Hotel Monte Carlo - Paris, France 

Having read the reviews on Tripadvisor and hoping to find a nice budget hotel in Paris for my next visit, I contacted the hotel directly. The rooms were available and I decided to go ahead with the booking. First of all, I was asked to provide my bank card number INCLUDING the security code at the back of the card... I NEVER give out such information, especially at the hotels or small businesses, where chances of fraud are paramount! Anybody can access this information which is stored in the hotel's books forever and steal the card information and this happens left, right and center! Without the security code, I was told, the hotel could not take my booking. Well, I regularly make reservations at various hotels all over the world and I was never asked to provide such level of security information. Secondly, the hotel do not accept Visa Debit card. They only accept credit cards. As I do not have credit cards but used my Visa Debit for years all over the world without ANY problem whatsoever, I was extremely surprised as to why Hotel Monte Carlo would not take my Visa as a guarantee of my booking. They did, however, suggest that I could transfer the money via Western Union (no way!) or make an inter-bank transfer which would add at least 20% on top of the total amount. Alternatively, the hotel suggested they take the first night's payment "to see if the card works" but this amount would not be refundable. I live in London and go to Paris regularly, at least once every 2-3 months. I have never had such problems in Paris or ANYWHERE in the world before so this experience is rather confusing. Thankfully, there are many other hotels in Paris which do not give such hassle to their potential guests.

Clean and friendly hotel close to all the sights, we had a problem with a leak in the bathroom, but overall our stay was fine. The staff were friendly and happy to help, all those we met spoke English. We had a room at the front of the hotel but didn't encounter any noise problems mentioned by others. The bed was very comfortable, with TV and en-suite, there was nothing else we needed. The room was a reasonable size and cleaned daily, we were charged 150 Euro, I think due to various events on in Paris at the time.