Where to stay when you leave.
Hotels Near the Eiffel Tower: Duc de Saint-Simon
5/09/2008 at 9:00 AM
Tags: Paris Hotel Guide, Hotels-Near-the-Eiffel-Tower, Monica Guy, Hotel Booking Tips

We mention the Hôtel Duc de Saint-Simon more as a warning than a recommendation.
It has a fabulous location: a quiet, quiet street but only a ten-second walk to the main St Germain axis of shopping, strolling and dining streets. And of course, close enough to the Eiffel Tower to walk there.
It has the potential to be a great hotel - 39 rooms of varying sizes, some with terrace balconies based around a small central courtyard. And perhaps at one time it was. But its faded, battered exterior and grotesque 60s décor (original, with the original wear and grime as well) mean it's a grandma's choice if anyone's.

Don't Believe All You Read
We warn you because Time Out seems to have a different view of the place: "A lovely paved courtyard leads the way into this popular hotel...It's perfect for lovers..."
Trust us - you'd have to love your partner a lot in order to put up with what is arguably the most terrible choice of wallpaper in the world.
Once through the small 'courtyard' (a small, bare yard), you pop round the corner and are confronted by a reception area dimly lit by a small, wonky chandelier and decorated with moth-eaten cushions on a saggy sofa.
It's a shame, because as we say the location is excellent - you have the Eiffel Tower down the road and St Germain and the Seine on your doorstep, but you don't have the noise and traffic of most central streets. And if the place were ripped apart and redecorated (and the staff retrained in customer service - they were pretty surly even by stereotypical French standards), it'd be a real winner.
The Bottom Line
Rates aren't cheap despite this: 225 ($350) to 395 ($610) plus 15 ($23) for a continental breakfast. At the moment, unless you're bringing your grandma, we'd say best save your pennies and check out some of the better hotels near the Eiffel Tower.
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