Hotel Grand Leveque

I've stayed at the Leveque at least half a dozen times. It is a good hotel and location for first-time Paris visits. There are numerous places to shop and eat closeby and it is convenient to the Metro and buses. In 2005 I shared a twin room with a friend at the front of the hotel, third or fourth floor. It was fine. In the intervening years, the Leveque has "upgraded" rooms and remodeled the ground level breakfast room and reception area. It seems that the character of the hotel has changed; it is no longer "quaint" or charming but more business-like. There is no public area available to guests except at breakfast times. And, they state plainly that you may not eat in your room. Returning visitors may be complaining about these changes. I don't like the Leveque as much as I did in the past and probably will not stay there again. A hotel that I prefer in this same area is the Hotel Turenne, which is closer to Napoleon's tomb. Rates are a little lower, but it is not on the shopping street of rue Cler. As I understand it, the Leveque has A/C in the summer, so I would recommend that you keep your reservation there and maybe look around for another hotel for your next visit.

Go to www.heart-of-paris-hotels.com and click on an area of Paris you like and look at some hotels in your price range. There are many excellent choices and there are tons of hotel reviews on www.tripadvisor.com, Paris forum. I'm always dismayed by the number of Americans in Paris that stay only in hotels mentioned by RS. Rue Cler is packed with Americans clutching the blue RS books following other Amercans around. RS is great for the first visit but Paris has so many other great hotels, bistros, patisseries, cafes, wine bars, and street markets to discover. Let the internet be your guide to great adventure as you find your own special places in Paris. Send me a PM and I will send you an undiscovered place to stay 30 yards from Notre Dame with a view from your top floor room of the cathedral, spectacular at night, for a little over 110 Euros. You'll have a great time.

Thanks George, but this isn't my first visit to Paris. My mother, however, has never been out of the country and can barely say "bonjour" and I wanted her to feel comfortable in perhaps what is a pocket of Americans in Paris. I'm under no assumptions that the rue Cler area is truly "authentic" because it's not. I'm not asking for comments on the area, merely the hotel.

You might want to check out the Relais Bosquet where we stayed in June. It's two blocks from Rue Cler (closer to the ET) and has air conditioning and a public space with a laptop available. We stayed in a superior room which was roomy and quiet and faced a small interior garden space. They also have a breakfast buffet. It isn't included in the price, but you get lots of food, not just bread and coffee.

I've stayed at the Leveque the past three summers and I've been quite happy with it. The elevator is tiny, but at least they have one (and it works!), the AC is greatly appreciated, single rooms are small but clean and comfortable and the staff at the front desk has always been very cordial. With a metro stop just a couple of minutes away, a grocery store and a couple of inexpensive restaurants on Rue Cler, I have been very pleased with the hotel and the neighborhood.

This is a more general commentary about the the Grand Leveque Hotel based on my stay there Dec. 28, 2011. I appreciate the location of this hotel whose rooms used to be warm & attractive; it was shocking to see that renovation did not mean improvement, in my opinion. We stayed in room 49 a few days ago and found the room decor grim & depressing, although shower/wc area is fine (just needs clothes hooks & a shelf). Wifi access was unobtainable when I needed it=annoying, disappointing. Breakfast was average (they'd run out of yogurt which I found odd given all the food shops nearby). Location is great, staff pleasant & price reasonable but I'd prefer a more inviting room & reliable wifi access.

I posted this in April, and stayed there in July. It was "fine." Though I didn't find the rooms drab or grim. I stayed in a renovated room on the top floor, street side. Though small, it was bright with purple and grey accents. Of course the small balcony and view of the Eiffel Tower didn't hurt either. The staff wasn't cold, but not overly friendly either, and using the computer in te lobby with Internet access worked fine for us for the few days that we spent there. We never ate breakfast there, so I can't comment on that, but I felt it was fine accommodation (especially the fact that we had air conditioning in the middle of summer!) for the location.

We liked it just fine and that was a few years ago before the remodel. The location is great. Our room wasn't any small than any other room in Europe we stayed in.