Paris Hotel-Which would you choose?

Jed you don't want backside. Those are small rooms. You want to request street side with AC.

The Grande Hotel Leveque seems to be remodelling and /or upgrading recently. They redid the ground floor areas early in 2007. I've stayed there many times and this is the first year they have mentioned having "superior" rooms. They raised all their rates, and this raises their rates even more for those of us dealing with the shrinking US dollar. I think I would ask them what "superior" means. I have stayed in front rooms and rear rooms. The rear rooms are quieter in the early morning hours when the street gets busy with deliveries, garbage collection, etc. As far as I know, all the single rooms are in the rear and share toilets and shower.

A few more things about Hotel Beaugency...

I was pleased to see the top of the Eifel Tower sticking above the roof tops from my bathroom window.

And yes, hotel rooms in Europe are usually smaller than in the US, but in my experience, my room in Hotel Beaugency was tiny even by European standards. But since this is the only hotel I have used in Paris (where everything seems rather tightly packed), for all I know, the room may have been typical for a Parisian hotel.

Jed, I stayed at the Grand Hotel Leveque, and would certainly recommend it. The room wasn't luxurious but it was very clean and comfortable. I haven't checked Rick's book, but are all of the properties you listed the same "star" rating?

The A/C at the Leveque was de-activated during my stay (energy conservation), as I was there in October, but the room was equipped with A/C.

I had the Continental breakfast at the Hotel every morning, even though some feel it's not a good value. There are certainly lots of alternate options for meals in the Rue Cler area.

I was a bit annoyed that the "beam me up Scotty" elevator was broken on my last day, but that's a minor detail.

Good luck with your choice.

Leveque and Champ de Mars are both great with regard to Metro access and are both right in the middle of a real neighborhood market area. You can easily walk to the Eifel tower and great resturants abound in the area. We would stay in either one again just for the location. How much time do you really spend in the hotel? Take ear plugs if you have to.

I stayed at Leveque both times I was in Paris. I love the convenience to so many things. There are plenty of great restaurants in the area and down the street is a terrific cafe for a good, hearty breakfast. You can walk to Les Invalides, the Eiffel Tower and the Musee D'Orsay. Heck, if you want, you can walk to the Champs and the Louvre.

I stayed in the Hotel Beugency over the Christmas holiday. Rue Cler seemed like a pretty quiet neighborhood at night. Noise was not a problem. I didn't specifically look, but I do not recall seeing anything resembling an air conditioner. One further note, the rooms in this hotel are TINY. This didn't bother me, because we spent most of our time outside the hotel, but if you plan on doing anything else in your room, expect a premium for space.

Jed,
I have stayed at Grand Hotel Leveque 5 times. I love this hotel for two reasons: AC and it's on a pedestrian street. Most hotels in Paris you ask for a room in the back so it's quieter Not Leveque! Make sure when you make your reservation you request street side. Room number 12 is right in front, it has a small restroom but the room itself is perfect. There are flowers in the window, an AC and a ceiling fan. I highly recommend it. A few doors down is Wine shop and a Frommagerie to buy your staples, then walk to the eiffel tower after dinner with your hotel cups and drink wine in the park for a great romantic night time picnic. You will be surrounded by young Paresiens doing the same.
Bon Chance!

Thanks for the replies! Ken-the Beaugency is a 3 star in Rick's book while the other two are 2 star. The Beaugency and Leveque are both 2 $$ while the Champ du Mars was 1 $. Rick's book does mention that the Beaugency has A/C. I think we were initially interested in the Leveque as our first choice, but moved it down to #2 with the mixed reviews. Didn't see much on the Beaugency. We don't plan to spend much time in the rooms, but figure if we're paying pretty similar prices would certainly like to get the most value out of it. Can anyone comment specifically on the room sizes at Leveque versus Beaugency? Thanks again for the helpful posts!

Jeff,

Thanks for the reply! I e-mailed the Leveque and they responded with a twin backside room standard for 97euro. On the website they also have a superior room that is 13 euro more (backside also). What is the difference between the two? I didn't see any options for requesting a room up front, but I guess I can ask in the e-mail for the specific room. Thanks!

The Beaugency was the hotel the group stayed in on the Rick Steves Paris tour I was on a few years ago. I went there on my own as well. It is fine, the rooms are small, but this is the case with many European hotels. Was there in October both times so didn't have need of A/C. Staff was friendly and helpful. It is located on a side street 1/2 block from rue Cler and is quiet. Great location - close to metro, post office, ATMs, and more importantly it's only a few steps to the pastry/bread shop on the corner and the fabulous Cafe du Marche.

E-mailed them back to ask about availability of front rooms and difference between standard and superior. I'll post when I find out. Thanks!

