<p>Am now trying to decide whether to put us up in a modern hotel in the suburbs or stick with the older hotel two steps from the Louvre, which has been favorably reviewed by TripAdvisor travelers. Both are non-smoking.</p>
<p>There will be 4 of us–hubby & I and our 20 & 22 year old kids. Before we get to Paris, we will have spent 5 nights at a Holiday Inn Express, which is near a tube station but too centrally located in London. After Paris, we will go to two different rustic country inns. The last two hotels we stay in will be modern ones. I’m leaning toward just sticking with the original plan & staying in central Paris in the older hotel.</p>
<p>Both kids have been scouts & slept in many different types of places. Hubby & I stayed in B&Bs & old hotels the last time we were in Europe in 1995.</p>
<p>I vote for the older hotel in the city center. There is nothing like the excitement of being in the middle of things and Paris is a beautiful city.
Bonne chance et bon voyage!</p>
<p>Thanks for the affirmations. I think it will be good for us to have a mix of newer & older places. I did like being centrally located in Paris the last time we were there–ages ago. :)</p>
<p>I would definitely stay in the center of things.</p>
<p>There are some hotels in town which have modern interiors. Some of the good chains have a more modern feel as well. </p>
<p>I personally like the older hotels with lots of character when I’m staying in Paris.</p>
<p>A great resource for hotels in Paris is Hotels of Character and Charm in Paris, published by Hunter Rivages. It lists hotels by arrondissement (district) and price, has photos and web sites, plus reviews of each. It is usually the only source I use when I book hotels in Paris.</p>
<p>Lucky for us that the older hotel we are booked at has been recently renovated so it won’t be in the process during our stay. All this planning has helped me realize that time is moving on & I’d better get everyone to figure out exactly what they want to see during our trip.</p>
<p>Thanks everyone for all the affirmations. I think we’ll all be happy with being just steps from the Louvre–maybe D will spend a lot of time there & be inspried (she is the most artistic of us).</p>
<p>Definitely stay in the city. Paris is so great for walking and if you are near the Louvre you will be able to walk to a lot of places. And we found Trip Advisor pretty reliable for accommodation in France. No contest in my mind between suburb and city when traveling, and nothing wrong with older hotels at all in most cases–it’s not as though they won’t have running water.</p>
<p>Years ago, my family went to Rome, and my mother was on an economy kick and we stayed at a hotel in the suburbs. The money and time wasted on cabs to get to and from wasn’t worth it. Enjoy Paris.</p>
<p>I don’t know if this is an option for you, but 3 years ago my H kidnapped me and took me to Paris for a week and we stayed at a Westin (it was an older converted property) that was just a few blocks from the Louvre. FABULOUS location. It’s all about location. Enjoy! Bon voyage!</p>
<p>Enjoy Paris!
I would recommend staying by the Louvre, as you are convenient to all the major attractions. Paris is a lovely walking city. My D and I were there in 2007 around this time of year and it was a dream come true. We stayed in the Latin Quarter, on Rue Monge near the Pantheon and each day walked to the various sites. </p>
<p>If you have the time, we loved touring the Loire Valley</p>
<p>Long commute to the 'burbs is the last thing you will want after a day of walking and sightseeing. We realized this a couple of years ago when we toured Europe, so when we went to Stockholm, we stayed at an older hotel in the middle of the city, and it worked out great. Get a very sturdy pair of shoes and prepare for lots of walking! You will need at least a day to explore the Louvre. Enjoy your trip.</p>
<p>I’ve stayed at both an older hotel within the city and a more modern one out in the suburbs (right outside Paris proper) when I’ve been to Paris. If you are near a metro stop, either would work, but I’d recommend staying in the city. Paris has a very neighborhood feel to it within the individual arrondisments. I hope you enjoy your trip and remember that in France, especially Paris, speaking even just a few words of French will make your trip much more enjoyable.</p>
<p>Thanks–do have comfortable shoes and hope the kids’ sports shoes will keep them comfortable. Hubby will have to decide what shoes he most likes to walk in as well. We can & do walk as much as possible & the kids do around campus, so it should work nicely.</p>
<p>Thanks for that thought. We’ll only be there for five days and probably could benefit from help of the front desk staff. I did check & the prices for the apartments were significantly higher than our hotel and I wasn’t quite sure where they were located. Maybe on a return trip that is longer and when we are more familiar with Paris (or other places), we would consider an apartment rental. We also don’t want to hassle with potential damage deposits, etc.</p>
<p>We were there in September for 25th wedding anniversary! The Metro is also very easy to use and you can buy just enough tickets as you need them. Plus, we found the Metro to be very safe as well. Definately stay in the city; we can’t wait to go back, hopefully, one day…it was one of the best trips!</p>
<p>We’re celebrating our 24th wedding anniversary on this trip with our kids, as well as S’s graduation from college & starting his 1st job and so many other happy things. This will be building a LOT of memories for all of us. We do hope to go back, but are glad we can all spend this time together before S moves another 2500 miles further away to start his new job sometimes soon thereafter.</p>
<p>I am in the midst of planning a trip to Paris for 2 weeks in Oct. We are booking an apartment. In your case, it may be a great option. Especially if you are more than two people. Its a lot easier and cheaper, and it is great fun to shop the markets. As far as areas, you cant go wrong with the Marais or St Germaine.
ooops…cross posted with rhy</p>
Enjoy your trip.</p>