which of these 3 Paris hotels should I choose?

Number 3. What do you consider easy access from your prior hotel? A metro trip? A metro trip with a single change? I have been to Porte Doree metro to the aquarium out there. That is too much commuting for what you want to do during your four days. I don't know anything about Hotel de Flore other than its location but it is probably the easiest to get to by metro from your hotel in Vanves -- just get on Line 12 and ride it to the stop near Hotel de Flore. However, it is not as central as Hotel Helussi. I happen to like Hotel Helussi a great deal. It is more central than the other two and is a very good hotel. I came across it when looking for a good hotel within walking distance (15 minutes) of Gare du Nord. You'll have to change trains to get there from Vanves but that one bit of inconvenience will be offset by the shorter commutes during the four days. Is your budget around 100€ per night? If so, take a look at Hotel Apostrophe in the 6th with a 6-minute walk to an RER B station and IMO a better location for visiting the city than your three suggestions.

Could you perhaps give us a target budget? Forum members may be able to suggest hotels that are more centrally located if we are aware of the budget.

Especially for a first visit, I would stay in the Latin Quarter. For a budget property, look at Hotel Familia. It is a small hotel in a classic Parisian building. I am "one of those" that feels I get better service and rates by booking directly with the hotel. I wouldn't stay in Montmarte, it is not at all convenient to most sights.

We stayed near the border of the 11th/20th and felt like we spent the whole trip riding on the Metro. Stay as close to city-center as your budget allows!! (1/2/3/6/7 arr.)

Hi everyone-

Thanks for all the advice. Yes, the budget is about 100 euro per night. I will look into Hotel Apostrophe. I also looked into Hotel Familia in the Latin Quarter-liked the location but the room is awfully small and it's a double bed, which I think will be too uncomfortable for 4 nights (I'm fairly small but hubby is not, lol; we sleep in a double when we visit his parents and are not comfortable in it).

Also, with regard to what is too much commuting: We don't want to have to make several transfers to get somewhere, but don't mind one transfer of course. It can also get confusing navigating much more with a public transit system we're unfamiliar with. And we're in good health for walking, but during the summer I've heard it can be terribly hot (and humid?) so that may preclude very long walks.

Agree with suggestion for Latin Quarter or St. Germain or Marais areas -- central location is key. Note that rooms and beds in Paris are small -- you might be more comfortable getting a twin room with independent small beds. On booking.com you can pick an area or tourist site and look for accommodation close by.

If you stayed at Hotel Familia, you could walk to a lot places. Hotel Apostrophe is not as close to the river as Hotel Familia but I like it better. You can get to most touristy places with one change of trains even from your first three hotels. You would just be riding the train longer to the center. Those long trips can get old fast, especially when you have only four days (fredandkell nailed it on that one). You can use citymapper.com or ratp.fr/en to work out transit routes. Hotel Apostrophe is near 2 metro lines and RER B so no worries about getting around. Familia is near 2 metro lines. Getting around from either of those places is not going to be an issue. You mention heat and humidity so I strongly advise against getting a hotel that does not have AC and that is from a person who is usually cold but I will never again stay in Paris in late summer in a place without AC.

Notre Dame is the center, and heart, of Paris. Get a good map of Paris (I like Michelin laminated maps) and familiarize yourself with where things are (I’m doing this now for London). The best areas for a 1st time visitor is the Marais and Ile St Louis (4th arrondissement), the Latin Quarter (5th) and St Germain (6th), as Laura said.
The last 2 digits of the postal code tells you what arrondissement a place is.

Your budget is a bit tight - because yes you should make sure hotel has ac , but if willing to forgo a larger room for a cooler room ( and a larger room you melt in would never be my choice ) I’d get twin beds in a hotel in 4 th 5 th or 6 th ! ( Marais, Latin quater , or St Germain ) - look at Hotle Diane in the 5 th - we’ve stayed there and will be again . You have to email hotel - they aren’t on booking sites , they don’t need to be .

Prices ???

I'm only looking at hotels with ac :)

Hotel Apostrophe looks very nice.

Now, I notice quite a price difference with prepaid vs. booking with options for cancellation. I've never done prepaid before (except in the States with airbnb) so that makes me a bit nervous. What are the downfalls? I do plan on purchasing travel insurance soon. thanks again!

Do you get trip cancellation or interruption insurance.. if not.. ( i never do ) no way would I book the NON refundable non cancellable hotel rooms..

I have read the most annoying whining posts by people who have booked ( saving like 5 euros a night ) those rates.. then HAD to cancel because of a completely unexpected death or illness and they come on forums and cry that hotel was not understanding of their tragedy..
Do not book prepaid non cancellable rates unless you fully accept the risk .

We always get travel insurance, including trip cancellation coverage, whenever we go overseas. But I haven't purchased it yet for this trip. I'm waiting to book the hotel so I can have the figures for the total price. We've never had to cancel a trip, but have had lost/late luggage. We've also seen more than one case of people having to be hospitalized in other countries. And yes, there's always a concern about any type of unexpected medical emergency (not just us, but family).

