Can you recommend a hotel in Paris in the 100.00 price range which is close to the main attractions?
May 31, 2010 by Paris Vacations
Filed under Paris Hotels
Will be my first time in Paris. Would like to pay around 100 per night, but could go a little higher. Would love to stay in a boutique style hotel with some charm that is close to the main attractions. Thanks! Also, any recommended restraunts, clubs, etc.
If you mean 100 DOLLARS then I suggest the Hotel St. Andre des Artes at 66 rue St. Andre des Artes.
If you mean 100 EUROS then I suggest the Grand Hôtel des Balcons at 8, rue Casimir Delavigne 75006
If you mean 100 British POUNDS then the Hotel Left Bank Saint Germain at 9, rue de l’Ancienne Comédie in the 6th arr. is what you are looking for.
Frankly, I think all these places are charming. They are small and in the case of the Hotel St. Andre, very simple but they all have lots of character, friendly staff and excellant location.
As to restaurants, I’m going to assume that you’re not carrying sacks of money and want to keep expenses down. No problem however. There are a vast number of places you can get a delightful meal at reasonable prices.
In France, restaurants are required by law to post their menu in the window. While I’ll give you some places I like you might consider just strolling around until you see something that appeals to your palate and suits your pocketbook. Then you can come back and tell the rest of us about YOUR discoveries.
By the way, what English speakers call a menu the French call "La Carte" and what we would refer to as a prix fix or set price meal they refer to as a "Menu" or "Formula". I use menu in the French sense in the following.
Anyway, places I like include:
Auberge Le Pot de Terre at 22 Rue du Pot de Fer in the 5th. A reliable cheap eats. Website tells it all: http://www.lepotdeterre.com/
Le Divin at 41, rue Sainte Croix de la Bretonnerie in the 4th. Top notch food and moderate prices. Like a lot of places in Paris the space is very tight and you’ll be cheek to jowl with fellow diners. Mayhap I should also mention that most of your fellow diners will be gay. No problem really, my lady and I were treated very nicely.but it might make some people uncomfortable.
La Brouette at 39-41 Rue Descartes in the 5th has an all you can eat Fondue Bourguinonne for 20.90 Euros. The haunt of many a starving student from the various schools in the Latin Quarter.
Restaurant Paul & Marcy Crêperie at 66, rue Mouffetard. This area around Place Monge has a lot of places, mainly frequented by students. Good prices and generally pleasant people. This is a particularly nice place. here’s their webpage:http://www.chez.com/egnilp/
Finally, what can only be described as a "quilty pleasure." Every Parisian I know regards this place as utterly horrid and wouldn’t be caught dead in it. It is the Chuck E. Cheese of Paris…Nos Ancetres les Gauls at 39 rue Saint-Louis-en-l’Île in the Ile St. Louis. The gimmick here is that, aside from your main course, its all you can eat PLUS all you can drink. The Staff dress up like Celtic Warriors and Maidens and troubadours wander around singing what they claim are fokloric tunes. I am thoroughly ashamed to admit that I love the place. Or maybe I can recall it only thru an alcoholic haze.
Here is their website: http://www.nosancetreslesgaulois.com/FR/
As to clubs, there certainly are a lot of them and what you will like depends on your tastes. Me, I’m a jazz fan so I suggest:
Le Petit Journal is a classic jazz joint. It has two locations but I favor the one in the Latin Quarter at 71, boulevard Saint-Michel. The program varies and you should consult there website. Their food is, to be honest, medioce at best, so its a place to go after dinner for some drinks.
Aux Trois Mailletz at 56 rue Galande in the 5th arr. is where I usually hang out. Its got a big deal nightclub going in the basement but the ground floor is a pleasant bar and eatery with a pinao player and various singers (one of whom is sometimes me). Like many places in Paris its open until dawn.
New Morning is another fabulous Jazz club at 7-9, rue des Petites Ecuries. Performers like Ella Figtzgerald and Chick Corea have played this place. Their website is here: http://www.newmorning.com/fr/accueil.asp...
But okay, maybe that’s not what you want and we aim to please so how about:
The Rex Club at 5, bd Poissonniere in the 9th arr. Techno & hard house. Here’s their website: http://www.rexclub.com/rex.html...
La Scala at 188 bis rue de Rivoli in the 1st is gigantic. Its website states their music is "Funky to Happy Dance, from Deep House to R&B and New Jack" Check it out yourself: http://www.lascalaparis.com/lascala-engl...
The Lizard Lounge at 18 rue du Bourg-Tibourg in the 4th. A DJ in the basement spins records until the sun comes up.
Other names that come to mind are Regines, Man Ray, the Buddha Bar and the Hard Rock Cafe Paris.