Hotel de Sejour in Paris

[nicolew79]

Hey all-

I was hoping to get someone's opinion on this hotel. I had been told that in Paris, it's usually better to book a hotel rather than a hostel. Eurocheapo suggests this one. www.eurocheapo.com/paris/listings/selection/sejour.asp

Or at least, if no one has stayed there, maybe someone can tell me approximately where it is? It's in the category for "hotels near marais", but I'm not sure where exactly that is.

I called the hotel today and their rate is $55 per night for a double with a bathroom.

Any advice is, as always, greatly appreciated!

[Kim]

OK, these are the reviews I found for you:

April 24, 2003
I stayed in the Hotel du Sejour on my first trip to Paris a few years back. What to say about the hotel? First off, the couple that own the hotel *are* very friendly. I had a nice time chatting with them in their kitchen one evening. For the hotel itself: it's a very old building, with narrow staircases and corridors. If you are staying on the top floor, you will find yourself walking up a staircase that is almost vertical. You have to hang onto it and climb it like a ladder. This isn't fun with a suitcase, or in the middle of the night. All the facilities--toilets and showers--are on the lower levels. I was a bit annoyed that the owners didn't mention any of this when I booked the room. The rooms themselves are clean and quiet, albeit small. There are sinks in the rooms so you can wash up a bit without braving the ladder-staircase. The location is excellent. The hotel is in the middle of the Marais and it's a short walk to the Pompidou and the Metro. For a morning stroll, it can't be beat. Would I recommend this hotel? Not really. It certainly isn't the worst place I have ever stayed at. However, there are hostels in Paris that offer a superior standard of accommodation for the same price range, with no tricky ladders and pay-showers. I'd only book here again if I was desperate for a room.

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Jan 30, 2003

This hotel is a great find...i dont know how someone can write a negative review here. perhaps people want to get everything for paying nothing, but, that doesnt happen. and this hotel is amazingly cheap for what you get. the rooms are quite imacculate. they are mostly all newly renovated and quite sunny. and they have great windows.

the owners are the most amazing couple ever. i have stayed there three times in the past two years and they remember me when i return and offer me all the help they can. they are very friendly and its always great to be able to say hello to the owner of the place you are staying when you arrive back from a day wandering.

half the rooms have showers in the room. one only has to use the common shower (yes on the third floor, horrors!) if they dont pay for a shower in their own room.

i have absolutely no complaints about this hotel. it is so close to anything and everything. it has the best owners. it has the most amazing prices. and i am going back to stay for my fourth time. its a great place!


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December 10, 2002

Well, I can't really believe that first review! I've stayed at the Hotel du Sejour and I found it absolutely acceptable. It is an inexpensive hotel, which has been under renovation. It's no-frills, but a good value in a great neighborhood for tourists.

The shower situation is a little funny, but if you're looking for budget accomodations you can't be too picky. It is kept very clean, however.

The hotel is run by Joao and his wife Marie, and they are GENUINELY friendly people who went out of their way to help me during my extended stay in Paris. Any accusations that Marie would intentionally rip off a guest are asanine.

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Oct. 29, 2002

I booked in for 8 days...the price sounded good and the description on the Eurocheapo website sounded promising.

First impressions were good, but don't be fooled. Although the owners asked for a credit card number to secure the room when I booked, they wanted cash payment upfront when I arrived for the entire 8 days...that seems a bit unorthodox to me. Why cash? And they didn't offer a receipt. Wonder what the taxman would have to say about that! They were very friendly though (don't be fooled!)

The shower is on the 3rd floor and they didn't let me know until I asked that it is only open in the morning after they unlock the door. That means that everyone has to shower within a limited time and forget getting a shower after a long day hiking around Paris. As well, there was no mention of a cost of 4 euros per shower until after I arrived.

While I was staying there, there was an unexpected death in the family back in Canada. During the crisis they did not once offer for me to use the hotel phone with my calling card to make emergency calls to family or to a travel agency to arrange for a flight...nothing. Instead they told me there was a public phone down the street.

