Those were the first words that came to mind as I stood in the crowded lobby waiting to check in. Passing through the revolving doors into a large, open lobby the registration desk already had a long line queued up.

Very Comfortable

After a fairly uneventful check-in (the desk clerks spoke much better English than I did French) I was escorted to my room at the far end of a hallway.

The room had a rather unique configuration. Immediately inside the door on the left was a small room containing only a toilet. When I say small, I mean really small!

The closet was to the right, then further down the hallway on the left was the rest of the bathroom. Here there was a small sink and fairly good sized tub with shower. It reminded me of a cruise ship bathroom, small and mostly metallic in nature.

The bedroom was average size, with a queen size bed, a small table and a couple of chairs. It was clean and well-maintained, but I did not consider it luxurious. Compared to the hotel I had just left in Germany, it was quite nice.

There was a television, of course, but I could never find anything to watch in the brief amount of time I was actually in my room.

I must admit that I spent as little time as possible in the hotel, with most of my time focused on seeing Paris for the first time.

Friendly Concierge Staff

I asked a lot of questions of the concierge staff and they were always very helpful, offering suggestions, giving directions, and praising me when I made my first solo excursion from the hotel to purchase stamps.

They even provided a bit of coaching to help me with my very rudimentary French. They helped make me feel much more comfortable finding my way around the city.

Food

We had lunch in the hotel restaurant and found the food to be very good and fairly reasonably priced. The service was prompt and courteous.

Helpful Staff

Our most entertaining event in the hotel occurred when we were trying to ask for a fork from a bartender. We had brought dessert back from our evening out, but didn't have a fork to eat it with. We had quite a time trying to pantomime to the bartender what we needed. (Alas, the concierge was off duty so I was on my own!)

As soon as the bartender realized what we were asking for he provided both forks and napkins for our late night snack.

We changed money a couple of times at the hotel and the staff was polite and helpful. Check out was quick and the doorman went to great pains to explain to the taxi driver which terminal he should take us to at the airport.

Of course, this instruction did not phase the cab driver who dropped us off at the wrong concourse and caused us a great deal of aggravation and unnecessary walking.

Convenient Location

The hotel was conveniently located a block or so from a Metro station, within easy walking distance of a post office (had to mail those postcards), and not too far from the Arc de Triomphe. I felt very safe walking around the hotel area, both in the evening with friends and early morning by myself.

There were several nice sidewalk cafes nearby. One of which we stopped in one evening for dinner. We certainly couldn't be in Paris and not dine at a sidewalk cafe!

I Would Return

Overall, I had a very positive experience at the Meridien Etoile. I wouldn't hesitate to stay there again.

One of my favorite souvenirs from Paris is the clever "Ne Pas Deranger" (Do Not Disturb) sign from my room. It is a great reminder of my stay in Paris!


Recommended: Yes