Clueless

My husband and I are planning a long weekend in February.

It will be our first time in Paris and we are not sure what area to stay in. Obviously we don%26#39;t have enough time to see everything and don%26#39;t feel we should kill ourselves trying to. We just want to have a fun, romantic weekend. I%26#39;d like some opinions on the best area or arondissment to stay in. I love public transportation (work in New York city) so it%26#39;s not a problem to take the Metro to the sights, but I%26#39;d like to stay in area that has a cool vibe to it, but still in the midst of things.

If you have any recommendations for hotels (I%26#39;ve looked at the San Regis, Raphael, Bel Ami and Intercontinental Le Grand but I am very confused), I would appreciate that too.

Thanks for your help.

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Your best bet would be to stay in 1st, 2nd or 8th district. From there you%26#39;ll be able to walk everywhere except Montmartre. And even there you%26#39;d be able to walk, but you%26#39;ve mentioned a %26quot;long weekend%26quot;.

What%26#39;s your hotel budget?

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Thank you. Yesterday I had a budget of 300 Euro, but that went up a little (yeah!) 450 Euro. I have looked at the Ritz, San Regis Napoleon so far.

I%26#39;m very confused!

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Honestly, if I had a 450€ budget, I would avoid some of those bigger, fancier 4-star hotels, as they tend to have a lot of really little, awkward rooms with a less-than-fabulous view of their courtyard for that price. The nice rooms with a view go for much bigger bucks.

With that in mind, I would pick a smaller hotel that%26#39;s got charm and the services you desire, and use the money to get the best room in the house. *** (Although Le Grand does have Deluxe Opera View Rooms for 443€ per night for the weekend after Valentines Day, and IMO, the hotel%26#39;s not worth staying at unless you have a view of the Opera, although they do have a really nice breakfast.) ***

Just try to avoid rooms in those hotels that use words like classic, standard, etc. Not worth the money, IMHO, but those are the rooms in your budget.

ON THE OTHER HAND....take for instance...the Hotel d%26#39;Aubusson (http://www.hoteldaubusson.com), an amazing little hotel in the 6th that has charm, character, incredible reviews (#7 on TA out of 1600 hotels reviewed) tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g187147-d194308… and right now they%26#39;re running a special for the winter for the best room in the house for 395€ per night for their romance package that INCLUDES transfers to/from CDG and all kinds of other little perks. I just checked their website and they have that super-deluxe-ultra-chic- most-expensive room available on several dates in February.

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Thank you, I appreciate your post with good suggestions. I will certainly take a look at the Aubusson a little closer, although my husband is favoring the Hotel Ritz.

Thanks again.

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I would recommend %26quot;Le Hotel.%26quot; It is in the 6th, in one of the coolest neighborhoods in the city, with great people watching, and lots to do at night. It is a stone%26#39;s throw from Cafe Deux Magots.

This truly is a special and interesting little hotel which is frequented by guests like DeNiro, the Rolling Stones and others. If you do a little reading in the guide books you will see.

They have a few smaller rooms, which in February, could be had within your budget.

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The Ritz is rather old and tired these days but more importantly the neighborhood is rather dead at night. For luxury digs, I%26#39;d check out the Lancaster, the Georges V. For luxury in a fun neighborhood, I%26#39;d head for L%26#39;Hotel du Petit Moulin in the Marais that was recently reno-ed by Christian Lacroix.

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Hi

My wife and I went to Paris in April last year and we stayed at Timhotel Tour Eiffel. I have marked the location of the hotel on this interactive Google map http://gardkarlsen.com/paris_france_map.htm and the hotel is marked with yellow. We didn%26#39;t stay much at the hotel by the way...there is so much to see and do so we were out all day long. Hope the map helps a little. Click on the markers for more info :-) I have a trip report that I can share with you. Send me a mail on gardkarlsen@hotmail.com if you want me to send it to you :-)

Regards

Gard

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I would stay at the Bel Ami if I had to pick one.

Le Grand intercontinental would be my next choixe in your list.

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Thank you all. I had the feeling that the Ritz is a bore so I will check out the other recommendations.

Appreciate all your help.

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See about getting an apartment in the 15th. You%26#39;ll actually have to use your french. It%26#39;s not touristy and you get a real feel for life in France. And of course inside the périphérique you%26#39;re never too far from a metro stop. I used to like to take a few trains, get lost, and find my way back again. The bakery there at Convention and Francois Mouton was my favorite. If it%26#39;s nice and you go to the Jardin des Plantes (M° Censier-Daubenton) you owe it to your self to visit La Mosquée de Paris. It%26#39;s a tea room attached to a tradional hamman. Great place to rest with tea and some sweet things.

I am jealous. But in the good way. Have fun.