Some of the savings for the nonrefundable rates are huge though. Hotel Apostrophe is quoting 344 euro for nonrefundable, versus 480 euro for refundable; this includes a simple breakfast. Hotel Helussi's price is 420 euro nonrefundable versus 432 for refundable (no breakfast) Their refundable price that includes breakfast is 532 euro! It looks like overall, Hotel Apostrophe will probably be the choice, but of course, other comments and opinions are certainly welcome. Their website is also quite impressive and each of their team members speaks English, which we will definitely need.

Thanks again.

Consider Montparnasse area and the Tim Hotels there (there are 2). They are a chain. Not quaint. But clean, good location, serviceable. There's great transportation via multiple Metro lines. You can get Le Bus at Gare Montparnasse to go to the airport. There's a Monoprix in the neighborhood. Great market on Edgar Quinet. Nice gelato shop. Great "local" cafes, and lots of creperies. A relatively short walk to Place St Michel and the catacombs. Oh, close to the cemetery in Montparnasse, final resting place of many famous people. When I checked the website directly, it was $78 for a double bed room, same for a room with 2 single beds. With breakfast was $94.22. AND close to a Leon de Bruxelles, which (again, a chain but a chain of MUSSELS restaurants) I very much enjoy.

I admit I stay in this area because, well, I've stayed in this area and it has become "home". But I find it quite welcoming, easy to get to/from other areas of Paris, and I enjoy the walk between here and say, Place St Michel. You get to see a little different part of the city, and I quite like the cemetery. And I love crepes!

@candcdavi, as long as you realize that the insurer can look back in your history to invalidate a claim for "pre-existing conditions" if you don't buy your travel insurance within the specified (short) time period after making your first travel expenditure.

Laura- no issues of preexisting medical conditions for us. More issues related to in-laws who aren't in the best health.

What Arr. is the Montparnasse area in?

Montparnasse is in the southern portion of the 6th arrondissement and the northern portion of the 14th and a bit of it is in the 15th. Hotel Atmospheres is the northern part of Montparnasse (closer to Saint Germain de Pres or maybe that is the Latin Quarter). Montparnasse is an excellent area to stay in -- lively, relatively close to the center, good transport options and well-priced hotels. The northern part of Montparnasse is closer to the center than the southern part and has the benefit of being within easy walking distance of parts of Saint Germain and the Latin Quarter.
As to non-refundable reservations, I get them and travel insurance all the time but even when I am very, very positive that my plans will not change. The one time I did it and did not get travel insurance, I ended up having to cancel. I ate the loss and I don't believe that I whined about it on any travel boards. I would not do a nonrefundable reservation for 5€ per night or the difference at Hotel Helussi but I would for the numbers that you are quoting for Hotel Apostrophe.

I also recommend St. Germain (6th arr.) or Latin Quarter (5th arr.). We stayed at the Hotel Bonaparte in St. Germain, and it is an excellent location. We walked almost everywhere. We spent very little time using public transportation. If it's in your budget, I also recommend taking a taxi to CDG. When we did this (in 2012) the cost was $50. Much more convenient and easier than dragging suitcases with you on public transportation. Don't forget that when using the metro you are also going up and down stairs.

For another museum, I highly recommend the Musee D'Orsay, especially if you like impressionist paintings. And the building itself is gorgeous. It's my favorite museum in Paris. I liked it better than the Louvre. We had a picnic dinner on the grass by the Eiffel Tower. We didn't go up it either because we didn't want to spend so much time waiting in line. However, unless you have mobility issues, I highly recommend going to the top of Notre Dame. It was a highlight for us being "up close and personal" with the gargoyles, and the views are worth it. Definitely worth waiting in line for. I also recommend an evening cruise on the Seine to see the city lit up at night. We did not do a dinner cruise because I had read the food is usually mediocre.

candcdavi, Which hotel did you choose?

Thanks for the additional sightseeing information. No mobility issues, so the Notre Dame will be on our list! I'll really have to investigate which museums to see, as we don't want to get burned out on museums. We've been to various European places where there were tons of churches and we easily got church fatigue! We chose the Hotel Apostrophe.

I'm a bit concerned that I'm still seeing news of the Yellow Vest protestors though...But I can imagine the amount of security that will be in Paris at the end of the Tour de France, so I'm hoping we won't have to worry about that.

Great choice.
Me, i wouldn’t worry about the Yellow Vests. From what i understand, they are only out on Saturdays, you know ahead of time what location they will be, you can avoid that location. I have not heard of any bystander not participating in the protest being injured. And i agree with you, security will be very good.

Let me add another great hotel. Hotel Grande des Ecoles. It is around the corner from the bus stop and a 5 minute walk to the Luxumbourg Gardens and their metro. And we walked up to the Seine and beyond.
We loved walking along Mouffetard with their lovely outdoor cafes and grocery stores.
This hotel had a quiet garden area that the rooms look over - we sat outside with bottles of wine and enjoyed the peace and tranquility from the crazy city.

We have stayed in 4 different areas of the City and this was our favorite location.

Think about the 7th arr. in the center of Paris, Metro is good to get around, We will be there in May and are staying at the Hotel Champs de Mars .