Other Hotels

Please feel free to get in touch if you can heartily recommend hotels elsewhere in the city. Other hotels that come highly recommended on travel forums but which I’ve no personal experience of and therefore can’t yet endorse, include:
2. Time-warp: Hotel Caron de Beaumarchais

Furnished in the style of a private townhouse in the time of playwright Beaumarchais (Marriage of Figaro) and Mozart, this “bonne adresse” on the edge of Paris’s chic Marais district is cosy and atmospheric, but also good value. Fear not Paris chintz, this is the tasteful historic version. A rare piano from 1792, an abandoned card-table by the fire, candles, chandeliers and an antique harp welcome you into a late 18th-century time-warp. Even the bedrooms and bathrooms have an air of Louis XVI, with chandeliers and elaborate heavy curtains. The hotel’s location is a definite plus point. Turn left and cross the busy boulevard, rue de Rivoli, and it’s a quick walk from the Seine and its islands. But turn right and meander through the narrow streets of the Marais, and you’re in a warren of bars, restaurants, chocolatiers and stylish shopping — a short walk from Places des Vosges, the Picasso museum and the Jewish delis of rue des Rosiers. On the same road as the hotel, are some of the Marais’s favourite cafes, including the literary bar, La Belle Hortense, and opposite it, the typical Paris bar, Au Petit Fer à Cheval.

· Doubles from: €125 (£88) a night.

3. Parisian dandy: Windsor Home

Its name might make it sound like a Berkshire retirement home, but this smart Parisien house in the 16th arrondissement is in fact a quirky but chic hideaway with a B&B feel. With only eight rooms, decorated like the home of a true Parisian dandy, it feels more like staying with posh friends. Good value and not far from the Eiffel tower, it’s a good starting point for exploring western Paris.

· Doubles from: €120 (£85).

4. Art of the left Bank: Hôtel Mayet

A colourful, chilled-out, family-friendly and nicely-priced small townhouse hotel on the Left Bank. Modern art murals decorate the entrance hall while modern white, grey and red colour schemes dominate the simple upstairs and attic rooms. On a quiet street south of the Invalides and L’Ecole Militaire, it’s perfect for visitors who like long Paris walks — you can easily head into the Latin Quarter or up to the Eiffel Tower, the river and beyond.

· Doubles from: €120 (£85) to €140 (£99).

5. Boudoir boutique: Daniel

Grand designs … hotel Daniel For a more expensive weekend break near Paris’s priciest shopping streets, le Daniel is a boutique hotel which shuns the notion of all-white modernism. In a quiet street behind the Champs Elysées, it likes to think of itself as a miniature palace, a blend of chinoiserie, satin sofas and cosy lounge areas that recreate a colonial past. Its boudoir style involves a riot of patterned wallpapers and fabrics. Like all Parisien hotels in picturesque buildings, some rooms are small, but the décor more than compensates. If you tire of the crowds of the Champs Elysées or the designer boutiques of rue Faubourg Saint-Honoré, it’s a pleasant walk to Parc Monceau.

· Rooms from: €370 (£261).

6. La bohème: Hôtel Arvor Saint Georges

A cosy house near Montmartre and Pigalle, with rooms winding up a staircase to a rooftop view. Its mix of white minimalistic bedrooms and funky downstairs décor makes you feel more like you’re in a Parisian bourgeois-boheme flat-share than a hotel. Be sure to ask for one of the recently renovated rooms – particularly with a good view over the patio and backyard.

· Rooms from: €150 (£106)

7. Homes from home: Alcôve & Agapes guest bedrooms

To stay in the guest-room of a genuine Paris flat, browse through the options on offer from the company Alcôve & Agapes which acts as an intermediary. Possibilities include staying in the homes of hosts across Paris from the Ile Saint-Louis to Montmartre, from modern apartments to 19th-century mansions, or even an artist’s studio in Saint-Germain. The French chambre d’hôtes system that’s so common across the French countryside also works well in the capital.

· Double rooms from €75 to €195 € per night (£53 to £138).

8. Budgeteering: Hôtel Beaumarchais

Hôtel Beaumarchais is a cheap and cheerful option for young people on a budget, or those travelling in a group and sharing a room. With incredibly bright carpets and décor with oddities like plastic bathroom furniture, it provides a basic but chilled-out Paris base on the edge of the hip Oberkampf district with its bars and clubs.

· Rooms from: €75 to €90 for a single (£53 to £63.50), €110 to €130 for a double (£78 to £92).

9. True romance: Hôtel Bourg Tibourg

True romance … Hôtel Bourg Tibourg A gem in the Marais, not far from Paris’s city hall, Hôtel Bourg Tibourg is a calm hideaway on a quiet street with décor that can only be described as modern oriental baroque. The little sister of Paris’s vastly expensive Costes hotel, this is a romantic option for a cheaper but nonetheless opulent weekend break. There are good bars and cafes within staggering distance, yet it’s quiet. Again, be warned: it’s a historic building, so the rooms are small, but perfectly designed.

· Rooms from: €160 (£113) for a single room with bath, €220 (£155) Double room with bath.

10. Pension-style: Hotel du Nord

Tucked away in a quiet street near the Gare du Nord, this is a simple, down-to-earth and incredibly good value Parisian house, that’s very proud of its local neighbourhood feel. With homemade jams served at breakfast, it feels more like a cheap but cosy B&B than a hotel. They have 10 bikes available to guests free of charge. There are 22 bedrooms and one suite. But for a brighter, lighter room ask for one high up or facing the street.

· Rooms from: €65 (£46) for a single or double

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