Hotel hopping in Paris: 3 suggestions for cheap, moderate and luxury budget.
My honest recommendations on where to stay in Paris and a few restaurant tips as well for my kind members. #76
February is the proper start of the year for me. A few personal events in January required my attention and focus so other areas had to take a back seat. But I’m back with a long and valuable post all about Paris.
It’s interesting to see that now that this is behind me, I have more free brainspace to progress areas such as this newsletter, our search for a holiday home in France, supporting Mademoiselle in her exploration of universities or planning our holidays.
The holiday home is still at a standstill. There are hardly any properties coming on the market at the moment. Spring will hopefully be better. Wish us luck!
It’s very weird to think that Mademoiselle could be at Uni in 18 months time if she doesn’t take a gap year. In the UK you have to start the research process now as applications ideally have to go in before Christmas. I am unfamiliar with unis here so this is a learning experience ad much for me as for her.
Because she is revising for her A level, we won’t be able to do a lot of trips this year but have a few days’break planned for February half term and we’re going back to our favourite hotel in the UK. I’ll likely send you a photo gallery post when we’re there and feel free to ask me any questions in the chat or in comments.
I’ll also soon share our plans for the rest of the year, maybe they’ll inspire you.
In the meantime, here is a trip back memory lane to just before Christmas when I spent a week in Paris and stayed in three different hotels at different price levels. Hope it’s useful.
Where to stay in Paris: three hotels I tried in December from 105 euros to 390 euros a night.
I was in Paris for a whole week back in December for a training and then some work meetings. In between, Mr Big and Mademoiselle came to spend the weekend. Here are the three hotels where I stayed and what I think of them.
The moderate option: Hotel Arvor, 9th arrondissement
From 117 euros.
I may have mentioned Hotel Arvor before. It’s usually my base when I come to Paris on my own. It’s well located as I can walk there from Gare du Nord in 20 minutes, can get to my company headquarters near the Champs Elysées in 20 minutes as well by tube and can go to many central meeting points with friends in Le Marais or near Opera. It’s also only a 3 minutes walk to the nearest tube which can take me to many other parts of Paris.
Rooms are simple but well equipped and some even have a view of the Eiffel tower! I always ask for a top floor room with a view on the street as then you get that vista of the Paris rooftops and generally a sense of more space.
The hotel is in a curved street which is very quiet, yet you can walk up to the buzzy Pigalle area or to the rue des Martyrs with all its food shops.
The welcome is always very friendly and warm and the lounge and breakfast area is cozy. Breakfast is also very good with a home made cake, freshly made fruit salad, ham and cheese and pastry.
It’s worth keeping an eye on the website as out of season, you can get a good deal. The hotel is 4 stars but my room was 105 euros a night!
The luxury option: Hotel Dame des Arts, 6th arrondissement
From 350 euros.
For the weekend with Mr Big and Mademoiselle, I chose this new boutique hotel in the Quartier Latin.
Hotel Dame des Arts is very well located in the 6th arrondissement
Location: 5/5
The hotel is really well located as just outside of the Saint-Michel metro station which is direct from Gare du Nord on line 4 or the RER. There are various exits for the tube station but the one nearest to the hotel is on Place Saint-André-des-Arts, which is a small square characteristic of Paris, quite typical. This is actually an area where I hung out a lot when I was a student.
You are therefore a stone's throw from the Seine, very close to the Latin Quarter of course and you can also explore rue Saint-André-des-Arts where there are lots of restaurants for all budgets.
Likewise, you can go very quickly to the Bon Marché, Saint-Germain-des-Prés, the Café de Flore, etc. All these famous names
A true boutique hotel in style and spirit with a fab rooftop
First impressions 4/5
Arrival at the hotel is very pleasant. As soon as you enter the hotel, you are greeted by the famous and delicious smell of the Diptyque fig candles. There are sofas to sit in by the reception and you get a view of the warm living room, which also serves as a breakfast room. It’s also the restaurant at lunch and diner.
The staff was young and pretty but professional and friendly and they show you around, pointing the sauna and gym in the basement. You can also get treatments if you wish.
