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.

I went to Paris for a week with my grandmother, mother, and aunt. I was a bit apprehensive because all four of us were going to share a room. I'd been to Paris several times before and the rooms are usually quite small. That was not the case with this hotel. The room was what you would expect for a room in the U.S. and we had plenty of space for four bags and four people. The staff was very friendly. Most, if not all, of them spoke English and were helpful in getting cabs and providing directions. The hotel was generally clean and had a pretty garden. The location of the hotel is excellent. It was relatively close to the Bastille and a number of major attractions such as the Georges Pompideu Center and Notre Dame. The nearby McDonalds offers free wi-fi so you don't have to pay at the hotel. There are a plethora of grocery stores and restaurants nearby. I felt safe walking around the area at night. We avoided the hotel restaurant simply because of the high prices, but that is really the only negative comment I have. The hotel is literally less than a block away from a Metro stop. I very rarely write reviews of hotels but I believe this one was well worth the money!