This was a very comfortable and easy hotel to stay in. I enjoyed its location, only 20 minutes from central Paris via metro (there's a convenient metro stop right outside the door), and also in a real neighborhood. I enjoyed observing Parisian life around the hotel as much as an tourist attraction. There is a fabulous patisserie across the street for easy and delicious croissant breakfasts, and several good cafes in the area. The day after I arrived, a pleasant street market appeared with all kinds of produce, pots and pans, and flowers, and cheeses. The street in front of the hotel is very good for walking, and if you have the energy you can walk to central Paris in about 40 minutes.
The hotel itself was quaint, with great reception and service. Staff greet travelers warmly and are willing to help with requests from directions to understanding French directions for a local SIM card, to running across the traffic circle to find the taxi that had been ordered to get to the airport. They go out of their way to make you feel welcomed and supported, from arrival through checkout and departure.
The hotel contained the smallest elevator I have ever seen, but fit my medium size rolling luggage along with myself. My room was clean and comfortable, and designed to use each inch of space efficiently. I enjoyed the large window overlooking the street, crown molding, and tapestry linens, which all gave a sense of authenticity to the hotel. While small, the bathroom was newly renovated with rainforest shower head and outfitted with quality and clean towels, and good toiletry products. The one complaint with the bathroom is that the water pressure was set too high to for the mini size of the sink, often ricocheting off the edge of the ceramic bowl to the floor below, leaving puddles. The bed was quite comfortable and I enjoyed being able to view various cable channels on the flat screen TV and listen to my own music on the iPod radio provided in the room.
The hotel has some noise from outside traffic, but this dies down at night. Being situated above a subway station means an occasional rumble from below, but nothing that disturbs sleep, and I'm quite a light sleeper. If I return to Paris, I would definitely stay here again. It's a great value.
- De La Porte Doree Hotel
