Wherein a crazy idea becomes…

a trip to Paris!!!

Yes, that squealing sound you’re hearing is coming from une femme. We’re going to Paris in October!!!
We really hadn’t been planning any major travel until at least next year, but the weekend I was back in Ohio for the family reunion, mon mari, finding himself with unlimited access to the computer (usually monopolized by moi), was perusing food and travel websites. He stumbled onto one of those “Great Travel Deals NOW!” articles and saw some decent airfares to Paris between now and the end of October, but best of all, on NON-STOP flights (LAX to CDG) on Air Tahiti Nui.
So when I returned home from my family reunion, he asked me “so do you want to go to Paris?” WHAT?? For a week, we kept saying to each other, “that’s crazy, we can’t possibly,” etc. until finally yesterday we both said “let’s just do it!” (Well, maybe more me than him, to be fair. He’d be just as happy to go to Vegas.)
So we’ll be crammed into coach for eleven hours each way, but…to PARIS!!!! Since we’ve decided to try to do this trip on a far lower budget than past Paris trips, we’re now looking at lower priced hotels, so if you have any suggestions, please let me know in comments.
And if you’re planning to be in Paris the second week of October, let me know if you’d like to meet up!
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54 Comments

  1. so exciting! this was my first guess, of course, when you hinted over at my place yesterday.
    We’re very happy (have stayed there five times now)at our 83 Euro-a-night place, with the ever-so-friendly Jennifer (Residence les Gobelins), but it’s admittedly out in the 13th (although Gobelins Metro is right at the corner) and the rooms are small.

  2. I am insanely jealous, but happy for you! I stayed at Hotel Therese in the 1st and it was reasonable and in a GREAT location and very quiet, very close to everything and great metro line.

    I’ve heard that a pretty inexpensive hotel Hotel Collage (I think ) in the 5th is clean and safe, but it’s bare bones.

  3. What a wonderful welcome home surprise! It is very exciting. We had a favorite place in the 16th, right near the metro, but unfortunately it has recently been remodeled and has become a much fancier and more expensive hotel since our last visit.

  4. Delightful, you have had so many trips for sad reasons over the last while, I’m happy you can get away together to Paris for a romantic time.

    A beloved Left Bank hotel: Hotel des Grands-Ecoles:
    http://www.hotel-grandes-ecoles.com/
    Very reasonable and beautiful restful courtyard. Terrific value.

    re apt. rental, we have had excellent service and pristine apts. from Paris Address
    (www.parisaddress.com)

  5. Please be sure to get up and move during that 11 hour trip. I had a friend who died from deep vein thrombosis (I think that’s the correct name) after a flight from the US to London. It helps to move your legs at regular intervals during the flight. Perhaps you know this already. I was shocked by her death, and I try to pass along the advice to exercise on the plane.

  6. Oh Pseu, I´m really so happy for you! I know how much you love Paris, and I think that after all the sad things that have been there the past year, you really deserve this trip ! Everyone needs nice things in their life every now and then!

  7. oh, my envy runneth over! we stayed in a lovely little hotel on rue monge called St. Christophe — right by the metro (Place Monge)where there is a market, and within walking distance of the seine. a continental breakfast was included, but there was also a lovely cafe down a block or so on Cardinal Lemoine where we ate a heartier repast a few days a week. the staff was super friendly. only warning — the elevator is miniscule!

  8. *SCREAM!* I’m screaming with you!

    You might want to try this site. I use them a lot for private rentals. Just click on Europe and go from there..

    http://www.homeaway.com/

    I’ll email you other options once I round them up 😉

  9. I’m not sure what your price range is. Places we have stayed and liked:
    Hotel Verneuil (high end for us)
    Palais Bourbon (near Rodin Museum)

    Very spartan but a neat old building: Hotel Andre des Arts

  10. I’m jealous of you! My next trip I’m saving for is Rome. I suggest you try a hostel that has private rooms. My DD suggested to look in hostel web sites and find ones with a low fun factor and one that has no pub on site. Worked quite well in Germany!

