Hotel Des Chevaliers - Paris, France 

We spent a week at this highly professionally run, privately owned hotel. With only about 16 rooms it can be booked out early. There is only one person on desk at a time. We found all of the front desk staff extremely helpful and friendly, often in the face of remarkably obnoxious guests.. They speak English and French, some German, perhaps other languages. Television is only in French. It's France. Hotel Des Chevaliers is still in the last phases of renovation, but what is done is pleasant and seems to be quality enough to promise that it will stay in good shape for some time to come. Rooms are extremely clean, there is now a very pleasant seating area off the reception where half bottles of wine can be purchased and shared. We rented two double rooms for two people. The extra money brought us rooms which were quite adequate although not huge. Decor downstairs is less studiously quaint than the pictures appear, really very pleasant, while the rooms are comfortably modern. The hotel is hundreds of years old, has air conditioning, which you will probably want to turn down or off, and an elevator. The very modern bathrooms have comfortable showers which overflow onto the bathroom floor with a drain for that purpose. The faucet is equipped with an LED "mood light" which turns red or blue depending on the color of the water. Rooms are in groups of two or three and quiet. Smoking and non smoking are not separated, which means some smoke seeps into non smoking rooms - my only serious complaint. Less serious is the fact that the promised cable internet access is not set up, but WiFi cards are available for purchase at the desk and the little cafe Royal Turenne down on the corner has free WiFi. So does the Place des Vosges, I am told. The restaurant in the old stone cellar (" cave") serves a nice full breakfast with egg (which you cook yourself in an automatic poacher), yogurt, cheese, some cold ham, coffee orange juice for 13 Euros. You can get a Continental breakfast with tartine or brioche, orange juice and coffee for $7.50 on the corner. According to my son and daughter in law, who live around the block, the restaurants there are not, as one would think, tourist driven but very local. We enjoyed Cafe Musee - a recommendation of chef friend, and le Petite Marche about a block away, one of their favorites. Quote the daughter in law, "Most of the restaurants here server pretty much the same things and they do it in general very well." Like a warm chantrelle salad or rillettes or dorade. One can learn to live with it. There is a bakery next door with breads and some beautiful pastries, and there is a magnificent cheese shop on Rue St Antoine a block and a half away. The location is only a couple of blocks from the Bastille, in the middle of the Marais, the old and romantic Jewish quarter of Paris where the streets were not widened by Napoleon. The Saturday market at Bastille is wonderful, although like all things French not cheap. The many great clothing boutiques and other shops in the area are even more not cheap. The Metro stop is about three blocks away. This is not a grand hotel in Grand Paris, and as such it does not get five stars or dots or whatever, nor it is precious and high flying, but it is with the best of class. We were delighted with the hotel and with the surrounds, which I prefer to the grand boulevards. .

This hotel is located one block from the Place des Vosgue and in the Marais district of Paris. This is one of the 2 or 3 most desirable parts of Paris to stay in -- the Marais has great shops and restaurants and it's walkable to just about everything. This is one of those hotels where you get exactly what you pay for, and by and large I mean that in a good way. As noted by other reviewers they are still renovating as of June 2008. This did not bother me, but if it's an issue for you then check for sure. What this hotel has: - A good room. I was in a renovated room, so it was all done in a modern style. The bed was very comfortable with good sheets and pillows, the bathroom modern and very clean (albeit slightly tacky - coloured lights from the faucet), the curtains completely blocked out the light at night, and once the windows closed there was no street noise. - An incredible location as mentioned above. - Considering the first 2, a very good price in my opinion, about 165 Euros a night. I've stayed in the nearby Hotel de 7e art, which costs closer to 100 Euros, but the rooms there though clean were very worn and tiny. I was happy to spend the bit extra and get a better bed and bathroom. What you will not get: a grand entrance, a meaningful lobby, a big staff to help you set things up (front desk staff are friendly, but they check you in and out, that's it). This is exactly the kind of hotel I look for in a city: good room, great location, reasonable price. If that's what you want, then I recommend this place. If instead you are the kind of traveler who needs the hotel to offer more - a restaurant, advice to construct your trip, or a place to hangout other than your room - this place isn't for you! I should mention that the renovation didn't bother me -- the stairs and hallway leading up to the room were under construction, but the room itself was completely fine - but it might be an issue for others.