Hotel Muguet Paris: Still Charming After All These Years!
Written: Jul 01 '09 (Updated Jul 02 '09)
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Pros: A short walk to the Eiffel Tower and Invalides. A very charming and comfortable hotel.
Cons: This hotel has become quite popular; must book quite in advance for the high season.
The Bottom Line: If you want a very clean, modern and comfortable hotel near many famous venues, then look no more. A charming & pretty little hotel. An excellent stay!
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| reginafug's Full Review: Hotel Muguet, Paris France |
The hotel Muguet Paris is located in the fashionable 7th Arrondisement, only a few minutes away from some of the most visited Parisian attractions. This was our second visit to this hotel. At the end of our Tuscany trip, a month ago, we planned 24-hour layover in Paris, and since we had such a positive experience a few years ago, we decided to try it again, not wanting to spend a lot of money on say, a Starwood property.
Booking
This hotel can be easily booked directly through their direct website (http://www.hotelmuguet.com), and some hotel-booking websites. Although this is a two-star hotel, we paid 160€ for a double room with a view (high season), excluding breakfast, which you can purchase in their little restaurant/cafeteria. I noticed than in the off-season their prices come down quite a bit.
Getting There
If you are taking a taxi from the airport or any other location, it's a good idea to print a map of the hotel's location. Side streets in Paris can get a little tricky and not all streets are known to the cab drivers. With a map in hand, you and the driver will not get lost.
Metro 8 to the École Militaire stop puts you about four blocks away from the hotel, if you don't have much luggage and wish to transfer by train from the airport.
Check-in/Lobby
This hotel must be family owned, because two of the ladies that greeted us a few years back, were behind the front desk. Don't expect a warm and fuzzy welcome, but do expect a prompt and efficient check-in. I always confirm that I have a room at least a week before my arrival, and print that response, just in case anything should happen.
Since our flight back to Johannesburg was not till almost midnight, we requested (in advance) a late check-out, at six in the evening. They accommodated us, but we had to pay a fee, a reasonable amount, and we were happy not to get kicked out after 11:00 am. Some hotels don't let you stay, even if you offer to pay a ½ day's rate.
About the hotel/our room
A nice thing about this place is that the owners do take pride of ownership, and take good care of the property. When we visited six years ago, the entire place had been renovated and looked wonderfully new and modern with classic touches. This time, the hotel was renovated recently, and looks new and sort of fashionable, but in a demure way, not too posh or garish!
I think one of the most noticeable improvements is that the hotel has been soundproofed with good quality windows. When the windows are closed, one does not hear the occasional car honking! Noise (or lack of) is a big factor for us when selecting a hotel in a big city; we want to be able to sleep!
There is a very small (and ancient) elevator that will fit only one person and a suitcase. It is slow, and sometimes, you're better off running up and down the stairs.
The small lobby is decorated with beautifully polished wood wall panels, and the small side room is furnished with red leather furniture (it's very cool).
This is 100% non-smoking hotel, three story hotel. All rooms are air-conditioned; some rooms face the street and some face the small courtyard. Not all rooms are the same size, and I suppose it's the luck of the draw that finds you a good-size room. On both visits, our double room faced Rue Chevert, and while not huge rooms, we thought they were very comfortable for our needs. The most fabulous thing about the rooms facing the street in that you can see the top half of the Eiffel Tower, especially fantastic at night, when the light show is on!
Our bathroom was modern, well laid out, spotless, very comfortable, and included a tub/shower, bidet, toilet, a very elegant sink/vanity, with really pretty fixtures. There is a hairdryer attached to the wall. Good quality, basic toiletries are provided.
The beds are comfortable, the pillows not too flat or not too fluffy, and the bed linens are fine, not luxurious, but very clean.
The furniture used is tradtional-style, and is acceptable. The bedspread matched the curtains on the window; overall, the room décor is pleasant. We had no need to turn on the air-conditioner, as it was still cool in Paris. All rooms have a small television set and they offer satellite TV. Our room had a small safe for valuables.
Ah! the second time around we were pleasantly surprised to find free wireless internet throughout the property! On our first visit, one had to use a dinosaur of a computer and paid by the minute!
Breakfast
The breakfast room is very pretty, airy, and with very soothing colors. The breakfast is your typical French breakfast, with lots of scrumptious croissants, baguettes, hard-boiled eggs, jams, spreads, and, that fabulous café au lait. I think you can order scrambled eggs, etc., though we found the basic breakfast more than adequate.
The hotel's neighborhood - Rue Cler
The hotel's location is fantastic, close to everything, but out of the noise of the city. I originally booked this hotel because I wanted to stay near Rue Cler (a traffic-free street), made famous by one of Rick Steven's travel shows. And it is true, the neighborhood is charming, with many little brasseries to choose from. Rue Cler is also famous for its cheese stores, charcuteries (deli food), bakeries, butcher shops, small (mom & pop) shops for the kitchen, home, fabrics, produce stores, florists, etc. What's really quaint is that all the little shops bring a portion of their goods to the sidewalk. It's all very "local neighborhood" and gives you a view of Parisian living.
From the hotel's website, I've borrowed the information below, to give you an idea of the hotel's fabulous location:
Less than 10-minutes walk to: Eiffel Tower, Champs de Mars, and Les Invalides.
10 minutes walk: Trocadero.
15 minutes by BUS: Champs-Elysées, Saint Germain des Prés.
15 minutes by metro: Opéra, Louvre Museum, Chatelet-les Halles.
15 minutes by metro: Ile Saint-Louis, Main Boulevards, Notre Dame (or a nice, leisurely walk)
Nuts and Bolts
11, rue Chevert
75007 Paris
Tel: (33 1) 47 05 05 93
Fax: (33 1) 45 50 25 37
Email : mailto:muguet@wanadoo.fr
http://www.hotelparismuguet.com
Conclusion
On a visit prior to this stay, we chose the Westin Paris, yes, more posh, more fashionable and luxurious, etc., but there is a certain charm about staying in one of these Parisian hotels situated off the beaten path (mind you, there are only a few of these gems around).
Rue Chevert is not noisy, there isn't too much vehicular traffic, except for that of the neighborhood, which makes an ideal location for a city hotel. That the hotel has spent a chunk of money on soundproofing, is a definite plus, as when the windows are shut, you can't hear a thing, and there is no noise coming from other rooms. Being able to walk to the quaint Rue Cler is great, as is the proximity of many Parisian attractions.
For a two-star hotel, you certainly get a lot more than we've received from higher rated hotels: a spotless pretty little room with a chic bathroom, an electronic safe (very important to me), AND a view of the Eiffel Tower (I felt as if I could touch it from our window!).
We highly recommend this little gem.
Thanks, Di, (SurgRN911) for setting this up!
Another "French Find" our friend Barbara Fields would have approved of! Barb, you are dearly missed.
Recommended:
Yes
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