Paris Hotels residence Henri or Muguet or champ de mars?

Jennifer,
My wife and stayed at Muguet Oct.30,31 of 2011. We stayed there because Champ de Mars was full. We had stayed at Champ de mars on our previous Oct visit and loved it. Now Muguet is her new favorite and I will have a hard time getting her to go back to Champ de Mars. You will pay a higher price at Muguet but you will have ac which might be nice at the end of May. Check out reviews on Tripadvisor. If you are looking at a certain price range you might consider Hotel Familia in the Latin Quarter. They have ac also. Muguet will have bigger rooms.

Jennifer the reason you don't hear alot about some great hotels here is the fact that some posters here are very Rick Steves centric,, they will only use RS recommended hotels, eat at RS recommended restaurants, and do RS recommended sightseeing. Rick STeves has lots of great points,, but he presents only a small amount of what is available to do and see, and ignores many great areas in Paris(for instance) , not because he thinks they are unworthy, but because he likes to specialize ,, you can't cover everything well, so he chooses to cover a few areas well instead of trying to cover the whole of Paris poorly. Personally I do not like to stay in the 7th. I prefer the 4, 5, or 6th, but have stayed in the 8th, 1, and 14th also.

A friend and I stayed at the Muguet last March. While the hotel it well located we found our rooms and particularly the bathrooms very small. Her bath was the size of an airplane toilet with additional space added for the shower. The staff was efficient but curt. We did not eat breakfast but chose a nearby RS recommendation for a nice full breakfast. I know our rooms may not be representative of a triple but I think
you could find something more suitable.

Check out the Hotel Eugenie, I have stayed there and loved the location, and although I stayed in a twin, I did take a look at a triple room and it seemed decent to me,, the single bed wasn't butteded right up against the double bed, which in alot of triples is what they do, it was off a bit sort of in its own little aclove. Hotel rooms in Paris are going to be smaller then what we are used to in North America,, so just expect that.

You really don't need A/C in May (probably). I've only stayed in the 7th and booked off recommendations from TripAdvisor. I've never felt that they have not been pretty good and giving a fair evaluation. I'm not familiar with grande ecoles. My only suggestion is to see how far it is from your metro stop. Dragging your luggage 15 minutes will seem like an hour so consider that when you book. The nice part about the 7th is it is close to the Eiffel Tower and the French Army Museum/Napoleon's Tomb/Rodin. It has very easy metro or bus connections to everywhere. The Latin Quarter is nice but rooms (from what I've read and heard) are smaller and they are pretty small in the 7th. It does put you close to Notre Dame and Sainte Chapel but I've not had problems getting to that area from the 7th. I do like the pedestrian, quiet feel of Rue Cler but everyone that has been to Paris has their favorite areas. You can save money on your hotel being on the fringe areas but you'll spend a lot of time on the metro getting into town. Look at it and decide how much your time is worth.

I would choose Hotel des Grande Ecoles in the 7th. It has a beautiful setting and is near the Luxembourg Gardens which will be nice for your child.

Agree with Grier-hard to go wrong with Hotel des Grandes Ecoles. Location is excellent and the garden terrace is a wonderful asset to this hotel. We have stayed there four times and hope to again this spring. We were there at the end of May one year and AC was not necessary-they do provide fans. The staff is very accommodating and you will be made to feel welcome and that is not the case at hotel Champs du Mars-the owners there are snide and unhelpful-would never stay there again.

I agree with some of the posters re: Luxembourg Gardens area. My wife and I stayed at the Grande Hotel des Balcons near the Odeon Theatre, within two blocks of Luxembourg Gardens, the Pantheon, and a nice walk to Notre Dame. Good metro and bus stops all around, and with a combo pass, you can get to any of the sights very quickly. Hotel was 110 Euros for a double, offered a hot buffet breakfast (for extra), clean rooms, and professional, friendly staff. Quiet street, and you will not need a/c in late May (we were there 2nd week in June and it was quite pleasent).

I would not take a kid to Hotel Champ du Mars. IMHO the owners are in the wrong business and I am sure if your kid did ANYTHING they didn't like a hissy fit would be thrown. (I got a "hissy fit" because I dared to sit on the chairs in the lobby. My mother got one because she didn't close the door all the way. Yes, she should have but she didn't realize it hadn't clasped and had he asked her nicely it would have been one thing, but instead he acted like a two year old whose favorite toy was taken away...) Gave the place 2 chances and won't be back!