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 Paris Budget Charm Hotels
It is possible to stay in Paris and not pay the earth, but don't expect too much from your budget hotel. Many of them won't have power showers, sound proofing, air conditioning or double glazing. Bear this in mind if you are visiting in high summer, when Paris can be stifling and the streets noisy, with cafe tables outside and street cleaning in the early morning. Most of the following hotels are simple, friendly and family run; many are on the Rive Gauche in St-Germain and the Latin Quarter. Two further hotels that have still have their devoted followers but are very tired these days are the Nesle (www.hoteldenesle.com) and the Esmeralda (no website; tel 0033 1 43 54 19 20). Another similar establishment we should mention is the Eldorado (www.eldoradohotel.fr). For these and all our recommendations, you should try to book well in advance, and ask for the better rooms if you can. The hotels are listed alphabetically and their order bears no reflection on our preference.
 Reviews by Leonie Glass |
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| Inexpensive: Simple, relaxed hotel decorated in a fun retro-modern style |
| Location: around the corner from pretty place Saint-Georges; 9th arr. |
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| Behind a sober façade, owner Nadine Flammarion has transformed a standard three star into a laid-back hotel with chic, retro-contemporary looks. The finished bedrooms (some are still being refurbished) major in white but with a single wall of vivid colour and are minimally yet carefully furnished. The open-plan ground floor incorporates a sitting area with bookshelves, bar, reception and breakfast area decorated with striped posters by French conceptual artist Daniel Buren. The tiny patio comes into its own in summer. |
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| Inexpensive: Popular, smart, modern and well-equipped two star |
| Location: Les Invalides; 7th arr. |
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| This good-value, contemporary-style two star arrived on the scene a few years ago and, not surprisingly, is already very popular. Bonuses include a fridge for guests to share (the irresistible rue Cler food market is close by) and excellent quality beds. Bold black-and-white striped fabric, matched with red details, gives the bedrooms a jazzy lift. Most rooms have both a double and single bed, and one has a terrace. |
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| Inexpensive: Colourful decoration and a cheerful atmosphere |
| Location: Montparnasse/Jardin du Luxembourg; 6th arr. |
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| Fun, laid back, breezy and good value, the Mayet is an example of what colour – judiciously applied – can do to lift a hotel from the rut. There’s colour everywhere: abstract murals; painted tables; staircarpet; even the mugs for your self-service breakfast – which you can take back to bed if you wish. The more sober bedrooms use stylish ‘office’ furniture to good effect, and have excellent beds and user-friendly bathrooms. |
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| Inexpensive: Cosy hotel at the end of charming passage Jouffroy |
| Location: Opéra, near the Grands Boulevards; 9th arr. |
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| As you approach the Chopin's charming façade at the end of one of the 19th-century arcades which thread this neighbourhood you may worry that it will be a tourist trap, but caring hands are immediately evident in the pretty little breakfast room and smart, salmon pink corridors. Bedrooms are simple but cosy and quiet; expect the most basic of bathrooms. Best rooms are Nos 409, 310 and 412. |
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| Inexpensive: Endearing, traditional hotel in a former bank |
| Location: Opéra quarter; 9th arr. |
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| The immediate area is nondescript, but not this former 19th-century bank and long-time hotel that – key to its charm – has remained little changed: matronly and solid, though now with a youthful, even hip, clientele. You’ll find a baronial hall; a pretty breakfast room, a tiny cage lift. Best bedrooms have ceramic fireplaces, carved alcoves and hidden bathrooms. There’s also a well-priced top floor apartment with views of Montmartre. |
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| Inexpensive: Traditional family-run hotel in a lush courtyard garden |
| Location: Latin Quarter; 5th arr. |
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| Madame La Foch’s family-run hotel could be in a quiet provincial town, set back as it is in a leafy courtyard garden where you can breakfast in summer. In traditional style, there is no sitting room and bedroom walls tend to be immodestly thin, but the place exudes an old-fashioned charm, with flowery wallpaper and lace bedspreads. Fifteen of the rooms are newer, done in toile de jouey with fresher bathrooms. |
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| Inexpensive: Perfect Montmartre base, full of character and charm |
| Location: Montmartre; 18th arr. |
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| We were entranced when we first found this charming hotel, tucked behind Sacré-Coeur, with its sweet old-fashioned parlour and kitchen, and the delightful, shadowy paint effects and murals of the artist Du Buc. Eclectic and friendly, with large, light, flowery bedrooms and tiny bathrooms, the hotel is now in the dedicated care of Sophie Canipel, who took over from her parents. A gem. |
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| Inexpensive: Quiet Passy hotel, furnished with care |
| Location: Passy; 16th arr. |
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| Perfect for light sleepers, this two-star hotel is tucked away behind an apartment building, undisturbed by street noise. In Passy, a salubrious area that is safe at night but with a great choice of shops and restaurants, the hotel is spotlessly clean and charmingly furnished with antiques, upholstered chairs, Oriental rugs and huge wildlife prints. The focus of each bedroom is the ornately carved Indonesian bedhead. Delightful staff too. |
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| Inexpensive: Friendly hotel with 24 simple rooms and plenty of character |
| Location: just north of place de République; 10th arr. |
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| Don't miss the entrance, which is almost completely obscured by a cascade of foliage. Buzz to be let in to a simple, cosy reception area, with a terracotta tiled floor: a taste of things to come. An attractive spiral staircase leads up to the modest, budget-priced rooms, lifted by the occasional antique, carved headboard or knick-knack. Breakfast is served in a pretty cellar room with sponged walls and shelves where rows of books and a collection of teapots are on display. In an everyday area, not a tourist trap. |
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