Kyriad Paris Ix Lafayette - Paris, France     

I stayed at the Kyriad Lafayette for 13 nights. I wanted to go to Paris for 2 weeks and I chose this hotel because it was the cheapest one I could find with proper amenities. Paris hotel prices are ridiculous but I got this one for 49 euros per night. It says on the door of the room that the super small room I stayed in is 80 euros per night but there is no way I would have paid 80 euros per night for that room. Although I was there alone the room is quite small and the shower barely able to contain one human body and there is no room for turning your body in the shower. They promise all kinds of beverages and cookies on a tray in the room but I I never once received those free cookies. The beverages they speak about are powdered coffee and a couple of teabags. The shower pressure was great and there was always hot water. The walls are definitely NOT sound proof at all. I could hear people's conversations in the adjacent rooms. My room (number 24) as next to the stairwell so I heard everytime someone went up and down the stairs or spoke in the stairwell. I had a room with view on a dirty courtyard with cigarette butts and garbage and views of walls from other buildings. I complained to the desk whenever someone was loud in my hallway or around me. I gave people until 11 pm and then I started knocking on walls or floors if they were too loud; same thing if it was before 8 a.m. I can't stand how rude and ignorant people are when they stay in hotels; I let people know what I thought every time I heard unnecessary noise at an inappropriate hour. There is absolutely no excuse for this. Since I speak French fluently I was able to make myself understood with the reception and express my frustration at the noise. I do come back to my hotels halway through the day to rest a bit because I can't sustain a whole day of walking in a huge city for 14 days. Everytime I came back my room was cleaned and made up. The room was very clean but kind of rinky-dink. It didn't smell bad at all, but the wallpaper is a bit wanky. One major complaint I have is that there was construction the WHOLE time I was there. Noisy in the hallways and stairwell starting at 8:30 a.m. which was a bit off-putting for me. And sometimes the noise was unbelievably loud. Plus the air conditioning was not working (big surprise for France!!). One hotel employee said that the AC company just needed to turn a switch on but they hadn't got around to it yet. The French don't believe is circulating air and it was badly needed. The hotel itself was SO warm, but once I stepped outside it was much better. The breakfast buffet was amazing. It is 8 euros so about 13 or 14 dollars..a bit expensive..so make sure you eat 13-14 dollars worth. I always had 2 cups of coffee, 3 or 4 croissants, one or 2 chocolate croissants, some yogurt, a whole bagette with butter and jam and sometimes I had ham/cheese. Some mornings I couldn't be bothered to pay 8 euros so I just grabbed 2 croissants at a bakery down the street. The hotel is 15 mins walk from the opera straight down on Rue Lafayette, and also a quick walk to Montmartre. I walked everywhere from the hotel. I hardly ever used the metro. I even walked to the Eiffel Tower and always walked to the Grands Boulevards (down Rue Poissonniere) and walked to the river. The staff was extremely professional, friendly and helpful. The breakfast staff always kept all foods and beverages stocked. The cleaning ladies were very friendly and didn't come around until after 10 a.m. I always kept the DO NOT DISTURB sign on the door knob although one morning some stupid tourist on my floor stole it! Internet always worked but a bit expensive at 2 euros for 30 mins. I just wish the French would start turning on their refrigerators and using ice! Every time I would go into a shop to buy soda or water and if they were in a fridge I found that it was STILL lukewarm. The French don''t believe in refrigeration, ice cubes, cross ventilation or showers. Honestly, some people in that metro need to bathe more often! All in all I really do recommend this hotel because it is by the Gare du Nord which is a direct connection to Charles de Gaule Airport and other useful places in central Paris. It's not that much further to walk from Gare du Nord than the Poissonniere metro stop. Get a detailed Paris map before leaving home and know exactly where things are. I bought a little booklet called L'INDISPENSABLE from one of those outside kiosks that sell magazines and newspapers. It's a booklet showing every district of Paris with ALL of the streets. I used it constantly. It's small and way better than those stupid maps that are impossible to re-fold.