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The Best Mid-Range Hotels
The Five Hotel, 5 rue Flatters, 5e (tel. 01-43-31-74-21; www.thefivehotel.com): In the Left Bank's Latin Quarter, this boutique hotel is installed in a 19th-century town house. Okay, the rooms may be a bit small, but the place is a charmer, attracting fashionistas to its individually designed bedrooms in bold colors such as blood red. There's Chinese lacquer galore.
Hotel St-Jacques, 35 rue des Ecoles, 5e (tel. 01-44-07-45-45; www.paris-hotel-stjacques.com): Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn, who made Charade here, have long ago checked out, but this longtime favorite with its Belle Epoque atmosphere still has its allure. With furnishings that evoke France's Second Empire, it's the cliché of Left Bank charm. Its well-furnished and attractive bedrooms have each been restored.
Hôtel Duo (11 rue du Temple, 4e; tel. 01-42-72-72-22; www.duoparis.com) is a winner in the increasingly fashionable Marais district, convenient to the Picasso Museum and the Centre Pompidou. Parisian fashionistas have made this a favorite nesting place. The old architecture, including time-worn stones and exposed beams, has been respected; otherwise, the place is as up-to-date as tomorrow. A member of the staff jokingly suggested to us that this sophisticated rendezvous is "not for virgins."
Hôtel des Deux-Iles (59 rue St-Louis-en-l'Ile, 4e; tel. 01-43-26-13-35; www.deuxiles-paris-hotel.com): There exists no more platinum real estate, at least in our view, than the Ile St-Louis, Paris's most beautiful isle in the Seine. For a charming, yet unpretentious, hotel on this island, we'd choose this restored 18th-century town house. We like the abundance of fresh flowers and the fireplace in the cellar bar. The rooms are a bit small, but this is one of the city's greatest locations for a hotel, and that should count for something.
Hôtel Saint-Louis (75 rue St-Louis-en-l'Ile, 4e; tel. 01-46-34-04-80): As with Hôtel des Deux-Iles, this cozy nest, a restored 17th-century town house, occupies a "world apart" on a tiny island in the middle of the Seine. The rooms may be petit, but the charm of the place compensates, with its exposed ceiling beams, wooden Louis XIII furnishings, and modern bathrooms. Opt for a fifth-floor bedroom for a panoramic view over the rooftops of Paris.
Galileo Hôtel (54 rue Galilee, 8e; tel. 01-47-20-66-06; www.galileo-paris-hotel.com): In the super-expensive 8th arrondissement, site of the Champs-Elysées and France's most expensive street, avenue Montaigne, this is a holdout because it's actually affordable to many visitors. In the epicenter of Paris, this restored town house is imbued with Parisian elegance and charm. Though understated, the bedrooms are tastefully furnished and most comfortable, and a few choice ones have glass-covered verandas. Hôtel de l'Abbaye Saint-Germain (10 rue Cassette, 6e; tel. 01-45-44-38-11; www.hotel-abbaye.com): For those who'd like to stay in the heart of the Quartier Latin in the 5th arrondissement, this charming boutique hotel, originally a convent in the 1700s, has been restored with a certain grace and sophisticated flair. Brightly painted rooms with traditional French furnishings are inviting and comfortable, and the maintenance is first-rate. Grace notes include a courtyard with a fountain, along with flowerbeds and climbing ivy. Try for the upper-floor room with a terrace overlooking Paris.
Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without
notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before
planning your trip.
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