Paris_ City Guide (Lonely Planet, 7th Edition) - Lonely Planet [252]
Any, err, particularly odd requests? Well, yes, the usual things. But there’s always a way to refuse a request nicely. The key is discretion. A hotelier must above all be discreet. But it’s become more and more difficult finding such people.
OK, the question we’ve all been wanting to ask: what’s the shelf life for sheets and bedspreads? For sheets, 1½ to two years. For bedspreads, four to five years.
If there were no room at the inns Familia or Minerve, where would you stay? Probably the (four-star) Hôtel de l’Abbaye Saint Germain (opposite). I find some of the great five-star hotels overly serviced; they actually try to give too much. I prefer the feel of a local hotel.
On my perfect day, find me… Poking through old books and antiques at the Marché aux Puces d’Aligre or attending one of the auctions at the Hôtel Drouot. I don’t go just to collect for the hotels but for my own pleasure as well.
Interviewed by Steve Fallon
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HÔTEL DES 2 CONTINENTS Map Hotel €€
01 43 26 72 46; www.hoteldes2continents.com; 25 rue Jacob, 6e; s €125-152, d €145-167, tw €145-185, tr €175-215; St-Germain des Prés; Filles du Calvaire;
The ‘Two Continents Hotel’ – the name pays homage to the Treaty of Paris having been signed at the nearby Hôtel d’Angleterre – is a very pleasant establishment with 41 spacious rooms in a quiet street. The mural in the beamed breakfast room, viewed through parted drapes, is an early morning eye-opener. About half of the rooms are air-conditioned.
HÔTEL LE CLÉMENT Map Hotel €€
01 43 26 53 60; www.clement-moliere-paris-hotel.com; 6 rue Clément, 6e; s & d €130-140, tr €155; St-Germain des Prés; Filles du Calvaire;
Excellent value for the style and tranquillity it offers, the Clément has 28 stylish rooms, some of which overlook the Marché St-Germain (eg room 100). Note though that the rooms at the very top floor have sloping ceilings. The people who run the hotel clearly know what they’re doing; it’s been in the same family for over a century.
MAYET HÔTEL Map Boutique Hotel €€
01 47 83 21 35; www.mayet.com; 3 rue Mayet, 6e; s €95-120, d €120-140, tr €160; Duroc;
Light-hearted and loads of fun, this 23-room boutique hotel with drippy murals and a penchant for oversized clocks and primary colours, has good sized rooms and bathrooms, most with tubs. It offers excellent value and free breakfast too.
HÔTEL DU LYS Map Hotel €€
01 43 26 97 57; www.hoteldulys.com; 23 rue Serpente, 6e; s/d/tr €100/120/140; Odéon
Located in a 17th-century hôtel particulier, this 22-room midrange hotel has been in the same family for six decades. We love the beamed ceiling and the chinoiserie wallpaper in the lobby; rooms to go for include the blue-toned room 13 with its striped ceiling and two windows, or the darker (but more atmospheric) room 14 in terracotta and with rustic old furniture.
WELCOME HÔTEL Map Hotel €€
01 46 34 24 80; www.welcomehotel-paris.com; 66 rue de Seine, 6e; s €76-97, d €105-115, tw €115-130; Mabillon;
The name says it all at this unpretentious 30-room hotel in the heart of St-Germain. OK, rooms are not overly endowed in square metres and some of the ones at the uppermost levels have sloping roofs, but the price is right and the location couldn’t be better.
HÔTEL DU GLOBE Map Boutique Hotel €€
01 43 26 35 50; www.hotel-du-globe.fr; 15 rue des Quatre Vents, 6e; s €95-140, d €115-150, ste €180; Odéon;
This eclectic caravanserai has 14 small but nicely decorated rooms just south of the blvd St-Germain. Some of the rooms are verging on the miniscule, and there is no lift (but four floors to ascend via a very narrow staircase). Still, we’re suckers for armour – there are at least two full sets here – and canopy beds (go for room 43).
HÔTEL DU DRAGON Map Hotel €€
01 45 48 51 05; www.hoteldudragon.com; 36 rue du Dragon, 6e; s/d €95/115; S-Germain des Pres or St-Sulpice;
There’s no lift at this five-storey hotel, just a