I stayed at the Avenir Hotel last week long stay in Paris. The rate was €37 per person per night b & b. Which from what I could see online was pretty good value for paris. I booked through hostelworld.com which I generally find pretty reliable.

THE CHECK IN
Upon arrival at the hotel, the gentleman at reception (Ferrar) greeted us in a friendly, informative, and effecient manner. He indeed remained extremely helpful and cheery throughout the whole stay and was the most engaging of all staff.

I had mailed a few weeks earlier to request room 34 as per a tripadvisor contributors recommendation. This room was allocated to me as per my request. I also requested a smoking room at the time of booking on hostelworld. However, I was informed that the hotel had a no smoking policy and I was informed I could smoke on my balcony. This was satisfactory to me. It was a refreshing to be informed that usage of the safety deposit box in the room was only 1 euro per day-many hotels are taking the p**s in this regard.

THE ROOM
After taking the small elevator which just about fits 2 + lugguage, the corridor area appeared dated but very clean none the less. Upon entering the room it smelled very fresh and appeared extremely clean. The beds are large enough and there is plenty storage space and walking space. The toilet is small but sufficient for its purpose and again was immaculate. The shower tempreture is easy to control and hot enough. There is a plentyful supply of towels.
Throughout our stay there was only 3 channels on the TV none of which were english speaking. Miraculously, on the last day and additional 25 odd channels appeared but again were not in english. This was not a problem for us as it was only being used as a base for exploring.
The balcony is pretty slim and standing on it posed a bit of a scary experience for me every time I needed a cigerette. However, again it done its job.

I must compliment the daily bed linen changes which were provided by the cleaner on a daily basis. Even in 4*'s its generally every second day. The clean fresh linen made it a pleasure to get into bed late at night.

The walls unfortunately are a bit on the thin side and we had a group of (German, I believe) ladies on one side of us who were incredibly loud and rude.

There was also a bit of renovation going on. They didnt wake us and didnt start too early. Im sure they wont be there much longer and its just basic aesthetics.

I wasnt using it but I believe the hairdryer was a disaster so advice would be for the ladies to bring their own.

We had a stunning view of the Sacre Couer Basillica.

FOOD AND BEVERAGE
There is no full time food and beverage function within the hotel a such. The breakfast which is included in the price when you book with hostelworld, was a nice little French start to the morning. It comprised of two fresh bread rolls, two fresh croissants, jam, butter, cheese spreads, tea or chocolat chaud (which is awesome) and orange juice. I believe if its not included in your rate its €6 per person which is reasonable.

There is also a well stock vending machine with soft drinks, confectionary and beer. All are reasonably priced.

Also, you can purchase hot drinks at reception, tea/coffee/hot chocolate

CHECKOUT
The checkout was done in literally 2 minutes and was extremely effiecient.

Overall for the rate of the stay, the hotel was more than acceptable and good value for money. If I could sum it up. Cheap, very clean, fair location, good budget hotel. If they are full at your time of booking. Check out the Regent Montmartre which is next store. I went in for a look and its seems like a nice budget place with a young chilled out vibe.

GETTING AROUND
The hotel is located approx 10 mins walk from Gare Du Nord and very easy to find. Gare Du Nord itself is approx the 7th stop off the RER B which you can catch from terminal two of the arrivals at Charles De Gaulle.
The Anvers stop of the metro is just outside the hotel door and provide easy access to all parts of the city for just €1.70 per journey. We accessed Pere L'achaise in a matter of minutes.
There is also a L'open Tour bus stop just outside the hotel which for €32 for 2 days provides easy access to all the main sites such as Louvre, Eiffel, Notre Dame etc etc.
You can also access Disneyland Paris by taking the ten minute walk to Gare Du Nord, get tickets return for €14 and go to RER B Platform 42. Be warned if you hit the station between 8am and 9am the place is an absolute nightmare. Plus, I found the staff to be ignorant and totally unhelpful with regards to advice on times and platforms.

MONTMARTRE
I'm not going to butter it up, the area itself is filthy with rubbish. Its actually disgraceful. In the early 90's Ireland had a litter problem and signs at Dublin Airport stated "Welcome to Ireland sorry about the mess" Its the new millenium and its a developed Europe now. Paris needs to clean up its mess like the majority of Europe has. Even the approach on the RER from the airport to the city is layered with urban waste and is a real turn off on arrival.

It did seem like the whole city had a litter problem though so I wouldnt let this put you off staying in Montmartre. It is a good value area, prices are that bit lower than most other areas. Plus, there is plenty of character in the area. The place has a nice working class vibe and is "Real Paris" not buttered up for the tourists. The only clean places I saw were around the main monuments. I always prefered living among the proletariat any way.

Walking down the road 5 minutes from the hotel you are also propelled into the Pigalle area which is the sex shop capital of europe I imaging. Its not so much brothels more so toy shops etc. Prob due to the fact Moulin Rouge is here. It didnt bother us and it doesnt have a seedy vibe. Just thought I'd mention it in case families have young kids with them.

DO's
There is a tourist office right outside the hotel, where you can purchase advance tickets on various sites etc
Visit Pere L'achaise.
Visit The big monuments
Take a L'open Tour its good value you'll see more of the city than if you took metro.
Definately go to Disneyland even if your 90yrs old. (In fact especially if your 90)
Do walk up the steps of the Sacre Couer.
Stop in small local cafes and have a hot chocolate and a smoke while people watching.
Pack for cold weather

DONTS
Be careful of pick pockets up by the sacre couer and all major sights. There was a couple of elderly Americans relieved of their oversized EOS 40 D's and Versace hadbags one day we were up there. Precisely why I leave mine at home. :)

Just ignore flower sellers in pubs, cafes etc. Also just ignore the street conterfit vendors you may come across from time to time. If you dont engage you cant be hassled.

Expect any sort of help from any of the staff in Gare Du Nord.

Do not pay over the odds on drinks and food, check the menus before ordering. There are reasonable alternatives.

I'll probably throw up a couple of reviews of local nightlife and Paris attractions. Feel free to look for them on my profile and enjoy your trip.

I wanted to be an ok walking distance from Gare du Nord for hassle-free train & airport connections, but somewhere special at the same time. This was perfect. I asked for a room high up and was given 26 on the 4th floor which, as people have mentioned, had a great view of Sacre Coeur. Staff were helpful, room tidy & clean and bathroom larger than the Cambrai (super close to Gare du Nord but smaller rooms). Only downer was the staff progressively took away my towels and forgot to replace them so by the last night I was down to the handtowel! The new windows seal perfectly with no traffic noise but I imagine if you opened them in summer it would be noisy.

A 3 mins walk from metro station Anvers (turn left when you get out of the station and you will see the hotel). We got a lovely room at level 6 and the view is amazing! Do bring your own toothbrush n toothpaste. Breakfast is available at 6 euros and consists of a bread, a croissant, tea/coffee, orange juice, butter,jam and cheese. Carrefour supermarket is 5-7mins walk away (turn left and walk straight down) and Sacre Coeur is about 8-10 mins walk away.