Campanile Paris XI -Bastille - Paris, France     

We have just returned from a 3-night stay at the Campanile Bastille. We booked mainly because of the location, which is great - close to several Metro stops & easy walking distance from the shops, cafes and restaurants of the Marais district. And we also received a fantastic rate Euro68/night on the hotel's own website. We knew this was a budget hotel and have stayed in other Campaniles in the past, so had a good idea of what to expect. The hotel itself was easy to book and then find on arrival in Paris. Checking in at the reception was more of a challenge as the reception staff were always slow, yet flustered, and often tried to avoid eye contact with anyone waiting to be served. We were asked to leave the key card at reception on leaving the premises, but found leaving it & collecting it such a toil that we began to take it with us - and noticed most other guests did the same. The room itself was, as the other reviews here state, tiny. We are not massive people, but constantly bashed into the beds and tripped over our bags. It was, however, cleaned each day to a reasonable standard - although some of our possessions appeared to have been flung across the room when we returned. Towels were replaced daily, although the towels themselves were rough and frayed at the edges - some with a few stains! There was also a dried blood stain on the top cover of one of the beds, which was rather unpleasant. One problem we had was that the hotel was pretty noisy - the windows kept out most road noise (and it's not on a particularly busy road), but the walls and ceilings were thin & all room doors slammed. We could also hear the lift mechanisms, even though we weren't particularly close to the lifts. So, take some ear plugs! Tea & coffee sachets, along with a kettle were provided, but don't expect much - one tea sachet a day, nasty coffee and very flimsy plastic cups. Good, however, for an emergency cuppa if you're willing to share a teabag, and fairly rare in a continental hotel. We didn't take breakfast - which is an additional Euro8.50 per day - as there are numerous cafes nearby offering a basic breakfast much cheaper. Overall, this is a good value for money hotel if you can get a good rate (the rate on display at reception was Euro102/night). And good in terms of location unless you really want to be in the hustle and bustle of the main city centre. We felt that we could make the most of the wonderful (but quite expensive) city - knowing that we had got a bargain price for a hotel in a good location. After all, all you need is a place to sleep & keep your possessions secure when you're sightseeing for a few days.

We had a preferential (group) tariff of 80 euro including breakfast. For this rate, I would say that the hotel was quite good. It is nothing luxurious, but decent - which in Paris is already quite an achievement. The location is good - well served by public transport and quite central, so you can actually walk to many places. Rooms are small and a bit basic but they have everything you need - bathroom with tub, basic amenities, hairdryer, kettle for tea and coffee with biscuits, flat screen TV, free wi-fi. Breakfast is good - big selection of food, quite unusual in Paris. There is also a range of foreign newspapers. There is even a small bar at the entrance. So I would recommend it if you are not looking for charm or luxury, but you want a clean and rather comfortable place for a reasonable price.