We stayed here for 2 nights booked at the last minute for a weekend break in Paris. The hotel was very easy to get to, being half way between Bastille and Gare de Lyon and we checked in without any fuss.

Room was a decent size (you could walk around the bed and everything!) bed comfortable and it was clean. The bathroom was pretty standard as well, only criticism being that the door handle kept falling off and the door didn't shut fully (probably lucky considering the handle). We didn't report this to management. Oh and the shower wasn't attached to the wall, so you have to hold it (though had screws in wall as if it used to be?). Walls were a tad thin, and if I spoke French, could have understood the conversation next door.

Location is quite good, Bastille is fun and there's two lively markets nearby on Tuesdays and Sundays which we enjoyed. It's a slight walk to town (maybe 20-30 min), but there are plently of buses and trains if your not being cheapskates like us.

Hotel staff were all helpful, spoke good english to make up for my poor french and were happy to look after our bags after we'd checked out before our evening train. Overall, we just needed somewhere to sleep wash etc and Hotel Alexandrie was perfect for this. It was clean, comfortable, in a good location and with friendly staff at reasonable rates.

Ok, so we booked this at two weeks notice over new year when there wasn't any availability at nicer boutique hotels in this kind of price range. Also, because it was new year, we ended up paying €440 for three nights which really felt like a lot but at two weeks notice over new year can you really complain about that?

The hotel is on a small side-street that's lined with cheap hotels. I wonder how most of these are booked since they don't show up on the booking engines. It is therefore quiet. Our room was at the back of the hotel and was exceptionally quiet. I slept later than at home. The location is good between the Gare de Lyon and the Bastille with cheap eats within two minutes walk and better places 15 minutes away in Marais.

The comments about the wafer-thin walls are, however, true and anyone walking down the corridor or entering their room next door would rattle round our room like they were there with us.

So, what did we get? The room is a standard size for a Paris hotel room (ie small) and the double bed also felt small. But we fitted in it. The room and bathroom were clean. Curious rusty orange colour painted on the walls that made it feel more enclosed and dull than it actually was. If we'd paid €55-€65 a night I'd have been happy.

The wifi was free and worked perfectly. There was a new LG widescreen TV on the wall with digital TV channels for ghost-free picture quality. Staff were friendly on the front desk but we didn't need them for much.

Interestingly, reviewers here do not seem to take the breakfast. We didn't either. There's a simple explanation for this. It runs from 6am-10.30am. About the time we were getting up. I'd have liked to try it but it just finished too early.

As for recommendations, I'm completely neutral. I'd stay again in these circumstances but would try to find somewhere a bit more characterful for this kind of money first.

We arrived Paris by train and left by airplane. The location of the hotel was just great for us : a few minutes walk from the Gare de Lyon where we arrived, and from where we took a bus to the airport. It has plenty of nice restaurants around and is easily accessible by the subway (~5 minutes walk), as several lines pass nearby.

The room was large enough, a tad larger than what Parisian hotels are used to offer. The bathroom was ok as well. All in all, we did not have any issues over our 3 days stay. The air con worked, the Wi Fi worked, the TV worked. It was simply as advertised and a real good value.

We have not tried the breakfast so I cannot comment on this.

I stayed at the Hotel Alexandrie (formerly Tonic Hotel) for 6 nights and had a lovely time. Madame Blot is a lovely lady and will answer any question you might have. Her staff is very courteous too. The hotel is on a quiet street off the busy rue de Lyon. It's a 3-minute walk to the Gare de Lyon and five minutes away from the Bastille area where there are lots of restaurants to choose from. It's my nth time in Paris, and Hotel Alexandrie is one of the nicest and most affordable hotel I've stayed at. Merci Madame Blot!