  11. I am SOOO excited for you and very happy. Really hope you will do the same again as when you went last time and give us a Fashion Report to let us know what les Parisiennes are wearing this Autumn. I can’t wait…… 🙂

  12. metscan – thanks! It’s definitely been a tough year, but we did have our Alaska trip, which was fun. But I’ll admit, nothing is as thrilling as planning a Paris trip…

    Lisa – thanks! I actually feel a bit guilty because we did have a family vacation trip in June, and this feels so indulgent! But I’m sure I’ll get over it… 😉

    Rita – how does one go about finding such a thing? We are looking at apartments. I’d actually wanted to do this last time, but DH was reluctant. I think I may have sold him on the idea by showing him just how much cheaper it is than staying in a hotel (plus, I can go out and forage for breakfast pastries while he sleeps in, which suits both of us quite well).

  13. Sher – EEEE! Thanks for the link! I’ve been perusing those all day. If you have any particular units you’d recommend, please let me know.

    materfamilias – I really didn’t expect to be going back to Paris again. We’d talked about maybe going to Italy next year (and maybe we still will, though probably not in the spring at this point). But Paris is like a drug for me, and I’ll always go back for more…

    Bonjour Madame – thanks for the suggestion, will definitely look into that one.

  14. Anon – thanks for the suggestion! Am adding that one to the list to research.

    Mardel – we haven’t spent much time in the 16th, except to visit Balzac’s house. I know Karen at Of A Certain Age really liked that area for the consignment stores.

    Frugal – thanks! I’ve added those to the list to look into.

  15. Duchesse – thanks! That hotel looks beautiful. Definitely a contender. I’ll also check out the apartments. I’m leaning in that direction, think it would be a good way to go now that we know our way around a bit.

    Sewing Librarian – oh yes, definitely! I have a set of leg exercises that I do on any flight over 2 hours (both sitting and standing). I get too fidgety to sit still for too long.

    Miss Janey – thanks! It’s good for us to get away by ourselves once a year.

    LPC – thanks. Wish I could take you all with me.

  16. Sal – thanks! Yes, it’s a lovely time of year, just verging on autumn but not getting chilly yet.

    LBR – you know I will!

    bonnie-ann – thanks for the suggestion, sounds lovely. I love those old, small elevators! Wish we had a leg in NY so we could see you again, but the idea of only one flight each way was too much to resist.

  17. Jennifer Peepas – yes, I’m definitely leaning toward trying to find a studio or small apartment to rent. Thanks for the suggestion.

    Couture Allure – we will definitely be sure to stay someplace with wi-fi so I can post pics and trip updates!

    Anon – I’d be game for a hostel, but I think it might be just a tad too challenging for DH, who likes his own bathroom.

  18. Imogen – thanks. It does seem like hotels can vary a lot from one year to the next, either going up or downhill with each ownership or management change.

  19. Just chiming in to say that this is great news (and that I’m very jealous)! Looking forward to your posts from (or after) Paris.

  20. This is so wonderful— and I am so pleased for you ! You have had a very challenging year and you have this coming to you… as I’ve said before, your husband has great instincts(see chocolate event), he must be quite a feller! And what a wonderful time to go, when change is in the air, and the summer tourist crush is over…this may be your best trip ever!

  21. Hostel Anon again, There are hostels with private rooms and en suite bathrooms–might be worth a try !

    SSB

  22. Hello, from an occasional lurker (the one who recommended you take up belly dance!). My husband and I are doing an Elderhostel program in Hawaii in October, and it struck me that you might check to see what hotels the Elerhostel program uses in Paris for its programs there.

    From what I’ve seen so far, Elderhostel is price-conscious, but not bare-bones about the accommdations it puts its “students” up in. :

    http://www.elderhostel.org/programs/search_res.asp?keyword=Paris

  23. oh! Comment décevant. well, it will just have to suffice that someday we will meet again — in Paris!

    unfortunately, this will not be the year for that. we’re off to Stratford-on-Avon in mid september, and that will probably be the last trip this year.

    there’s always 2010 to look forward to!

  24. I agree that renting an apartment would be the way to go for a week.

    We stayed in the Hotel Hospitel, right next door to Notre Dame. Can’t get better location-wise than that. The rooms were small and plain but very nice and the staff was terrific. They only have 14 rooms and fill up fast– it was quite reasonable (found it through Rick Steve’s guide). It’s such a thrill to wake up to the bells of Notre Dame…

  25. I’d definitely go for a rental (self-catering flat) or an apartment hotel with a kitchenette. You’ll save a fortune simply eating breakfast in, and I’m sure there are evenings when you don’t necessarily want to go out to a fancy restaurant either. Paris has EXCELLENT prepared foods in shops and even in quality supermarkets – you don’t have to spend your time cooking, except preparing lovely salads and such from the beautiful produce you find in markets.

