We’ve stayed at Hotel la Sorbonne and Hotel le Clement but not Hotel des Grandes Ecoles. I’ve read a lot about Grandes Ecoles on this and a couple other forums and most of it has been good.
Have you done a search and read the comments posted under the hotel search on France.com above? They usually have a good assortment of comments that are pretty good about "telling it like it is." I usually read all the comments and figure the consensus is closest to the truth. There is always someone who hates a place and someone who thinks it’s the best hotel in town. The truth, as usual, lies somewhere in between.
You might also try a search on Fodors.com and/or Venere.com. They often have useful comments.
March 1, 2004 at 8:05 pm
A long time ago (20 years??), I stayed at the Hotel des Grandes Ecoles and found it much nicer than some places I had stayed in France and also note that one was paying more for the difference. I have gone into the lobby and checked the rate card there from time to time in the past five years and yet never made the decision to stay there. It is still a nice looking hotel. My husband and I have stayed at the Hotel le Clement several times in the past few years, during which some rooms (if not all-don’t know) have been renovated in a very elegant way. We stayed there initially b/c the proximity to La Reserve, a restaurant on the Rue Guisarde about 1 1/2 blocks away that is owned by a friend I have known for over 20 years. Great ambience and food. Since the renovation, the rates at the Clement haven’t gone up that much, but they have gone up. FYI, the first time we stayed in a streetside room on the 5th floor and really enjoyed the view of the far Left Bank and the proximity to the Marche St. Germain across the street. One stay, we booked late and to stay there the whole trip, we had to shift to a room over the courtyard in the back where we could never sleep late b/c of parents in the nearby apartments yelling at their children about getting ready for school. The streetside rooms are really quiet b/c the 1 blk long street (forgot the name) by which one accesses the 2 blk long Rue Clement from the Blvd St. Germain cuts Rue Clement in half, with two one way streets resulting. No one has the time to accelerate and shift into a new gear outside one’s window! Not all staff was fluent in English but all staff was very helpful. FYI, we did not take breakfast there b/c we love the Cafe de la Mairie on the Place St. Sulpice where breakfast costs less – and I can have a salad instead of a baguette! Regards, Karen & Tom
2 Comments On Left Bank Hotel
We’ve stayed at Hotel la Sorbonne and Hotel le Clement but not Hotel des Grandes Ecoles. I’ve read a lot about Grandes Ecoles on this and a couple other forums and most of it has been good.
Have you done a search and read the comments posted under the hotel search on France.com above? They usually have a good assortment of comments that are pretty good about "telling it like it is." I usually read all the comments and figure the consensus is closest to the truth. There is always someone who hates a place and someone who thinks it’s the best hotel in town. The truth, as usual, lies somewhere in between.
You might also try a search on Fodors.com and/or Venere.com. They often have useful comments.
A long time ago (20 years??), I stayed at the Hotel des Grandes Ecoles and found it much nicer than some places I had stayed in France and also note that one was paying more for the difference. I have gone into the lobby and checked the rate card there from time to time in the past five years and yet never made the decision to stay there. It is still a nice looking hotel. My husband and I have stayed at the Hotel le Clement several times in the past few years, during which some rooms (if not all-don’t know) have been renovated in a very elegant way. We stayed there initially b/c the proximity to La Reserve, a restaurant on the Rue Guisarde about 1 1/2 blocks away that is owned by a friend I have known for over 20 years. Great ambience and food. Since the renovation, the rates at the Clement haven’t gone up that much, but they have gone up. FYI, the first time we stayed in a streetside room on the 5th floor and really enjoyed the view of the far Left Bank and the proximity to the Marche St. Germain across the street. One stay, we booked late and to stay there the whole trip, we had to shift to a room over the courtyard in the back where we could never sleep late b/c of parents in the nearby apartments yelling at their children about getting ready for school. The streetside rooms are really quiet b/c the 1 blk long street (forgot the name) by which one accesses the 2 blk long Rue Clement from the Blvd St. Germain cuts Rue Clement in half, with two one way streets resulting. No one has the time to accelerate and shift into a new gear outside one’s window! Not all staff was fluent in English but all staff was very helpful. FYI, we did not take breakfast there b/c we love the Cafe de la Mairie on the Place St. Sulpice where breakfast costs less – and I can have a salad instead of a baguette! Regards, Karen & Tom