Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Paris with teen daughter

My 15-yr. old daughter and I will visit Paris late next June for a week and would like any recommendations for 3 star hotels on Left Bank that have nice Parisian atmosphere, close enough to walk to the Louvre/Notre Dame, restaurants, etc., that are safe for two females travelling alone and that have LARGE ROOMS - my daughter is a bit of a mess and I need some space to endure 2 wks. in Europe with her. Any recommendations appreciated.




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Hotel Claude Bernard in the Latin Quarter is a 3-star which might fit your needs. It%26#39;s also close to Notre Dame and the Lourve. You can read some information about it and gets links to it from this page:





paris-hotels.paris-eiffel-tower-news.com/




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Read the review on this site regarding Hotel Brighton. It is steps form Louvre. Staff are very nice, speak english, and if you get the %26quot; view rooms%26quot; which although run at about 210 euros a night, are large, have two small balconies, and a room big enough for spreading out. My son actually pushed his bed to the other end of the L shaped room to have his own space.



Totally safe area.




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If you%26#39;ll be there a full week you may want to consider renting a studio or 1 BR apt. Apartments usually have more space than a hotel room - even a studio. Also for a week%26#39;s rental they can be the same price or less than a 3 star hotel.





Check these websites if you%26#39;re interested:



www.vrbo.com or www.vacationinparis.com





Or do a search in the forum for apartment rentals. I think you%26#39;ll find several recommendations. Happy planning!




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Hi, I went to Paris with my daughter for her 16th birthday. I knew we%26#39;d be spending little time in our hotel room and did not want to spend too much on a hotel.



We stayed in Hotel Minerve- very quaint with smallish rooms but very clean and nicely decorated. The staff was most helpful. We arrived in Paris at 5am and easily took the train and metro to this Hotel. We did not opt for the breakfast- instead popped across the street to a lovely bakery/cafe for fantastic coffee and croissants, pastries, quiche etc for brekkie. I%26#39;ve travelled quite a bit and am pretty picky about accomodations. I%26#39;d stay here again. Location-wise- very central- although if you%26#39;re using the Metro, Paris is actually quite small. We were in Paris for 4 days and by the end knew the Metro very well. Walk to Notre Dame - short metro ride to anywhere else. Must sees include Pere Lachaise Cemetary and the Marais- wonderful shopping.



Oh yes- also some of the best reastaurants we went to were in the Latin Quarter and within walking distance of Minerve.



Good Luck





Kristina




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We%26#39;ve never been blessed enough to stay in Paris that long, but if I did, I%26#39;d definitely get an apartment. They seem to be a better value, and you can grab some goodies at local markets or bakeries and have some meals in - live more like a local. We did rent an apartment in Aix-en-Provence, and loved it.





Most of central Paris is very safe. My 10 year old daughter and I walked all over, even late at night, and always felt safe.





If you and your daughter like fashion, there used to be a free fashion show every Tuesday morning in the gorgeous Level 6 restaurant at Printemps department store. It was so much fun. I can%26#39;t find any mention of it on their current website. Maybe someone else knows if they still have it? We followed our show up with a stroll through the shoe department, which was amazing, to say the least!




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Galeries Lafayette has a fashion show every Friday at 3pm. You must reserve in advance (and they do fill up). You can make reservations on line and they will send you a confirmation. The models are around 20 years old and the fashions are for teens and 20%26#39;s. It is interesting to see what they are showing. It lasts 30 minutes. I recommend it.





I agree that you might want to consider renting an apartment. You do have more room to spread out and you feel more like you are %26quot;living%26quot; in Paris rather than being a tourist.





If you can afford it, I recommend you get an apartment on Ile St. Louis. It is the most centrally located of anywhere in Paris, has great restaurants, wonderful shopping, a great cheese shop, tea shop, Bertillons ice cream, and anything else you desire. It is very near Notre Dame. As it%26#39;s name implies, it is an island surrounded by the Seine. It is fabulous.




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I would agree with the previous posters about getting an apartment. I was just checking with the company that we%26#39;re renting from in May and they have one bedroom apartments (one person would be on the sofa bed in the living room) for under $200 and two bedrooms seem to run about $200-300 a night. Speaking as someone who made life miserable for her parents on a teenage trip to Europe once, I probably would have appreciated my own room! :)




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Perhaps you could look up the Citadines Apartment Hotels on this forum. It appears that there are a lot of them all over Paris. They are basically hotels with apartments instead of rooms. That way you won%26#39;t be on your own in an apartment building, but will have the front desk services of a hotel.





My husband and I are going with our 15 year old daughter and I know just what you mean!! We%26#39;ve booked the Citadines Saint Germain de Pres. It is on the Left Bank across from Notre Dame. We%26#39;ll have a one bedroom with a sofa bed in the living room. At least we won%26#39;t be cramped into a tiny hotel room!




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LARGE ROOMS (American version) don%26#39;t exist in Pairs hotels unless you are paying HIGH DOLLAR ($500+). I definately endorse the apartment idea.



My adult daughter and I were in Paris in October, and not one time did I feel the least bit apprehensive while out and about. We were up early and out late. I made an early morning and a late night Metro journey from Odeon station to Trocodero by myself (I%26#39;m 60) and felt totally at ease.



If you are interested in a guide for a day or two, to help you get aquainted with the city, may I recommend Michael Osman (parisfind.com) Michael is from Philly and has lived in Paris for several years. He was full of information..practicle and far-fetched..and we had a lot of fun with him. He was especially helpful navigating the vast interior of the Louvre. (We had been traveling together for 9 days and it was great to add another personality to the mix!) Michael%26#39;s daily rate is VERY REASONABLE!



Be sure to ride the Ferris-wheel in Place de la Concord...great views of the city!



Enjoy this time with your daughter! I will always cherish the time I got to spend with mine in Europe!




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The Citadines aparthotels look very enticing for a family with teens. Can anyone recommend who best to book them through for reliability and good price?



thanks.





Someone on the forum mentioned Pierre %26amp; Vacances - are they a similar set-up to Citadines?





Tennis, apologies for hijacking your thread.....I have a similar teen dilemma:-)

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