Paris_ City Guide (Lonely Planet, 7th Edition) - Lonely Planet [247]
HÔTEL ST-LOUIS Map Hotel €€€
01 46 34 04 80; www.hotel-saint-louis.com; 75 rue St-Louis en l’Île, 4e; r €140-155, ste €220; Pont Marie; Filles du Calvaire;
One of several hotels lining posh rue St-Louis en l’Île, this hotel has 19 appealing but unspectacular rooms, though the public areas are lovely. The breakfast room in the basement dates from the early 17th century.
HÔTEL HENRI IV Map Hotel €
01 43 54 44 53; 25 place Dauphine, 1er; s & d €52-76, tr €76; Pont Neuf or Cité;
This decrepit place, with 15 worn rooms, is popular for its location, location and – above all else – location on the tip of the Île de la Cité. It would be impossible to find a hotel more romantically located at such a price in all of Paris – much less the Île de la Cité. While it’s not the most salubrious of establishments, in its favour the rooms, all of which have showers, are large and the views over the square are wonderful. Book well in advance.
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LATIN QUARTER & JARDIN DES PLANTES
There are dozens of attractive two- and three-star hotels in the Latin Quarter, including a cluster near the Sorbonne and another group along the lively rue des Écoles. Midrange hotels in the Latin Quarter are very popular with visiting academics, so rooms are hardest to find when conferences and seminars are scheduled (usually from March to June and in October). In general this area offers better value among top-end hotels than the better-heeled neighbouring 6e does. The Luxembourg and Port Royal RER stations are linked to both airports by RER and Orlyval.
The northern section of the 5e close to the Seine has been popular with students and young people since the Middle Ages. While truly budget places to stay are at a premium these days, there’s at least a popular and well-maintained hostel to choose from.
HÔTEL HENRI IV RIVE GAUCHE Map Hotel €€€
01 46 33 20 20; www.henri-paris-hotel.com; 9-11 rue St-Jacques, 5e; s/d/tr €157/175/198; St-Michel Notre Dame or Cluny La Sorbonne;
This three-star hotel with 23 rooms awash with antiques, old prints and fresh flowers is an oasis in the Latin Quarter just steps from Notre Dame and the Seine. It’s part of the same group as the Hôtel de Lutèce (left) on the Île de St-Louis and exudes ‘country chic’; the lobby with its 18th-century fireplace, terracotta tiles and portraits could almost be in a manor house in Normandy. Front rooms have stunning views of the Église St-Séverin and its buttresses.
HÔTEL DE NOTRE DAME MAÎTRE ALBERT Map Hotel €€€
01 43 26 79 00; www.hotel-paris-notredame.com; 19 rue Maître Albert, 5e; s/d €155/165; Maubert Mutualité;
Hidden down a quiet side street of the Latin Quarter but just paces from the Seine, this hotel boasts some lovely public areas (we adore the tapestry in the lobby and the oriental carpets). However but the 34 rooms, most of which look out to rooftops and give off long narrow corridors, are less impressive. Still, room 27 is a decent size and very quiet.
SELECT HÔTEL Map Boutique Hotel €€€
01 46 34 14 80; www.selecthotel.fr; 1 place de la Sorbonne, 5e; d €139-175, tw €155-175, tr €179-189, ste €212; Cluny La Sorbonne; Filles du Calvaire;
Smack dab in the heart of the studenty Sorbonne area, the Select is a very Parisian Art Deco mini-palace, with an atrium and cactus-strewn winter garden, an 18th-century vaulted breakfast room and 67 stylish bedrooms. The rooms are not always as large as you’d hope for, but the design solutions are ingenious, making great use of a minimum of space. The 1920s-style cocktail bar with an attached ‘library’ just off the lobby is a delight.
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top picks
HOTELS WITH A GARDEN
Hôtel des Grandes Écoles (below)
Hôtel des Marronniers
Hôtel de Varenne
Hôtel Eldorado
Hôtel de Nesle
Hôtel Relais Christine