    Having been to Paris many times, you don’t have to be dead centre either. Exploring slightly “excentric” neighbourhoods can be a saving and a discovery, and Paris has excellent public transport (as long as you avoid the métro during the worst of the rush hour). At the foot of Gobelins there is a new tramline that will eventually circle all of Paris and connect old suburbs.

    Materfamilias, I have friends who live in Gobelins. You can walk to the Quartier Latin from there.

    One reasonably-priced “appart hôtel” chain is http://www.citea.com The residence I’m familiar with is Citéa Paris Philippe Auguste, right next to the famous Père-Lachaise cemetery. That sounds far more depressing than it is – it is nice to have such illustrious neighbours, although they are … dead, and it is located in a lively neighbourhood in Eastern Paris where there are many small reasonably-priced restaurants and other shopping.

    Unlike some cities, in Paris I don’t think a private hostel room is any cheaper for two people than a low-end but clean room in a small older hotel. For one thing, hostel pricing is per person. I’ve stayed in a hostel with individual rooms, and while it was scrupulously clean, it was very institutional. Not for a romantic holiday – I was at a conference and only sleeping there, and invited over often by Parisian friends.

    I’ve never had much money and am fortunate to have had many opportunities to travel, and can assure you that it is worth it even on a slender budget.

  26. tiffany – thanks! I’m looking forward to snapping lots of photos and checking out the styles to report here.

    Glamorous Housewife – thanks! Yes, October is a lovely time to go.

    Katriona – I think this is going to be the trip where we’ll really be able to relax a bit and have some time to just explore without an agenda every day. We’ve done a lot of the museums and “must see’s” on previous trips, so looking forward to being able to relax at a sunny sidewalk café with a glass of wine.

  27. nurmisur – thank you, we will!

    WendyB – the only thing that I’ll miss is a stop in NY to visit with you.

    Hostel Anon – 🙂 thanks. We’ve actually found and booked a 1 br apartment in the 4th, near the Pompidou. Think this will be a very good location!

  28. Leane – thanks, that’s what we’ve decided to do, and have just reserved one!

    bonnie-ann – I’m sorry we won’t be able to connect with you in NY either. Have a wonderful time in Stratford-on-Avon. (I know you will!)

    lagatta – we’ve decided to go with an apartment. Yes, the insane cost of hotel breakfasts (even just coffee) really drove me to find something where I could make my own coffee in the morning and then forage for breakfast while hubby sleeps in. (I’m an early riser.) If I waited for him to get up and dressed before I could have my morning coffee…well, let’s just say it wouldn’t be a pretty scene! I’m also looking forward to being able to shop for some fresh produce and make salads and simple meals for those nights when we’re on food sensory overload.

  29. Good choice and beautiful location. You are an easy walk both from dead centre (Notre-Dame, Louvre etc) but also the lively Bastille district in the opposite direction, and of course across lovely bridges to Ile St-Louis and le Quartier latin. The 4th also features lovely old architecture, the old Jewish ghetto (rue des Rosiers and Place St-Paul), a gay village scene – these all in close proximity to one another.

    Public markets nearby:

    3ème arrondissement (just a bit north – so happy it is opened once more)
    Marché couvert des Enfants rouges
    Le plus vieux marché couvert de Paris, rénové à la fin des années 90, et sans doute l’un des plus anciens de France.
    39 rue de Bretagne.
    Du mardi au samedi de 8h30 à 13h et de 16 à 19h30 (jusqu’à 20h vendredi et samedi)
    dimanche de 8h30 à 14h
    Métro : Temple ou Filles du Calvaire

    4ème arrondissement –
    Marché Baudoyer
    Place Baudoyer
    Mercredi de 12h30 à 20h30 et samedi de 7h à 15h
    Métro : Hôtel de Ville
    I have never been to this one.

    11ème arrondissement
    Marché Bastille
    (anciennement Richard-Lenoir)
    Bd Richard Lenoir entre les rues Amelot et Saint-Sabin.
    Jeudi, 7h à 14h30 et dimanche, 7h à 15h
    Métro : Bastille

    This is an excellent market; one of the best in Paris. It is not a long walk from where you are staying or if you are tired you can take a bus (going down into the métro would be just as tiring as the walk. Paris buses are a GREAT resource when you aren’t in a hurry rushing to work; you get a sightseeing tour for the price of your ticket.