Marie kindly booked a taxi for me for 5am so that I could make it to the airport for an early flight. The taxi arrived (actually a minivan without a taxi sign or a meter as it turns out). I wasn't in a position at 5am to question the legality of the taxi (it is the law in Paris that the taxi have a licence and the sign and the meter). When I got to the airport, the illegal taxi driver tried to rip me off asking for 60 euros...the standard fare is 35 euros. I wonder if Marie has any stake in calling this illegal taxi (he knew my room number) or if it was just a coincidence. He didn't get 60 euros.

This place is a rip off...I wonder if the French income tax agency know that they charge in cash and who knows how much of that they claim.

Don't be fooled by the superficial friendliness...it's all about getting every one of your euros out of your pocket. They did reimburse me for the days I wouldn't be there...but my guess is that they did it only because there was a shortage of rooms in Paris because of a number of conferences in the city and they could jack up the price from what they had charged me.

Don't be fooled and don't stay here is my recommendation.

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A hotel is a good idea in Paris though, there are literally tons of cheap ones in that price range. They won't be anything special but they can be a very good deal.

Kim

[nicolew79]

Thanks for the advice, I didn't see those reviews before, are they from another site?

Also, thanks for the advice about the hotels, any suggestions by any chance? This one was recommended on EuroCheapo so now I'm a bit leery of trusting the reviews.

[WillTravel]

These are from the TripAdvisor site. I'd suggest posting on rec.travel.europe if you wanted more feedback also. Actually, doing a search on groups.google.com (which is the Usenet archive) provides some + and - feedback about this place too.

I'm curious why it's generally better to book a hotel rather than a hostel in Paris.

[BigRay]

Another cheap hotel is the Hotel De Nesle. Though their prices have gone up a bit in the last couple years, the place is oozing with French charm and is in a prime location.

www.hoteldenesle.com/

Just my two cents,
Ray

[Kim]

It's not necessarily "better" to go with a hotel in Paris over a hostel but the price for a budget hotel room for 2 people and the price for 2 dorms beds can be about the same. Most people would rather have a private room then have to share. Paris is one place that has tons of cheap hotel rooms.

Ray had a nice call on the Hotel De Nesle as well, also heard that one was decent.

Kim

[Kim]

Thought I hit post on this one already, but guess not!

Yeah, those reviews were from tripadvisor.com

Here's one I've heard only good things about and I've checked a couple sources.

Hotel Gay-Lussac, located at 29 rue Gay-Lussac.

Here is the Eurocheapo listing for it, it will give you the phone number and photo:
www.eurocheapo.com/paris/listings/selection/gaylussac.asp

Then there is always the Hotel du Champ de Mars, which gets rave reviews from everyone, but I think it's about $85 night for two people.
www.hotel-du-champ-de-mars.com/

Kim

[emily]

Nicole,



check out hte Hotel Palais Bourbon...i've got reservations there for 2 nights....it looks fairly nice for the price...and its in a good location.....i've read almost all good reviews on it....and it's not terrible pricey...the rooms are big for Paris....
www.hotel-palais-bourbon.com

[nicolew79]

OK, we booked the Sejour. It's gotten mixed reviews, but seems OK for what we're looking for. Plus, we made sure to get one with our own bathroom, didn't want to chance going down the ladder in the middle of the night ;D

Now comes the next step, does anyone have any idea how to get there? Or even to the Marais?

The info for the hotel is here:
HOTELS IN THE MARAIS
Hotel de Sejour
36, rue du Grenier St. Lazare

PHONE: [phone]
FAX: [phone]
TUBE: Rambuteau

Any help is greatly appreciated!!!
Love to all!

[CuriousToronto]

nicolew79 said:

Now comes the next step, does anyone have any idea how to get there? Or even to the Marais?

I suggest you visit the Pages Jaunes website (http://photos.pagesjaunes.fr) Basically you type in the addy of the hotel and not only does it show you the picture of the outside but a map of the nearby surroundings pops-up. You can even take a "virtual stroll" in the neighbourhood by changing the house numbers. It will also show you the closest subway stations.

Other than that you may need to actually go out and buy a map of Paris and study it before heading to your "temporary home!"


Enjoy!