Paris Hotels

We loved the Hotel des Grandes Ecoles, http://www.hotel-grandes-ecoles.com/, in the Latin Quarter. They may be booked for your dates, you can't tell from the website without inquiring. I suggest looking at some guidebooks, like Rick Steves, Lonely Planet, others you may like, for recommendations, then using a service like booking.com or Trip Advisor or hotels.com to compare prices and make your reservation. It may be hard to get your first or second choice for September at this point, so don't delay. For almost a week's stay, you might consider an apartment through homeaway.com, vrbo.com, airbnb.com, or other services. If you're a group you'll have more room to spread out, you can save money by using the kitchen for some meals, there might be a washer and dryer, etc. You'll experience Paris a little more like someone who lives there instead of a visitor. Pay attention to what floor it's on and whether there's an elevator (remembering that in Europe the "first floor" is our second). Cost is likely to be comparable to a non-luxury hotel room, but for a lot more space. On the other hand, there won't be a desk clerk to help with day to day things. And as for romance, just because it's a girls' vacation doesn't mean there are no possibilities...you're in Paris, after all! ;)

Julie, something that might help with the choice: early September can still be quite warm in Paris. A rare room with an A/C unit might be something to consider.
I stayed at Opera Deauville one September a few years ago. It's across the street from Gare St. Lazare in the 9th and has a wonderful wall unit A/C that came in very handy on the few muggy nights I experienced there.

It's going to be difficult to find something at this late date for September 5-11, September is a very busy month in Paris. Although I much prefer to stay in the heart of Paris (4th, 5th and 6th arrondissement), we stayed at a wonderful hotel in the 15th not too far from the ET (and Rick's beloved rue Cler) for 6 wks and I can highly recommend it. It's called Hotel de l'Avre, the owner and staff are wonderful, it's a clean and cheerful hotel with a lovely large garden. Very budget friendly. One of the plusses is that it's a 1/2 block to the La Motte Picquet-Grenelle Metro stop where 3 main lines intersect, making it easier to get places w/o having to change trains. There's also a great Monoprix w/grocery store and a very fun twice a week outdoor market right there.

Try the Hotel Relais Bosquet in the Rue Cler neighborhood. You'll find it on tripadvisor along with many others.

Julie, at this point you are up against the clock, September is a BUSY month for hotels and occupancy is high, its not just tourists its also the beginning of a busy fashion and trade show season.. I would give up on looking at hotels in guidebooks, they are likely well booked up. Try these, they are clean and central. Most have ac. I have stayed in all but one of them. They are fairly cheap but as I said September rates are highest. Hotel Diana Hotel Eugenie Hotel Saint Pierre
Hotel College du France I would also start looking at a booking site, I like Venere, you can find places that are available for your dates and then look at their websites you don't have to book through Venere if you don't want to , but it will give you ideas anyways.. Venere is reputable though if you choose to use it.

I might be missing something, but I just plugged your September dates into the 'Book' feature at the Grand Hotel Leveque website (via my iPhone) and it looks to me like there's availability for more than one room type. Maybe not the room type you want, though? The 'Book' link opened a booking service page that displayed the different room types on the left and a calendar on the right next to each room type. Advance the calendar to September and you should see dates in green, which means available. Google 'grand hotel leveque Paris' and the first search result below the map result should be the hotel's direct site.

Check out www.hotels-in-paris.com, click on an area of Paris on the map (many prefer near the islands) in the 4th, 5th, or 6th arrondissments rather than Rue Cler hotels full of American tourists. We liked Grand Hotel des Balcones in the 5th near the river and in the heart of central Paris, a block from St. Germain Blvd. Be sure and contact the hotels directly on their websites rather than using a booking service. You'll get a better price and not be told they are booked up which sometimes happens when dealing with some vendor other than the hotel.

Thank you for all the recommendations and feedback! I sequestered the vacationers yesterday (with the help of wine)and we really liked Hotel Des Deux Iles on the Siene. Can't wait for my first trip to europe :-)

Julie, GREAT choice! Ile St. Louis is my absolute favorite neighborhood in Paris to stay. You're gonna love it!