“Very friendly staff, great Restaurant recommendations”
Granted, Parisians are often judged as a bit snobbish to American Travelers, but the receptionists in the evening were great judges of Cuisine, and not just Haute Cuisine, but good value and good food for the price. In addition, they were very helpful when I lost my wallet and I needed to contact Visa in Paris ( a 5 minute call) and American Express ( not so quickly and not near as convienient for a replacement card).
The location has a Metro stop directly outside the front lobby and a train station is just across the street, so getting around Paris using the subways was very easy. The hotel staff provided both walking directions and subway directions so we easily found our way to the Louvre, the Eiffel tower and the West bank.
There is a 24 hour grocery store nearby for purchasing snacks, pre-wrapped and fresh sandwiches, juices and other great stuff. Don't miss the strawberries...sweet as sugar! I loved the rooms view of Parisian street life from our "balcony", as the windows open wide so you can really experience the Parisian way of doing things. The hotel provided internet access, and was responsive to our "quirky" requirements of a couple of Americans looking to experience the life of ordinary Frenchmen.
Lydia and her receptionist team were unbelieveable, even when we got off to a bit of a rocky start. I must admit, I can be a bit of a curmudgeon, but we resolved all of issues and were buddies by the time we left. It is a definite "we'll be back"!
Area recommendations
While we were not is the chic "Left Bank", we had great access to transportation hubs and it is easy to get to wherever we needed to go. There are many good bistro's and there are local shops run by local merchants nearby.
The train station has several vendors who sell a variety of wares, souveniers and of course travel by train. Being a transport hub, taxi's are easy to obtain, but don't forget to get a receipt, just in case you leave something behind, you can then contact the taxi company.
The bistro's around the hotel for 'people watching" and there sure a lot of that happening in Paris!! Just be careful crossing the streets through Paris and stay in the pedistrian crosswalks. It is a law that all vehicles must stop if there is anyone in the crosswalk area. There are also traffic light controls for many, but not all crosswalks.
An interesting part of the subway is that the doors are not "automatic", in other words, they don't open and close by themselves. Passengers must flip a latch or push a button for the subway doors to open. Imagine our surprise when we first took the train and we missed a stop, standing by the door and it didn't open! We must have looked dumbfounded. But we got the hang of it and all went well.
Obviously, don't miss seeing Mona Lisa and Venus d'Milo at the Louvre. The Eiffel tower is a monster tourist attraction, so getting tickets to go to the top has a long line, and a long line to the elevators. So, just go to look.
Dining
We were looking to dine our way across Paris, so the first bistro we went to was just 3 blocks from our hotel. Les Enfant Purdue was great, and a Chicago native ran the bar. Thomas was very helpful in translating the menu and the young waiters were energetic, helpful and spoke English quite well. By the way, "Les Enfant Purdue" means the Lost Children, and even though we were only 3 blocks away, we got lost twice!! But, well worth the walk. The duck breast was huge, flavorful and the desserts, especially the crem brulee, were idyllic ( 3 different flavors in seperate ramikans held praline, pistachio and vanilla crem brulee. We shared it!)
We also ate a Chez Michael, and the foie grois was UNBELIEVABLE, as well the fish and meats.
We did have only one bad dining experience, and it wasn't the food, but rather the infamous French attitude toward Americans. They ignored us, and didn't give us the kind of service the French got. But still, the food is fab.
Generally, stay away from a place saying "we speak english" or any of the Chinese take outs, they just don't cut it. Also, the closer to a tourist attraction, the worse the food. Take a hint and look into the dining area to see if there are patrons! If so, go! If not, don't.
And don't fear the unkown. The cusine is so good many restaurants can make shoe leather taste like filet mignon! Ask the wait staff for recommendations and don't be afraid to take a peek at what is coming out of the kitchen!
