We stayed at the Grand Hotel Leveque which was recommended by Rick Steve. Not only were the staff rude but we were assigned a triple room that we did not want or need & thus our bill was much higher than quoted by phone. There was a sign posted saying "no drinking or eating allowed in the rooms" which we pretty much ignored but REALLY..... We were not allowed to cancel our second night there due to a 48 hour cancelation rule. All other recommendations by Rick were great.
Claudia - you should post this info in the "reader feedback" section in Rick's bookstore. You'll find a feedback heading called "Best and Worst Accomodations".
I have mixed feeling about posting a reply to this thread. First off, we learned years ago that rue Cler is not Paris. Therefore, even though we spend at least a couple weeks each year in Paris, we rarely frequent this area. It's just not that pleasant slice of old Paris any more...especially since the boulangerie changed ownership (not to mention hearing more English spoken...loudly...than French). Leveque was always a great place to stay. I hate to hear that the staff was rude. They were always great to us, though it's been some 15 years ago. As for the food and drink, please remember that old buildings tend to have little unwelcomed critters that get hungry from time to time. Sadly, you're not the first to mention Leveque in a negative tone recently. As for Hotel Champ du Mars, don't even go there. I just hope Rick doesn't try to popularize the area where we have our apartment. Just try another arrondissement next time. Happy travels!
why did they assign you a triple room>? Were there 3 of you? And what occasioned the rudeness from the staff? Was it by any chance the fact that you ignored the prohibition against eating and drinking in your room?
Claudia, I also have the same questions that Sasha mentioned. It would help to have a few more specifics. ¶ I'm sorry to hear that you had problems at the Grand Hotel Leveque. I've stayed there a few times and always had a comfortable room and polite staff. Hopefully this is something that won't be a regular occurrence at the Hotel. ¶ I tend to agree with Ed that Rue Cler is perhaps becoming a bit TOO touristy, however I still like that area and plan on staying there on future visits. I find that it's a convenient "home base" and I don't usually spend too much time there, except for breakfast and sleeping. I'm usually touring different parts of the city during the day. However, I'll probably use Hotel Duquesne Eiffel, Hotel Muguet or others in future. I've also heard several negative comments on the Hotel Champs de Mars, so it WON'T be considered for my visits. Cheers!