I totally lucked out with this cute little hotel in Saint Germain. When I first booked my trip to Paris, I had no knowledge of the city, where the good places to stay are, what the arrondissements even are. I started poking around Trip Advisor and hotels.com and seeing what the hotel options were. By studying the map of Paris, I quickly realized that the historic center was centered around Île de la Cité, the island in the Seine River where Notre Dame Cathedral is located. All the Pinterest articles suggested that the most desirable areas to stay in were The Marais, Montemarte, and Saint Germain. Finally, I happened across a good deal on this little hotel in Saint Germain that looked very “French” to me, in an good location and super close to metro, so I booked it very quickly before prices rose any more. Once I began to learn more and more about Saint Germain in the 6th, I realized what an amazing location it really was.
It’s a very small hotel. When you enter, there’s a little front desk, a small lobby with a few chairs, and a parlor in the back which is used as the breakfast room. Everything is decorated in deep reds and rich fabrics. There is even a large chandelier in the lobby which I immediately recognized as Venetian Murano glass. My room was #24 on the 2nd floor which to Americans means it’s on the 3rd floor. The elevator is dollhouse sized, and could accommodate only me with my suitcase.
I booked a standard or classic double room (not sure of the difference) which means it was quite small, but totally fine since it was just me.
It had a king sized bed which was just two twin beds pushed together. Eventually I learned how to avoid the large gap between the mattresses. I enjoyed the irregular shape of the room, and the wooden beams on the ceiling as they revealed the age of the townhouse.
The breakfast buffet was offered every morning for €12 and included hot coffee, tea, or chocolate with a basket of bread, and selections from the buffet which included scrambled eggs, sausage, meats, toast and jam, nutella, cheeses, fruits and cereals. Served in the beautiful parlor room, it had beautiful place settings, and a lovely ambiance. Most tables were set for two people but there was one for a larger group. It was a very basic breakfast, but it served my needs for 3 mornings when I had time before my tours. Some mornings I had to be out too early.
Nearby this hotel are a number of good cafes, like the famous Les Deux Magots and Cafe Flore, all just steps away. Le Bonaparte is also a nice one right on the corner. The oldest church in Paris, Église de Saint Germain des Prés, is a stone’s throw from the front door of the hotel, and Metro line #4 is at the base of the church. Line #10 Mabillon is just a few steps further. A Monoprix is handily located just across the Boulevard Saint Germain, a quick walk from the hotel, and one of my favorite stores, City Pharma, is just a block down Rue Bonaparte for all your legendary French skincare needs. In short, I could not have chosen a better home base for my week in Paris, and I’m so happy that I accidentally chose it before I really knew anything about the city.
