This was my third trip to Paris; I wanted an affordable room with a kitchen and because some other Citea hotels nearer to the city centre did not have vacancies I settled on this one.

I should have asked for a quiet room (Est-ce que vous avez une chambre calme?) but I did not, so I got a room with a view: 501, facing a busy street. But I was lucky. It was not so hot that I couldn’t close the window, and with the window closed, noise level was bearable.

Compared with my previous two rooms (the first one near Gare de Nord and the second one near Porte de Clignancourt), this one was a lot bigger. It was showing signs of an old age, but it was still in a good shape. It had a TV which I hardly used, a fridge I could do without this time but I wanted to check how the kitchen was equipped when I come back with my wife for a longer stay and a shower with a pressure that could be better. The pool seemed clean, I did not use it, but a family of four did.

The only real problem that I had with this hotel is the fact that it is rather far away from the city centre. Yes, it is less than 5 minutes from a metro stop (line 8 - Ecole Veterinaire) but I spent 40 minutes, one metro change included, to come to a site in the centre. Next time I will try a hotel of the same chain but nearer the centre (Philippe Auguste) or nearer the RER (La Defense or Torcy).

I stayed for a week in a room booked through Eurostar. I had a great week. Good room bigger than average with good bathroom, cooking and dining facilities. Staff were polite and helpful. The hotel was only a block back from the Marne with riverside paths so it was quickly possible to get away from it all. I found the area pleasant and friendly, not touristy, with all the local shops and cafes you need including a vegetarian/ organic wholefood shop about 1/4 mile beyond the metro. Close to the metro (line 8) and on a convenient bus route,(24) Metro is quickest (about 20 minutes to the centre and frequent service) but the bus is more scenic. Bit slow in the rush hour though (about 1 hour)

hotel is a suburb of Paris, yet still acessible by Metro. Neighborhood is nive with restauraunts, shopping etc. It was a quiet hotel with nice staff. I did have a major issue with hot water. Hot water tank was not wokring, but was fixed upon notification. Room safes, swimming pool, kitchenete. I suggest this hotel chain in general when staying in Paris. Internet is free.

I stayed at the Citea Maison mainly because I liked the price. For the week we were there, we paid $58 Euro a night which was good. The room was bigger then I expected and amenities were also good. There's a microwave, frig with little freezer, stove with two burners and a table for eating. Almost right next door there is a Casino (Super Market) that you can pretty much buy anything at. Also in the room are glasses, plates, silverware, I believe a frying pan and other utensils. To eat cheap we would buy bagettes and cheese or lunch meat and coke. Speaking of coke, its ridiculous the price you will pay for one in Paris. I know we paid about $10 for two 12 oz cokes at the Luvre and that was't the most expensive we saw. My suggestion is buy your coke from the grocery store and drink water or wine while in Paris. You will save a bunch of money. There is no air condition. I repeat there is no air condition, so beware if its really hot. We lucked out the week we were there, it was hot the first day then there were cloudy skys and it would only get up to 80 and at night when were in the room it would get down in the 50's which was great. We kept the window open the whole time to get fresh air. Hardly any bugs and I didn't see a single mosquito which was weird since there was no screen.

For the 58 a night, price you only get a cleaning once a week, so we had to clean up after ourselves. You also only get one set of towels to last you 3 or 4 days which was very different then what we do at home, but we made due. It made us feel more french, after all there are some smelly people in that country. Just like the other reviews said , it is close to the Metro, for an average walker it will take you about 10 minutes to get there, if you are a fast walker less then 5. The same is true for the bus stops as well. There is one right outside the hotel but I don't exactly know where it goes. The ones closer to the Metro stop, take you into Paris I am sure. Maisons Alfort is not Paris, it is a suburb of Paris. It takes about 15 minutes to get into Paris via the metro. I don't suggest taking the metro after 10pm, some strange characters ride after then. At least on our line they did. We bought a 5 day pass while there, so we could ride the bus and the metro within the 3 zones for free. It was an excellent purchase. Whenever we were lost in Paris, we would just hop on a bus or a metro and find a familiar stop. The metro map becomes easier to read after about the 2nd day. The bus map is a lot harder but at least you can see the areas you are and get off when it looks right. I think thats the only thing I regret, staying 15 minutes out means you have to try and get back to your room or else take a taxi before it gets too late. Had we stayed in Paris, we probably could have done more later on at night and felt save about getting back to the room. So keep that in mind.

The staff speaks English some better then others. Normally the person there between 8-6 is the one who speaks the best English with the night person only speaking a limited amount.

This is my first review so I know I rambled a bit, I tried to write things as I think of them. Half way through the stay, I wanted to switch to another Citea hotel, the one near the Eiffel tour, because it was actually in Paris and had Air Condition but of course there were no vacancies. It's a smaller hotell but the website makes it look nice. If I go back to Paris, I will first try to stay at the Eiffel Tour Citea but if I can't I would gladly stay back at Citea Maisons. Another good thing about staying in the suburbs was we found a nice mall no too far from the hotel. It's in the opposite direction of Paris on the #8, the very last stop. The metro drops you right out front and there are many restaraunts and stores to shop in. I found the prices much better then Paris Shopping. The people have more trouble speaking English though, so be sure to have a pocket translator. Take a look at my pictures, I decided to take some so you can see what a double room looks like.