with my lodging. I think I have found a place in Paris that hopefully will work out for us. The Sully Hotel in the Marais district & it is very reasonably priced. I was trying to stay away from hotels, but decided that we would need a hotel in Paris because our flight gets in at 6:00 AM, and the apartments that I looked at weren't able to accommodate us in terms of dropping our luggage off much before check in. I hope I have made the right choice. Internet pictures looked good, & the area is what made me chose this place (very near alot of things that we are interested in). Reservations are completely refundable, so if any of you have knowledge of this hotel that might make me rethink it, please don't hesitate to let me know. Again thank you all for everything!

There seem to be several "Sully" hotels in Paris. Is yours the one on rue Saint-Antoine? You might want to take a look at the reviews on booking.com. That hotel has five floors but no elevator, and I don't think it provides breakfast. The breakfast situation wouldn't matter to me--I'd just stop at a nearby bakery; perhaps it's not an issue for you, either. But getting suitcases up to the fifth floor would be an ordeal.

In addition, the score for cleanliness is a bit low, and I see a lot of "full" beds listed; those tend to be narrower than Americans are used to these days when they're sharing beds. There's a bed in one of the photos (not necessarily one of the rooms you've booked) positioned in such a way that Occupant 2 will have to crawl over Occupant 1 to get into and out of bed.

I hesitated before doing this post and commenting on the hotel because the budget is the budget the location is excellent. If it is in budget and you like the location, you might not care about the things that I care about like the fact that it has no elevators and steep steps, is on a noisy street, has very tiny rooms, and looks like it was last renovated in the 1980s and thoroughly cleaned in the 1990s. It's about the trade offs that you are willing to make to stay in Le Marais. By the way, I assume that you mean the Sully Hôtel on Rue Saint Antoine because it is the only Sully Hôtel in Le Marais that takes guests (as opposed to the Hôtel de Sully Garden located nearby). Anyway, by way of background, my place in Paris is about 350 meters from that hotel and I have walked past it hundreds of times and stopped in on a couple of occasions because of my hobby of popping into hotels in Paris to check them out. Last time, I was there was Thanksgiving 2019. By chance, have you read the reviews of the hotel at tripadvisor.com? Please note that even the reviews that find the place to be excellent or good are focused on the cost relative to the area and the hotel's excellent location. IMO, this place proves that you get what you pay for, It is very cheap for the 'hood and it looks it. Don't have great expectations. The staff is super nice or at least they have been to me when I have wandered in to look around. This is what the exterior of the hotel looks like.

Here's a link to the Booking. com Sully Hotel listing. Lots of reviews and pictures. It doesn't look great and the reviews are tepid, hence the 7 review score. At least you know that with Booking.com the reviews are legitimate. Be sure to read the recent ones.

Also thoroughly read all the details about the rooms and the hotel, especially the Child policies. I was surprised to see that anyone over the age of 2 is counted as an adult at this hotel.

Words of warning: A few years ago our son took his 2 daughters, ages 10 and 12 at the time, to Paris for a long weekend. I tried to advise him about reading reviews, areas to stay and prices to expect. He ignored the advice and chose a very cheap place in a questionable neighborhood.

Fortunately they were all traveling very light because the place was such a dump that they packed up every morning and took their backpacks to the closest station where they could lock them up while exploring the city.

That's why reading the recent reviews is so important. Old, flattering reviews are useless. Stick to the past year or two, maximum.

Almost forgot, one phrase in the description was a little vague: "Some rooms have a private bathroom with a hair dryer." It's been my experience that "private" doesn't always mean "ensuite." It could be down the hall. If what you want is ensuite bathrooms, be sure to verify that the rooms you reserve have them.

Paris is one of the few places where you want to deal directly with the hotel and avoid third party booking sites. At the budget window of 80€ to 100€ per night for 2 people, I would look at these hotels, keeping in mind that there may not be elevators or air conditioning. Breakfast is cheaper on your own and is usually an avoidable expense.

Lux Hotel Picpus

Hotel Relais du Marais

Hotel Cosmo

Hotel Marignan

Not knowing your group, you might save even more at 3 or 4 to a room. The Marignan has one 5 person suite. This is a simple and basic hotel but it is spotless and but a very short walk to the center of Paris (Notre Dame). You might have the option of one double room and one quad.

Any of these hotels might work better than what you have chosen..

I’d listen to Tocard. I would not stay at Hotel Sully, based on the reviews. I’ve passed it a hundred times as well but by the looks of it was never inclined to go inside. I’m like JHK, i like checking out hotels too.

I stayed at Hotel Marignan for 6 wks in 1975 and can recommend it. I stopped in last Oct to say Hi to the owner (son of the owners when i stayed there) and looked at some rooms. It’s a good, very basic, budget hotel. They have a large Washer/Dryer and a communal kitchen that guests can use which is a big plus. The location is exceptional and on a very quiet street, unlike Hotel Sully.

Oh wow! It looks like Hotel Sully is out. Thanks for the inside info! I just checked Hotel Marignan & would have jumped on it but, sadly, it is completely booked - not only for our dates but for the whole months of May & June! I even checked the Marignan Champs Elysee, but that is way over our budget. I loved the location of the Marignan & just wish I had checked on this sooner. Any other ideas for locations? I will keep looking...Again, thanks for the heads up about Hotel Sully. My family would not have been happy there, that's for sure.

Linda, I'd recommend emailing the Marignan to ask about your dates. Even in normal times a hotel might not yet have its rates set for the next year in September, so its website might not be accepting reservations. You may get a positive response if you email.

Great idea about emailing the hotel Marignan directly. I just did that & have fingers crossed that I will get a good response. THANK YOU!!! I will let you know the outcome.

acraven is right. I think it’s too soon to book for May and why website says they’re full.