But the real treat is the rooftpop terrace. There is a fantastic view of all the Paris monuments from it and of the Paris rooftops. Even in the winter, it was very pleasant and a good end to each of our day. At the time of our stay, the rooftop had a winter vibe with christmas tree and fake snows but you could easily imagine how lovely it would be to have a drink there on long summer nights.
Bedrooms are stylish, but typically small and lacking a bit in practicality
Bedrooms 3/5
The hotel very clearly indicates the size of the room on their website: 12, 15, 19 square meters etc.. so you know what to expect. However, it’s always a surprise when you get into a small bedroom and there are two of rooms plus your luggage. Be sure to check the size of the bed before booking. We were promised a king or queen bed, but ended up with a double bed. However, the staff was quick to accommodate us and we were able to switch rooms.
We initially had rooms 415 and 416 next to each other, so Zoe could have her own room. But then we moved to a slightly larger room (although of the same category) at the other end of the corridor.
The room decor is nice, stylish and quite minimalist with warm touches of wood, beige, ocher, brown. The bathroom is also quite simple, since it's a single sink, toilet and shower. You get diptyique products as toiletries.
We did like the nice touch of a welcome gift of chocolates and a room scent spray that you can take home with you.
One thing I did notice was the lack of practicality in the rooms. There wasn't much space for clothes and there were no hooks on the walls for coats or towels in the bathroom. So for a long stay, you probably would have to ask for a bigger - and therefore more expensive - room.
But you're in Paris to explore and enjoy the city of lights, right? So maybe that doesn’t matter.
Note: If you want a space to relax though, I highly recommend le Saint James. It’s not as convenient in terms of location but is beautiful and definitely has space with a garden, a swimming pool, a vast dining room and a bar etc.. More expensive too, so keep it for a special occasion.
Attention to detail in the sourcing of products for breakfast
Food 4/5
The breakfast was served in a beautiful restaurant with a cozy and velvety atmosphere. There's even a lovely outdoor area for warmer days. You have the option of a continental buffet, a simple breakfast with hot drinks and pastries, or cooked dishes.
The quality of the food was top-notch. The bread and pastries were from a local bakery, the jams were homemade, and the fruits were in season. It's little things like this that make a big difference in my opinion. They even list their suppliers, so you know you're getting the best of the best.
We didn’t get to test the restaurant which offers a menu of fusion food with flavours from France, Japan and Mexico!
Hotel Dame des Arts - my verdict
4/5
Overall, we had a pleasant stay at this hotel. The location was great, the staff was friendly and accommodating, and the breakfast was delicious. There is a true sense of boutique hotel, which is not easy to find in big cities and the rooftop would be a real treat in the summer months. The only downside was the lack of practicality in the rooms, but that's a small price to pay for everything else this hotel has to offer. We will be back.
The cheaper option: Hotel Ami, 15th arrondissement
From 107 euros
I was planning to stay at friends’ on the Sunday night but I had so much work to do that I decided at the last minute to stay at Hotel Ami.
The 15th arrondissement is where I used to live and it was close to where my business event would be the day after so it was an easy choice.
The hotel is a short walk from the Vaugirard tube station which then takes you easily to Gare Montparnasse from instance and from there to Gare du Nord.
The hotel was pretty straight forward, the room, clean and quiet but it had a few niggles with the stool and the bedrspead missing. Overall it was really small. As you can see I couldn’t really move much between the desk and the bed.
I didn’t try the breakfast but saw the room where it is as it’s right by the reception. Seemed a bit soulless. However the staff was really lovely.
But for one night it was fine and at the last minute, I only paid 95 euros, not bad for a clean, safe and conveniently located hotel.
Where to eat in Paris - 5 restaurants I liked (and one I didn’t)
Over the course of a week, I met several of my friends for diner. From a hip restaurant in the 10th arrondissement to a casual but delicious “crêperie”, with of course a traditional bistro, a stylish St Germain restaurant and a poncy fish classic restaurant, read below for what I really enjoyed and where I wouldn’t return 😉
Plus my favourite place to buy chocolate and a new small boutique specialising in madeleines.
This is reserved to members - you can join us for just one month or for a year and get access to full archives and a map of all destinations.
I always aim to provide free information though and there is a list of friends’recommendations from a few years back that you can read on the blog too.