Hotel Villa Saint-Martin - Paris

6.4

One of the reasons we picked this hotel was the closeness to Le Gare d'Est. It is, in fact, a very short walk to the hotel. However, there was no "view of the city or canal" as promised. There is no room in that hotel, I think, that would have any real "view." One of the main reasons we chose this hotel was because it has air conditioning and Paris can be very hot. The air conditioning is actually just a fan, connected to central air which does not ever work! The staff were competant and very nice. They were accommodating with information and easy to talk to. However, based on what we were looking for in a hotel, I would have chosen eslewhere.

7.6

The hotel was comfortable and the staff were all helpful.The room was small and did not have any outlook. The location was good from a transport point of view with easy access to buses, metro and trains

9.2

An excellent location close to Gare d l'est with some good restaurants close by.

8.4

Room is clean, with new painting and new carpet. The space available in the room is limited to the strictly necessary, but I was told that this is a common thing in Parisian hotels. Quiet neighborhood. Attentive and friendly staff. A budget hotel, ideal for a night resting after a sightseeing day. Convenient for whom arrives in Paris at Gare du Nord or Gare de l’Est.

5.0

We arrived at the hotel from Gare de l'Est, and we had two large, heavy suitcases, as you would expect for people who were staying away from home for over a month. The room wasn't ready, which was fine as we were early, so we left our luggage and went to have a look around. When we returned we were told our room was ready, and my husband followed the bell boy with my very heavy suitcase while I did the paperwork. When I went to follow him, there was no sign so I went back to the reception and asked where he was. He arrived a few minutes later and said he had been told to take the stairs to the second floor (via a very narrow staircase) to our room, so had dutifully done so - carrying my case. When he arrived, he found the room had not been vacated by the previous guests, so lugged my case back downstairs again. I was very angry - to send a not-so-young man up two flights of stairs with a very heavy suitcase, to an occupied room! It might have been different if the bell boy had taken the case. There was a lift in reception, so I asked why we hadn't been given a room accessible by the lift. After some discussion among the reception staff, we were offered a room out the back - down one small flight of stairs. The room was very small and very dark, and unacceptable. I was still not very happy, when the manager (who had overheard part of the dialogue at reception) knocked on the door and asked if we were happy with the room. I said we were not, so he then showed us another available room on the fourth floor (yes, accessible via the lift) and we said we would prefer it. He did graciously apologise for the inconvenience and promised to give us a bottle of wine for our trouble, which he did. We were grateful that he had taken the time and trouble to sort out our distress and the bottle of wine was quite drinkable. So, the manager did manage to redeem himself, but the hotel was very ordinary and certainly not cheap (by Australian standards) for what you got, s

7.7

I really appreciated the quietness of the junior sweet which my 16 yr old son and I shared. He appreciated the cozy bed and big screen tv. The view of the historical convent and parks of the Hopital Militairer Villeuin accross the street were very pleasing especially in the evenings. The hotel is located in an up and coming neighborhood which is charming yet not touristy. During our visit there were a number of homeless people about but they made an effort to stay out of the way. The major sites including Notre Dam, Tour Eiffel, and Montmartre\Sacre Cour are easily reachable using the nearby metro station at Gare de ' Est. The Indiana Bar across from the station has good American appetizers and service etc, but could use a fresh lick of paint. The two café restraunts at the other end of the rue Recolléte namely l'Atmosphere and le Sporting are a must visit if you are staying in the Canal St. Martin area. Regarding the hotel itself some might find the mirrored elevator a bit tacky others romantic, the dining room is tidy and offers good coffee and a standard breakfast, and the details in the room with the exception of carpet were very nice.

7.3

This Budget hotel is a short 5 minute walk to the Gare de l"Est for the Metro and about a 12 minute walk to the Gare du Nord for the Eurostar. For a single 6'6" tall male, the double room was typically small but clean, well laid out, and the bathroom, with a great shower, was large enough for anyone. The front desk staff were very accommodating and helpful, especially when I asked for a room with a quiet location! The elevator was small but efficient, only a couple of stairs to negatiate. I would have loved a fridge in the room. I did not try the breakfast or the restaurant. The surrounding neighbourhood streets may be a bit "seedy" for some, with its many not fancy restaurants, take outs, bars, bakeries, etc. but a lot of fun to investigate. I never once felt uncomfortable walking the streets, even in the later evening. There were always many people about, most of the interesting variety. You want fancy - then this may not be the area to stay in. I would definetely go back.

9.1

The room was fairly small- but that is what you expect in the centre of Paris. The bed was very comfortable however, and everything was very clean. There were nice floor length windows, and for the price the room was excellent. We had come to Paris to see the sights, not to sit in an hotel room! The staff were all very helpful and spoke excellent English (even though we would have been happy to speak French). The buffet breakfast was good value, although we used the cafes in the locality most mornings. The hotel is exteremely convenient for Gard du Nord station and the Eurostar service. Far, far better that flying. You can really maximise your 'Paris time' rather than spending time at airports, and on transfer coaches. We really liked the area around the hotel, and it was also within walking distance of Brasserie Flo- which was a great bonus. All round an excellent venue at a reasonable price for central Paris.

9.6

Villa Saint-Martin is well situated if you are arriving in Paris via the Eurostar. It is a short walk or, if you have heavy bags, a single stop on the metro. All central Paris attractions are within at most a 20 minute Metro journey. We stayed in room 229 and were told that this was the largest room in the hotel. The room was spacious with a large Samsung LCD TV mounted on the wall. The staff were all friendly and spoke excellent English.

2.4

The hotel does not look like the photos; the room was the smallest we had on a 3 wseek France trip and we were told the rooms are all the same size. We paid the same rate earlier for a different "3 star" hotel in Paris and had a very nice and moderate size room. The air conditioning did not work aat the V. St. Martin, and we were overheated; they brought a fan that did not work and the second one was fair but not the air conditioning that was advertised. The breakfast was overpriced and limited. The desk staff, hoewever, were fine and tried to be helpful, and the cafe staff person was excellent as he did many things around the hotel to make guests feel better. All in all the Villa St. Martin stands out as the worst of 7 French hotels we used during our visit. This hotel does not deserve a 3-star rating. Its main advantage is location near the St. Lazare train station.

6.4

Good hotel, but a bit expensive for what it is. Nice location near Canal St Martin, and walking distance from Gard du Nord or Gare de l'Est. Given spacious triple room having asked for double (tho booked late, and maybe nothing else available) and charged slightly more than the rate on the inside of the room door. Interior soundproofing did not seem good, so noisy neighbor might be a problem.

6.3

The room may be a bit dusty but it is clean. The shower stall is small and it will be a challenge for a big size person to get into the shower stall. Thank goodness we are not big. We requested for extra pilows as they only provide small pillows. Compared the room in London, we believe we got more value for our money as the room is bigger and the price is $25 less per day.

8.2

Parking facilities were not according what was promised at their internet site. Furthermore: a pleasant stay at this nice hotel in a very characteristic Parisian surrounding.