Paris Hotel Tips by Kiriel

Hotel de la Paix Tour Eiffel: A handy hidden hotel Hotel de la Paix Tour Eiffel Review

I was very happy with this hotel, having stayed in a few different ones over my time in Paris.

Unique Qualities: The hotel is super close to the eiffel tower, and at 65 euro a night is excellent value. The hotel was definitely as good as the 3.5 star place I stayed in the night before. The beds are firm (an absolute must). The staff were both polite and helpful - one even took me for a drive around Paris after he finished work, to show me the sights!

There is no air conditioning or fancy overheads, but it is a pleasant and clean place to stay. They do have a machine in the foyer with items such as combs, toothbrushes etc for sale. The double rooms are by no means huge in size, but then, so far my experience in Paris is that none are! The single rooms are truly tiny, so I would recommend lashing out on a double even if you are alone.

There is a narrow staircase, but also a small elevator. Breakfast is typical; bread and jams, tea and coffee.

There is a cybercafe around the corner, some very good restaurants too, and a late night shop as well. Location gets a definite 10 out of 10; you can't get much closer to the Eiffel than this! The street is quite quiet which is also a big plus over many of the other hotels in Paris.

Address: 19, rue du Gros Caillou, Paris, Île-de-France 75

Comparison: less expensive than average

Directions: Catch the train to station "Ecole Militaire" it is less than 5 minutes walk from there.

Do be warned that It can be a little difficult to find the place if you don' t have a proper map because the little free tourist maps dont show rue de Gros Caillou.

Other Contact: fax: +33 1 45 55 93 28

Phone: +33 1 45 55 50 04

Price: US$80-120

Theme: Hotel

High Tech Calais Montmartre: A bit disappointing but quite decent Husa Calais Montmartre Review

I moved into this hotel because I wanted to upgrade from the cheap hotel in which I was staying, to one with a less saggy bed, and with air conditioning. The other major drawcard for me was the lure of a bath; something that was vital to my recovery from a long hard day walking the streets of Paris. I was partly disappointed.

Unique Qualities: The air when I walked in the door to the hotel was icy cool and refreshing. The days were getting up to 30 and I was SO pleased I had lashed out on a room with airconditioning. When I got to the room I discovered that the much desired bath was not there. I requested a change, which they were very helpful about doing, although sadly it moved me on to the smoking floor. (though I must say that the old room smelt of cabbages!)

The rooms are well appointed, with simple and stylish furniture, and good firm beds. The bathrooms are decent, though the paint is just starting to peel (I think they were ripped off by the painter when they refurbished the hotel in 2002).

The bath was absolutely tiny. I couldn't straighten my legs however a soak is a soak, however cramped so I could forgive that. Oddly the bath itself was bigger, but it had been designed in such a way that the inner bath was much smaller... so they didn't save any space, but made it much less comfortable to sit in.

The big minus was that the airconditioning didn't work and my room stayed at a consistent 29 degrees (thats umm 84F) all night.

I felt that I had paid 100 euro for a room not much better than the one I had been in the night before for 65.

There is supposed to be free internet access, but the mouse was broken, and the keyboard not even a french one, with some whacky placement of letters which made typing anything a pain in the butt.

Address: 65 Rue Blanche, Paris 75009

Comparison: about average

Directions: Just down from the Moulin Rouge

Price: US$120-180

Theme: Hotel