Citea Tour Eiffel - Paris, France     

This hotel was a great find, I'm rather proud of myself actually! We booked very far in advance (more than 9 months) and got a really great deal, 81E/night for a studio room. We were there for 7 nights. The hotel itself was very easy to find, located on a quiet street in the 15th a. in Paris, very close to the Eiffel Tower, and metro stops Charles Michels (line 10) and Dupleix (line 7). The hotel has obviously been renovated recently, as the decor is very nice, with a modern flare. The lobby was inviting, and we had a wonderful expereince with all the receptionists. Our room was #503, which contained a double bed, small bath, closet, dresser, tv, small kitchen (fridge/freezer, small oven, sink, cabinets) small table and chairs and balcony...with a view of the Eiffel Tower! The bed was firm, but really comfortable, the sheets clean. Hard wood floors and heavy dark drapes were lovely as well. We really enjoyed the area this hotel was in. The 15th is a nice, working middle class neighborhood and not at all touristy. At the same time, it also was close enough to everything that we didn't feel like we were in the outskirts of the city either. Lot's of small markets/patisseries/cafes located nearby, as well as several Pharmacies and a Monoprix. I would HIGHLY recommend this hotel to pretty much anyone looking for a clean, budget hotel, but still expecting to have a somewhat nice comfortable stay.

We arrived at the Citea Tour Eiffel on 5 September. My mum and I had organised a shuttle from the airport and unfortunately had used a booking agent who hadn't passed on payment details to the driver. On arriving at the hotel the reception staff were superb and helped allowing me to use the internet on the reception desk to get confirmation and payment details. We had two superior studios located on the 4th and 5th floor (rooms 403 and 503), both had a view of the Eiffel Tower from the balcony. The rooms were clean and basically furnished. It was great to have a fridge (for keeping our wine chilled). The lift is small, one person plus case, or two people in total, a bit slow, but I tended to walk up the stairs, so it wasn't an issue. I needed reception again and this time a different receptionist, allowed me to use the bosses office for the internet, again she went out of her way to help. Something to note though is that the reception is closed between 12-2pm, so if you are arriving or leaving around this time, I suggest you have a drink/lunch at the bistro on the corner, its very good, especially the smoked salmon and gorgonzola pizza...... Its about a 10-15 minute walk to the Eiffel Tower, about a 5 min walk to two different metro stations, so very handy to get around. We did a few tours: City Tour/Trip on the Seine/Lunch at the Eiffel Tower - This was good as the Seine trip could be taken any time not just on the day of the tour. Lunch at the Eiffel Tower was better than expected, but they did keep topping up my wine glass. The City Tour was a bit of a disappointment as it was a closed double decker and you didn't feel as close to the city as you would have done on an open topped bus. Da Vinci Code Walking Tour - this was fab, we found details in our hotel, it was €20 and they meet at 10.30 outside the Ritz. It took about 2 hours and was easy walking, the guide was American and he explained a lot more than we expected on the tour. It was well worth the money. Moulin Rouge - This was exceptional, we had dinner and the show with 1/2 bottle of champagne included each. Additional bottles cost €50, but hey, you only do it once. It was a lot better than I expected and definately worth doing. Montmatre and Sacre Coeur - get there early to avoid the crowds. There is a little train that takes you on a short tour, it costs €5 and worth it. Travels down Montmatre to where the Moulin Rouge is and back again. Louvre - We just went in one wing (Denon), this is where Mona Lisa, Madonna of the Rocks, Venus di Milo are. We took the audio guides for the Da Vinci Code at €10 and it is €9.50 to get in - we were in about an hour and a half. On the Friday night we went to a very different restaurant called: Nos Ancetre Les Gaulois on the Isle St Louis. It had an all inclusive menu at €39 which included a massive basket of salads and vegetables, meats cooked on the fire, cheese board, dessert and all you could drink red wine from the barrel... plus a singer who came round to the tables... It was a fun night and it is heartily recommended. Montpanasse Tower is worth a trip up, €9.50 to get to the top of the tower, go early to avoid queues, 56th floor is inside, two more flights of stairs get you to the outside viewing area... Fabulous views from the top. Last thing Metro Tickets - buy 10 at a time for €11.50, one ticket does a journey within Paris from beginning to end, even if you change Metros, you can also use them on the fenicular to get up to Monmatre and on the standard buses. We ended up buying two sets of 10, plus 4 extra. The single tickets cost €1.50 each. We were there 5 days and found this to be the cheapest/best option. All in all fab trib, great little studios, good location.