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Accommodation Parisian hotels are the most expensive in France but are reasonably priced in comparison to European hotel prices as a whole. The capital's 1500 hotels include luxury palaces, modern tower blocks and intimate, owner-run hôtels de charme. Factors to consider are price, location and atmosphere. As a general rule, the closer one gets to the centre of Paris (Concorde, Louvre and St-Germain), the higher the price of the hotel. Hotels tend to be more expensive on the Right Bank (Champs-Elysées, Opéra and Louvre) than on the Left Bank (St-Germain, Latin Quarter and Invalides). Those with sightseeing at heart are best off near to the Louvre or Les Halles, while shopaholics should choose hotels by the Opéra or Madeleine. Business travellers are advised to select the business districts (see the Business Profile section), with the exception of La Défense which is deserted at night. Those keen to soak up the Parisian ambience may plump for Montmartre or St-Germain. An average hotel will cost at least FFr300 but bargains are to be found in less sought-after locations (17th and 20th arrondissements) and in low season (late July, August and November to February). During high season (May, June, September and October), it is wise to book well in advance. If in trouble, tourist offices can organise same-day bookings for FFr20-55. Breakfast is usually not included in the room price, nor is the room tax (taxe de séjour) of FFr1-7 per person per night. Hôtel de Crillon 10 place de la Concorde, 75008 Paris Tel: (01) 44 71 15 00. Fax: (01) 44 71 15 02. E-mail: crillon@crillon-paris.com Cost: FFr3750; suites FFr5400-34750 (breakfast not included). Built by Jacques Ange Gabriel in 1758 on the orders of Louis XV, the Hôtel de Crillon is probably the most prestigious hotel in Paris, and located on the impressive place de la Concorde. With its marbled interior and excellent restaurant Les Ambassadeurs (see the Restaurant section), this palatial hotel is the obvious choice for popstars - Madonna always stays in the Royal Suite with private terrace. There are 123 luxurious rooms and 40 suites, eight fully equipped meeting rooms and banqueting facilities. Guests have access to the car park - private, of course. Ritz Paris 15 place Vendôme, 75001 Paris Tel: (01) 43 16 30 30. Fax: (01) 43 16 36 69. Web site: www.ritzparis.com Cost: FFr3600-4000; suites FFr4900-49000 (breakfast not included). The Ritz is ideally situated close to the Louvre, Quartier des Antiquaires, and the rue de Rivoli. This was Hemingway's idea of heaven and a firm favourite with Coco Chanel, the Duke of Windsor and Proust. A portion of Mohamed Al Fayed's fortune has been spent on making the hotel's 142 bedrooms and 45 palatial suites even more luxurious. Facilities include restaurant and bars, conference services, a fitness centre and cookery school. Hôtel Costes 239 rue St-Honoré, 75001 Paris Tel: (01) 42 44 50 00. Fax: (01) 42 44 50 01. Cost: FFr2250; suites FFr5250-10750 (breakfast not included). Web site: www.hotelcostes.com Jean-Louis Costes has an undoubted flair for creating a space for the hip and well-heeled. Although this hotel - designed in Italianate style by Jacques Garcia - only opened in 1995, it is now the favoured Parisian pied-à-terre of various Hollywood stars and fashion models. Media people converge in the restaurant and the beautiful enjoy the fitness centre and pool. Pavillon de La Reine 28 place des Vosges, 75003 Paris Tel: (01) 40 29 19 19. Fax: (01) 40 29 19 20. E-mail: pavillon@club-internet.fr Cost: FFr2100; suites FFr3200 (breakfast not included). This extremely romantic hotel has 55 rooms and suites, some with four-poster beds and all with antique furniture, and a courtyard overflowing with flowers. Strongly recommended to enflame passion. Hôtel Concorde La Fayette 3 place du Général Koenig, 75017 Paris Tel: (01) 40 68 50 68. Fax: (01) 40 68 50 43. E-mail: business.center.hcl@wanadoo.fr Web site: www.concorde-lafayette.com Cost: FFr1850. Located close to the Champs-Elysées and La Défense Porte Maillot, the Concorde La Fayette is ideally located for the business traveller. The enormous tower-block hotel with its 1000 rooms offers excellent views