Paris Hotels that Won't Break the Bank - Need Recommendation

Thanks -- we actually used to live near there in the 70s! Will check it out.

I agree Hotel Leveque is very nice and a great location.

I loved Hotel Champ du Mars. In Rick's feedback section on accomodations, many people stated they had bad experiences with the hotel and the staff. I found them to be great and I did not have use the little terrible french I attempted to study.

Hi Ann,

I'd also suggest checking out some of Rick's recommended hotels in the Marais or on Ile Saint Louis.

Try "great sleeps in Paris" by sandra gustafson, maybe in 11th edition by now. Good descriptions that help you eliminate or checkout options further.

We prefer to stay in the 6th arrondisement. Two hotels that we like are Hotel le Regent and Hotel Millesime, both in your price range. Both are smaller, clean, nicely-furnished and have great locations, withint walking distance to the Seine, Notre Dame, Ile-St.-Louis, Musee d'Orsay, the Louvre.

Hotel Royal Phare in the 7th is about as cheap as you can get AND it's nice, too. It's not on rue Cler but rather just around the corner. The Ecole Militaire Metro Stop is about 15 steps from the front door. There are 2 ATMs about 5 feet from the front door and a supermarket just past the ATMs. The location and price just can't be beat.

I am with Tim on the Royal phare hotel- you can't beat the location! My husband and I walked everywhere! Arc,Eiffel,Louvre,Notre Dame, and more! Plus there is a market right next door, atms, lots of cafes and pastry shops, and you are like 5 minutes (if that) from the Champ du Mars park and the eiffel tower! I would stay there in a heart beat! The rooms are small, no frills, but they have a small fridge to keep delicious french cheeses and yogurt in!

...and to keep your wine cold!

I vote for the Hotel Castex, which is well within your price range. It is located on a side street in the Marais, a short walk from the Place de Bastille and the isle-st louis. There are lots of restaurants nearby, including several at the Place de Vosges, about a 5 minute walk. The entire hotel has been modernized and raised from 2 to 3 stars. The buffet breakfast is excellent, and we have always found the staff to be helpful and pleasant. Check out their website, and be sure to check out their "promotions" or "special offers"...they seem to run sales quite often....the website lists mainly the rack rates, but keep digging and you can find the deals.

To add to Roe's post above, the location of the Castex means that on Sunday morning you can walk to Place de la Bastille for one of the best street markets in Paris.

This recommendation is coming a little late, but since no one has recommended these places, I would suggest the Hotel Familia, or the slightly more upscale Hotel Minerva in the Latin Quarter east of the Sorbonne. These are nice places near the heart of Paris and well to the east of the tacky section that Rick warns against. If you want something affordable in the very center of the city, check out the Hotel Hospitel, which Rich mentions in his book on Paris. You cannot get more central than this place, which is next door to Notre Dame. All three places are comfortable, clean and well below the $200-250 per night range. Even though I have stayed there, I do not share Rick's love of the Rue Cler area, which I found to be lackluster, not worth the cost and too remote from everything but the Eiffel Tower and Napolean's Tomb.

I loved the Odeon Hotel, right next to the Odeon Theater in the 6th, a block from St. Germain. It's within your budget, nice rooms, terrific area.

My wife and I regularly stay at a Zen Training center near the Bastille. It's called the Maison Zen and has a website by that name. The people are wonderful and the common language is English. It isn't a hotel so you don't get the hotel service. What you get is a studio apartment with a small kitchenette. It's clean, quiet (no noise at all after 10pm) and very private. I believe the current cost is 480 Euro for a week, if you can believe that. The daily cost for a couple is 100 Euro. I may regret telling you this since we've never had a problem getting a reservation. I don't want to overwhelm them.

Thanks for all the replies. Will keep them in mind for future travels. Decided to stay at the same hotel the night before we meet up with the tour (Meredien Montparnasse) -- thru our travel club the rate is about $236. This way we can leave our luggage there when we go off to visit friends in Versailles and near Nancy.