    Supermarkets:
    Supermarché G20
    Adresse: 81 rue de la Verrerie, le Marais, 75004 Paris
    Téléphone: 01 40 29 88 96
    Site web: http://www.g20-livraison.com/

    Some Monoprix supermarkets nearby:
    Monoprix REPUBLIQUE
    PARIS
    75003
    164 rue du Temple

    Monoprix SAINT PAUL
    PARIS
    75004
    71 rue Saint Antoine

    If you search at http://www.ratp.info you can get a “plan du quartier” with all métro stations and bus stops and lines close to a given location, such as your rental apartment.

  30. Great news! If you let me know the exact dates, I can come over one day. It takes 2h on the train from London and I can come for lunch and go back the same day. 🙂

  31. There will be more!

    Since a) I am French-speaking b) have poco dinero and c) have been to Paris often, including for extended periods with aforementioned très peu d’argent, I’ll have lots of other tips. So will other friends of your blog.

    Make a file with our advice, sift through it, throw out the stuff that is useless or has no bearing on how you travel.

    I don’t know whether you can see the e-mails or isps of people posting on your blog. If not, you might try the travel blog “any port in a storm”, where I am also lagatta, and send me a pm.

    I think things like the best boulangerie, local café etc you will find mostly on your own just walking, but it is nice to have a few ports in a storm to get settled. You’ll have a great time, and your cheap trip will be much closer to how most Parisians live, even those with decent professional jobs. Most people do not go out to fancy suppers every night, and those who must do so due their profession find it tiring.

    A couple of messages to other posting friends:

    SewingLibrarian: I am saddened by your news. A friend experienced something similar on a Chicago to Amsterdam flight, but fortunately she has fully recovered. She was hospitalised in Amsterdam (at our conference, an emergency doctor who had worked in war zones helped her until then) and was impressed at the quality of care and the green plants in the corridors. Important to do exercises – I have to be careful not to kick anyone as I’m swinging my little legs about while waiting for the toilet.

    Rita, apartments (self-catering flats) are a fine choice in Paris, but as for renting space in a a private home, that doesn’t correspond either to the architecture or culture of Paris. Only VERY wealthy people or very private old money people have large private houses. Friends who have good, steady professional jobs (professors, full-time journalists on staff – as opposed to freelancers like me – computer whizzes) have flats with lovely, enviable furnishings and floors, but those beautiful places are not really very large. And Parisians are very private except with close friends – not surprising in such a densely-populated city.

    You might find such a place in a town outside Paris, accessible by commuter train, but I wouldn’t advise such a choice for such a short trip. It could make a darling holiday for a month, in a sweet little Ile-de-France town (the one I know is Théméricourt, near Pontoise) and going into the city every other day or so.

  32. Karen – I know, dang! Yes, please do share your re-sale shop info! I’m hoping this visit will be less frenetic, and I might actually have time to visit some of those.

    I hope we can at least get together for a lunch and maybe some shopping before you go…

  33. Dang! Can we ever get our Paris trips to cooincide? We’re staying somewhere not too expensive up by the Opera. I will check with My Viking.

    I will be there in Sept! I have to give you my favorite resale shop info!

  34. I went to Paris for the first time last November to see my daughter who was studying there. I stayed on the rue Jacob on the Left Bank on the recommendation of a well travelled friend. There are several nice, inexpensive hotels there, around the corner from the Place St Germaine: Angleterre, Deux Continents or Les Marrioniers (21 rue Jacob), where I stayed. I could see the steeple of St. Germaine and hear the bells. My room was lovely and the people very nice. Deux Margot and Laduree (fabulous sweets) are very nearby. You can walk to the Seine and the Louvre.

  35. I’m so happy for you! Unless you’re into hostels I can’t help you on the lodging front, but this week and next I’ll be doing a series on traveling carry-on, so be sure to stop by the blog!

  36. Deja Pseu: Of course! Looking forward to seeing you. The train takes just 2 hrs from London anyway and brings one plum into Paris, no airport hassle.

  37. Congrats on your upcoming trip to paris! October is the really perfect month in terms of weather. I love that city when it is cold enough to justify going to Ladure and having hot chocolate and bonbons!