If you don’t get a response right away from Hotel Marignan don’t lose hope. French, family owned, hotels can be slow to respond. Just keep emailing.

I just talked with the owner of the Hotel Marignan, and he confirmed that the hotel is not full for next May, you are just wanting to reserve too far in advance. He is not yet sure of the pricing for next year, it should be available around the end of this year. Overall the Hotel Marignan is an excellent, modest budget hotel. The people are friendly, the property is spotless, and the location is superb.

Another advantage of this hotel is that there are a good number of very inexpensive restaurants nearby serving excellent meals. I blanketly exclude all restaurants along rue de la Huchette and rue de la Harpe, these are for unimaginative tourists. If you stay in the 5th, I have great eating recommendations for you.

Tocard, i’d love your recs!

Lindah, the least expensive rooms at Hotel Marignan have shared bathrooms down the hall, close to the bedrooms.
This was the case in 1975 as well and it was fine. They’re kept clean. So if you want to save even more money you may want to consider this option.

Susan - it might be a bit early for restaurant recommendations because there are a lot of small businesses/restaurants in Paris which are or have closed due to the significant downturn in clientele. However, I will expose one of my personal hangouts - Nossa Churrasqueira This is a Portuguese restaurant specializing in roast chicken which is arguably the best chicken in Paris. It´s not Chez l´Ami Louis but you will not believe what you get for the price. They may now have other locations but this is the original restaurant at 1 rue de l'École Polytechnique in the 5th.

Thanks Tocard, Chez l’Ami Louis is wonderful, but the price - oy!

Tucatd, you are now officially my very best friend! I just can’t begin to thank u enough for going to all that trouble of calling the hotel owner. Amazing! I will definitely wait & check back every few weeks to make sure I can secure this wonderful place. Again, a million thanks! Linda

Hotel Marignan is an excellent suggestion and it and the Sully are in the same price range and both are well located. In case Hotel Marignan does not work out and if you are willing to go a bit further out of the center and spend around US$320 per night (currently, ~276€), take a look at Hotel du Printemps and Hotel Nations Saint Germain. Hotel du Printemps is about a 7 minute walk from the Nations transit stop so it is not very central but you can be in the center of Paris in 10 minutes if you take the RER A. Hotel Nations Saint Germain is not in Saint Germain despite the name and is on Rue Monge, so it is just outside of the tourist center of the 5th arrondissement. I've walked to the Saint-Michel-Notre-Dame from the hotel across the street in about 15 minutes. Trying to get you back over near Luxembourg Gardens, you may want to consider Hôtel Cluny Sorbonne.

hey hey lindah
so happy that you got some info on hotels in paris for you and your gang. be very adamant about booking and watching for an email. it is too early for reserving like a lot of other hotels say no room available. my opinion would be to rent 2 triple rooms,
that area is great, lots of shop, restaurants, cafes , luxembourg gardens nearby.
tripsavvy.com/visitors guide to luxembourg garden
good place for your grandchildren to enjoy. we walked around, celebrated with a bottle of champagne at one of the statues (always carry a corkscrew and couple plastic glasses we found at liquor/tobacco shop), the kids can sail sailboats in the pond. stop in a deli and buy what's needed for a small picnic, went to la cuisine de phillipe (25 rue servandoni +33143297637) to eat souffles, one of my favorites. i had passion fruit friend had grand marnier, was soooo delicious. limited hours, make reservations, near gardens.

paris-by-tuktuk.com take a grand tour of all the important places and important monuments of the city. check other tours available for your gang
curegourmande.fr candy/bisquit/cookie store on ile de saint louis (55 rue de saint louis 75004) i love this small shop with all kinds of goodies put in cute decorative tin french boxes you will love to roam around. bought the bisquits with french jam and flavored marshmallow stixs for my family in hawaii, after that stopped at berthillion ice cream near, then walked down street to see norte dame
angelina's (rue rivoli) is a cafe/restaurant that has fabulous hot chocolate. the lobby has fancy desserts, go early, if wanting to eat/drink hot chocolate or look in windows.
i love eclairs and was on a mission to eclairs where ever they were. if your gang wants to go to top of eiffel tower, book tickets early (toureiffel.paris/en)
i'm sure you'll let us know how your research is going.
thanks @ tocard for your recommendation of the portuguese roasted chicken. i will keep in my folder, they were closed the day we planned but heard fabulous reviews
aloha

If you are able to increase your budget, take a look at the Hotel des Grandes Ecoles: https://en.hoteldesgrandesecoles.com/

We really enjoyed our stay there in 2018. We met a woman who had been visiting this hotel every year for the previous 40. She said: I have been all over the world, and this is my favorite spot.

Jumping in a little late here -- you have gotten some wonderful tips! My daughter lived in Saint Germain de Pres for a while -- it is the 6th arrondissement. We all absolutely loved it for its cafes, shops, location, walkability to almost everything and charm. Next time I visit Paris, I will stay in Le Marais to do something different, yet it seems as charming. I also like the 7th which might be a bit better priced. I always use AirBnB or VRBO in Paris but would love to use Paris Perfect some day: https://www.parisperfect.com/ Oh! We stayed at Hôtel Des Deux Continents in Saint Germain one time. It was a lovely hotel with lots of character. They claim it is or is near the original Hotel d'York where Benjamin Franklin, John Jay and John Adams negotiated the peace treaty with representatives of King George III of Great Britain in 1783.

I’m not a fan of Hotel des Grandes Ecoles. Stayed a month there. It’s fine but there are better hotels for the same price in more central locations. Over priced and not worth increasing your budget for, imo.

Thanks so much for all this information.