Well, I've had a tiny room at the Hotel Wallace in Paris also, and have seen pictures of friend's rooms that were as tiny. I guess you can pay more and get more space, but I don't need it. I'm only in the room to sleep at night -- as long as it has a decent bathroom attached to it, I'm OK!

Jed, have a look at Tom's Guide to Paris. Find this web site by going to www.Google.com and typing "Tom's Guide to Paris" into the search box ...
bon voyage! ... P.

Jed, be aware that it can be very difficult to get confirmation of a reservation from Hotel du Champ de Mars. "Unresponsive" is a gross understatement. I started trying to book rooms there before Thanksgiving. I have sent them 4 emails, 4 faxes and called them directly 3 times. Although they tell me in phone calls that they have booked the rooms we requested, I have not been able to get them to send me a confirming email. We will probably book elsewhere because we don't want to risk showing up at the hotel without a written confirmation of the reservation.

Have you looked at www.tripadvisor.com? There are likely many reviews of each hotel. I frequently use that site to help pick out hotels. You do not need to be a member to access the reviews.

Thanks Donna, Kevin and Perry! Our compromise is I think we're going to book at both places-Beaugency and Grand Hotel Leveque (we're in town for 3 nights first, and then have to come back to stay one other night before a flight out). I'm just waiting to hear back from Leveque about their descriptions of Standard versus Superior rooms. We've moved Champs du Mars down to a distant 3rd at this point. I'll check out Trip Advisor and Tom's Guide for more info.

I got food poisoning at the "fabulous" Cafe du Marche on Rue Cler. Spent the last 2 days of my Paris vacation on the bathroom floor.

Just want to put in a good word for the Hotel du Champs de Mars. I was there twice and found it charming and a great bargain. The room was sweet and clean, and the staff were helpful and friendly to my son and me. I don't remember seeing air conditioning, tho, so it may not be the best choice for July.

Jed Just interested in knowing if you found out what the differences are between the standard and superior rooms at Leveque.

Ed-Nothing yet. I've sent another e-mail to them and have asked for a superior room. I'm afraid I'm trapped in the limbo others have said they run into with contacting hotels.

We've made reservations for about half our accommodations so far. Having trouble hearing back from others in Mont St. Michel, Cochem, and Paris (Grand LeVeque). We've got time, so I'll just keep e-mailing. I'll post what I find out!

Hi Jed,

I just want to plug for Hotel du Champ de Mars, which I found to be the most adorable, picturesque hotel ever! The rooms were SMALL, but beautiful. The hotel exuded so much charm, from the tiny metal elevator to Cannelle the cocker spaniel in the lobby. Plus, the neighborhood was convenient to the Ecole Militaire metro stop as well as the Eiffel Tower and many great restaurants and creperies (try banana and nutella). There's also a grocery store on the corner which is great to buy water at for your room and lots of bakeries for a french croissant in the morning. I have heard the hotel staff can be standoffish, but didn't experience that. Perhaps because we always pet their dog =). I loved this hotel and would definitely recommend it. Have fun!

Thanks Jenny! It would be easiest if we could stay at all three. :-( Still no word on difference between standard and superior at the Grand Leveque. Now I'm just curious! Must be one of the great mysteries of the universe. I'll contact them again this weekend. Got another couple places booked for our trip, so only down to 3-4 places left. Sure wish we left next week!

Jed:

My experiences show a superior room is larger in size making it more spacious to move around within.

Superior room may have the following:
Larger WC/Shower/ or seperate areas;
Small dorm size mini- fridge or mini-bar which we use just to keep things cold;
2 seperate double beds or close together;
Sitting bench at the end of beds; Larger bureau;
Full desk with desk chair; Larger closet with more draws or shelves for stuff; Luggage racks.

The times we've done this was for longer stays like 4-6N. It was nice to put away stuff we didn't need for that place & great to spread out new TI stuff, snacks, & purchases to make room more cozy for
a longer stay.

Consider what type of travellers you are and what your needs will be for that leg of your trip.
Ask the hotel specifically what it means as it varies.

Di

Hello. I just returned from Europe on 1/9. We stayed for four nights at the Champ du Mars. It's a nice little hotel. The rooms are tiny. For example, my friend and I could lie on the bed side by side and touch our legs outward and touch both walls. But it's VERY clean and the staff was beyond helpful. They put up with our horrible French and gave us great tourist info. One of the people who worked the desk at night allowed us to use his personal laptop to check our email. These are good people. If you aren't staying in the room much, the size shouldn't matter. We had a room on the second floor overlooking the smaller patio area. It was fairly quiet (other than the loud Americans at the end of the hall who got drunk nad somehow managed to look a friend IN the room. Don't ask...I didn't. But it was clean and pleasant and great for the price. I sent an email with appropriate friendly French phrases (sil vous plait, Bon Soir, Merci) and got a reply immed. NOt sure about the A/C.
Cynthia

OH and I wanted to confirm that we loved Rue Cler. It provided easy access to everything and was very charming. If you like to walk around and look at small shops and take part in a vital community, this is a great place to stay. We ate breakfast at the small bakery on the corner of Champs. I am still craving their pain au chocolate. The staff smiled at our attempts to spreak French and provided English when we struggled. I think this small area made France even better for us.