over Paris. Conference facilities include 2200 sq metres (25,000 sq ft) shared with the Palais des Congrès and a fully serviced business centre. There are also executive floors, currency exchange, a fitness club, two bars and three restaurants overseen by Jean-Jacques Massé, awarded 'Best Chef in France' in 1996. Méridien Etoile 81 boulevard Gouvion St-Cyr, 75848 Paris Tel: (01) 40 68 34 34. Fax: (01) 40 68 31 31. Web site: www.lemeridien-paris.com Cost: FFr1850. Close to its rival, the Concorde La Fayette, this 1025-room hotel provides two Club President Executive floors with a personalised service in 112 rooms and suites, and a fully serviced business centre with disabled access and a wide selection of meeting and banqueting rooms. Hôtel du Jeu de Paume 54 rue St-Louis-en-L'Ile, 75004 Paris Tel: (01) 43 26 14 18. Fax: (01) 40 46 02 76. Cost: FFr1330; suites FFr2625 (breakfast not included). Web site: www.jeudepaumehotel.com This unusual hotel is situated on the Ile-St-Louis on the site of a former tennis court commissioned by Louis XIII in 1634. The hotel's 32 rooms look onto the airy breakfast room, which extends for three floors. The staff are friendly and the garden tranquil. Facilities include a bar, conference services, sauna and Jacuzzi. Hôtel Buci Latin 34 rue de Buci, 75006 Paris Tel: (01) 43 29 07 20. Fax: (01) 43 29 67 44. E-mail: hotel@bucilatin.com Web site: www.bucilatin.com Cost: FFr1150 (including breakfast). Located by the cafés and galleries of St-Germain, this very individual 27-room hotel, has been decorated by Alain Perrier with daring colours and comfortable fabrics. Facilities include a coffee shop and whirlpool, and some of the rooms have private balconies. A wise option for those seeking to escape the uniformity of chain hotels. Hôtel Libertel-Terminus Nord 12 boulevard de Denain, 75010 Paris Tel: (01) 42 80 20 00. Fax: (01) 42 80 63 89. Cost: FFr1108; suites FFr1653 (breakfast not included). This entirely renovated 243-room hotel, belonging to the Libertel chain, is located just opposite the Eurostar terminal at the Gare du Nord, and a few minutes from the business districts. The hotel is comfortable, with restaurant and bar, three function rooms and disabled access. Hôtel des Tuileries 10 rue St-Hyacinthe, 75001 Paris Tel: (01) 42 61 04 17. Fax: (01) 49 27 91 56. E-mail: htuileri@aol.com Cost: FFr790-1400 (breakfast not included). The Vidal family has run this small hotel on a peaceful street between the Tuileries and place du Marché St-Honoré for three generations. Oriental rugs and antique furniture adorn the hall and 26 rooms, one of which is said to have lodged Marie-Antoinette for a night - the hotel itself was originally built for one of her ladies-in-waiting. A coup de coeur of the fashion world, it is wise to book well in advance. Hôtel Caron de Beaumarchais 12 rue Vieille-du-Temple, 75004 Paris Tel: (01) 42 72 34 12. Fax: (01) 42 72 34 63. Cost: FFr730-810 (breakfast not included). Father and son, Etienne and Alain Bigeard run this 19-room hotel near the shop-lined rue des Francs-Bourgeois in the Marais district. Eighteenth-century playwright, Beaumarchais, lived nearby. The hotel, named in his honour, is decorated appropriately in elegant eighteenth-century style. First editions of the Marriage of Figaro, the opera based on Beaumarchais' play, adorn the walls. Hôtel Esmeralda 4 rue St-Julien Le Pauvre, 75005 Paris Tel: (01) 43 54 19 20. Fax: (01) 40 51 00 68. Cost: FFr450 (breakfast not included). No credit cards accepted. Patronne and artist Madame Bruel has welcomed Terence Stamp and Serge Gainsbourg to this hotel. Set in a 1640 building, with views onto the Seine and Notre-Dame, Hotel Esmeralda has plenty of cachet, a resident cat and 19 rooms furnished with antiques. The hotel has no restaurant, but there are plenty nearby. Hôtel des Batignolles 26-28 rue des Batignolles, 75017 Paris Tel: (01) 43 87 70 40. Fax: (01) 44 70 01 04. Cost: FFr360 (breakfast not included). In the residential seventeenth arrondissement, this is a good budget option within easy access of Montmartre and the charming place des Batignolles with its church, florist and restaurants. A former girls' boarding house, its 33 rooms are simply but comfortably furnished. |