Three Hotels that Have Room to Move
I remember my first trip to Paris as having two concrete events: my falling helplessly in love with the city and my first introduction to European hotel rooms. The first one is easily understood; Paris had the beauty, art, people, architecture and way of life that I had been wanting and hoping to one day encounter. The second came as quite a surprise. I was accustomed to American hotels; they often are not decorated as elegantly as one would like, but we forgive the mass-produced bedspreads for the simple luxuries that come with them. These luxuries, after my first stay in Paris, I learned to never again take for granted. I walked into that first hotel room and rattled off a list of questions, to no one in particular, “Where is the bathroom? I have to shower down the hall? The shower head isn’t connected? That is my bed?!” and so on and so forth until I realized that my dreams of a bubblebath and a king-size mattress in Paris were not going to happen. Lesson learned: hotel rooms here are much smaller than they are back home.
When I found out my parents were coming to visit recently, I did massive amounts of research as to which hotels had bigger rooms than I had stayed in so as to try and diffuse the initial culture shock. I found that with a little research, it is indeed possible to find a place big enough to lounge around in while on vacation. I was actually able to find many hotels that have comfortable, spacious rooms.
The first hotel was far beyond the means of my own budget, but it seems quite lovely and perhaps it is not outside of yours. It is the Hilton Paris Arc de Triomphe. It is equipped with all the amenities of a luxury hotel, including: a ballroom, a fitness center, babysitting service, high speed internet, a restaurant with international cuisine, and a currency exchange. It also has its own spa- the Carita and Decleor Spa- which offers a number of premium pampering services. All of the rooms are beautifully decorated in a style reminiscent of the 1930s. Some of the rooms even have balconies that give great views of the Eiffel Tower. It is conveniently located right near the Arc de Triomphe and the Champs Elysees- two must- see destinations for tourists. Also nearby is the Parc Monceau, another great place to visit in Paris. This location is close to a Metro stop, putting all of Paris within easy reach. Rooms start around 380 Euro/ night and go up to around 1970 Euro/night for the Presidential Suite. Check the web site for special promotions, special rates for long stays and prices during summer months.
Hilton Paris Arc de Triomphe (www.hilton.com)
51-57, rue de Courcelles
Paris, France 75008
Phone: +33 (0)1 58 36 67 06
Fax: +33 (0)1 58 36 67 77
Another beautiful hotel is called Le Walt. It is perfectly located right near the entrance of the Parc du Champ de Mars, making it only steps away from the Eiffel Tower. Also located nearby is the famous Rue Cler market which has everything your pallete might desire- from wine shops to bakeries and cheese stands to creperies.The market is a wonderful place to take a stroll. The popular tourist destination, Invalides, is also nearby, as are plenty of fabulous shops and shopping districts. Located right near the Ecole Militaire Metro station, Le Walt is in a perfect spot. Its rooms are decorated beautifully and do a magnificent job of blending old France with the new. Here, you will find sophistication in decorating, using primarily neutral colors, as well as local artists’ works hanging in each room. There also are ultra-modern bathrooms that would have really impressed me on my first trip to Paris. Rooms come with high speed internet, room service, satellite television, dvd/cd players and the hotel has a bar and fax machine. Double rooms cost around 270 Euro/night and Single Occupancy rooms are about 250 Euro/night. The hotel goes through a number of discount web sites and different rates seem to be available, depending on what site you use. Try entering the hotel into a search engine and trying a couple of different links that might come up. Here, I have listed one to get you started:
Le Walt (www.heart-of-paris-hotels.com/walt.htm#)
37, rue de la Motte Picquet
Paris, France 75007
Phone: +33 (0)1 45 51 55 83
Fax: +33 (0)1 47 05 77 59
email: le-walt@heart-of-paris-hotels.com with questions or for rates and room reservations
Finally, my search came across a hotel that is accessible to people on a tighter budget. It is called the Hotel Le Bouquet de Montmartre. It is perhaps not as elegant as the two previously listed, but the prices are not too bad for the location. It is in Montmartre, one of the most popular neighborhoods in Paris. It is here that the old famous painters of Paris used to live (before it became a more expensive neighborhood) and where they would visit the cafes and paint the picturesque surroundings. Today, Montmartre still offers tourists some great views and a lot to do. Sacre-Couer, one of the great churches in Paris, sits at the top of Montmartre and is a very beautiful place to visit and definitely a must-see for travelers. Place du Tertre is also located in Montmartre, right near Sacre-Couer, and here you can find many artists of today looking to paint or draw people walking by, as well as numerous art stands holding completed works. There are a number of little restaurants and cafes in the area and anyone staying in Montmartre would have pletny to keep them busy. Also nearby is the famous Moulin Rouge where you can go to see a show or to simply take a picture of the red wind mill. The rooms at the Hotel Le Bouquet de Montmartre are quite spacious. They are decorated in a very ‘Old French’ way with lots of patterns throughout all of the rooms. They are equipped with direct-dial telephones. They may not have all of the amenities of a four star hotel, but rooms start at only 62 Euro/night for a Single, 65 Euro/night for a Double, 81Euro/night for a Triple and 85 Euro/night for a Quad.
Hotel Le Bouquet de Montmartre
1 rue de Durantin
Paris, France 75018
Phone: +33 (0)1 46 06 87 54
Fax: +33 (0)1 46 06 09 09
These three hotels offer visitors prime locations with plenty to keep you busy during your trip. Good luck in your hotel search and enjoy your time in fabulous Paris- you will never want to leave!