Cynthia

Jed, Hotel Leveque told me that the superior rooms had been renovated while the standard rooms had not been. I don't know what all "renovation" has been done.

Donna,

Thank you for the info! That makes sense! I've been trying, with no luck, to get the info. I just finalized our Paris reservations. We are staying at Hotel Beaugency for 3 nights and on our way back through Paris to fly out we decided one night at Grand Hotel Leveque (Not necessarily convenient, but figured we had time and wanted to stay here too). Unfortunately, we were too slow with the Leveque to get a front twin room so we got a back twin superior.

Thanks for all who helped with info. I do want to stay at Champ de Mars! I guess on another trip....

We have all our hotels reserved now except for Cochem and Berlin. I've e-mailed a number of places in Cochem, but no luck yet. Haven't worked on Berlin yet. Thanks again everyone!

I am late on this posting BUT we are staying ( I hope) at Leveque starting March 1st-I say "hope" because they do not answer my e mails-I called 2 months ago and got a confirmation number. Cost $12 to call ! They say they e mail me but I have not recieved any from them-even added a yahoo e mail address in case my original e mail address was blocking them-still no answer. when I booked in November there was no such thing as a superior room classification-will see what we get in 2 weeks. Kathy

We stayed at the Hotel de la Porte Doree in the 12th. The prices were good (95 euros) and the rooms were MUCH larger than at the Grand Hotel Leveque (we had stayed there for the first three days of our trip). You could actually comfortably get in the shower. Can't say enough nice things...right by the metro.

Tried Leveque/Champs Mars (and others) 2 months ago for twin room in early May. None had rooms for the time period required but all at least responded via email with their 'regrets'; some with suggestions for alternate accomodation. We're now booked for Muguet who had space, responded overnight, and have done so without fail for minor detail changes after confirmation of booking. Madame Pelletier @ Muguet appears to run a tight, professional ship which works for me. That said, we'll re-confirm before leaving Canada and also from Ldn/NL before arriving in the city of lights to ensure we have a place to put the head down upon arrival. These folks are busy, have lots of demand, no shortage of customers (thanks RS...), and generally, IMO, do their best to accomodate. Be patient, book well in advance, go to plan B if necessary, and let RS-ETTBD know if you're being abused or ignored.

Jed,
Stayed at Hotel Grand Leveque two years ago. Not deluxe but it was air conditioned and it was HOT that week. The Metro is around the corner and close to the Eiffel TowerIf you stay there forget breakfast there.There are several cafes on that street with better Cafe au lait and cheaper. bon Voyage.
Joyce

I have stayed at both the Leveque and Champ de Mars.

I find it hard to believe the Leveque wants more money then Champ de Mars! The "rennovation" must be something LOL!

Champ de Mars is much nicer IMHO. However, while the female half of the couple that owns the place is very nice her husband is incredibly RUDE and abrasive. Don't ask him for any help!

That said I would pick Champ de Mars and just treat "el jerk" as he treats you! LOL!

Jed,

My only advice would be to book A hotel near the Eiffel tower, it is the safest neighborhood, IMHO. A quick ride down the river on the hop on/off BOAT will get you anywhere you want to go for cheap...walk to Champs Elysees, there is a great restaurant a few feet away from the Arch de Triumph that is reasonably priced and has great food too--Chez Clemente. If you are going to Paris before 15 Jun, A/C is not a must, after then it is.

Thanks for all the wonderful suggestions! We have booked at both the Beaugency and Leveque as we stay in Paris for 3 nights and then return on our way back from Normandy for one night. I'm to the point with all the planning that I'm ready to go!! I can't believe it's another 4 months away. Can't wait!

Cathie, the only bad part of Hotel Doree is if you get the wrong room you WILL hear the metro at the week hours. Fortunately I am a heavy sleeper but my girlfriend is not, and did not get a good night's sleep.

I am heading back to Paris in July and opted for an apartment. I got a 8 day, 1 bedroom apartment at 890 euros...which broke down to 111 euros a day. The place is near Notre Dame and I also have a full kitchen and washing machine. Plus the owner is lending us 2 bikes.

So as some say, think outside the box. Rick is always asking us to try something different to experience the local color, right?