Living Large/Living Small
Written: Oct 11 '09
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Charming and elegant hotel. Quiet location. Friendly people. Good, but pricey breakfast.
Cons: Lilliputian sized amenities. Rotating staff. Who really is in charge?
The Bottom Line: A good buy in today's Paris. Convenient location. Elegant, but small scale a little annoying.
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| ulysses4's Full Review: Hotel Sainte Beuve, FR |
I can't imagine someone who doesn't love Paris, or at least don't want to meet them. If you have been there more than once, you begin to adopt or feel drawn to a particular neighborhood. Each of the 20 arrondisements inside the peripherique ring road have their own personality or personalities. While we love to venture forth to walk, cafe and restuarant crawl and visit museums, shops, markets and other sites throughout the city, we always come home to the 6th. The literary and artistic center of gravity may have faded, replaced by high end antique shops, tony boutiques and too many folks toting guide books, but in the back streets life goes on rather gently, the intense joggers in the Luxembourg Gardens, the lines of folks patiently waiting their turn at the Poillane Bakery, a perfect floral window at the Name of the Rose.
We have stayed at about six hotels in the 6th before deciding on our favorite. Many charming hotels in Paris are quite small and have loyal followings. Planning a trip with friends took longer than we would have preferred. By the time the dates were set, our first choice was no longer available. We got the last room in our requested price range available at the Sainte Beuve, a hotel we had enjoyed some years before, and our friends had to try someplace new in the 5th, their neighborhood of choice.
Walking is the best way to see Paris, but the Metro is a vital tool in expanding your reach. The Sainte Beuve is close by the Notre Dame des Champs and Vavin Stations, the 12 and 4 lines. You can also walk, or take the train to Montparnasse, where at least four metro lines cross, to say nothing of the RER Suburban line and the site of one of Paris' main rail stations. There are plenty of bus lines through the city as well, but frankly, in nearly 30 years visiting the city, we have stuck mostly to walking, the occasional cab and the subway.
The Sainte Beuve is on a tiny street of the same name, scarcely two blocks long, between Boulevard Raspail and the Luxembourg Gardens. It is further south, towards Montparnasse Boulevard than we would prefer, although the distances to Saint Germain des Pres (Boulevard Saint Germain and the River Seine) are not far, perhaps a ten to fifteen minute walk, or a couple of stops on the subway.
The hotel entrance and facade are tiny and elegant, and one could easily miss them if you weren't looking for it. The lobby is jaw droppingly beautiful, like walking into an Architectural Digest or other designer magazine spread. Like so many hotels today, the Sainte Beuve has a stunning web-site, and the pictures are quite true to life. With a change of ownership two years ago, the hotel got a remake, switching its main theme from creamy white to dark reds and purples. