Hotels in Bastille - Republique, France

The good: Located right by several Metro stops, very convenient to reach anywhere in the city. The room was a nice size, the bed was pretty comfortable. Furnishings were in great shape. The staff was friendly and helpful. They knew to answer in English when I called and there was always someone there who spoke English well. There was a beautiful courtyard that is probably gorgeous in the Spring and Summer (I was there at the end of Winter.) Free safe in the room, easy to operate. Lots of restaurants and cafes nearby, even three grocery stores, all at reasonable prices. Neighborhood was safer than most, not as touristy. Refrigerator and microwave. The bad: The room was always cold, I could only turn the thermostat up so far and then it wouldn't go anymore. The blankets provided helped when I was in bed, but one does eventually have to get out of bed. The beautiful courtyard has cobblestones and luggage rolling over it makes an awful racket. The windows don't keep out much sound, so the noise of people outside talking comes right into the room. Not so bad in the Winter, but I can see that being a problem in warmer weather. The housekeeper left wine and old cheese from a previous inhabitant in the tiny fridge, I had to ask to have it removed after two days and realizing that it wasn't part of the mini-bar. No dishes, pots, pans, etc for "kitchenette." Plan to only get small amounts of food to nuke. Who wants to cook on vacation anyway, right? They don't provide face/wash cloths. If you use these to wash your face or body, you'd better bring your own. "Assisting with planning excursions" service they advertise is limited to showing you how to get somewhere by metro on free maps provided by Printemps, a local department store. These maps are difficult to follow and the staff kept showing me round-about ways to get to where I needed to go. Better to get a pocket map from the Metro station and plan for yourself. The Metro is very easy to learn. Overall: I was happy there, especially since I really just wanted a safe place to leave my stuff and sleep at night. I would definitely stay there again and felt I got my money's worth.

This hotel is a great buy. The staff is the nicest I ever experienced in Paris as good or better than even the really expensive hotels. The neighborhood is very convenient, just a few blocks from La Nation metro. And it has a cool funky Jewish vibe with great neighborhood restaurants, cafes, and bakeries.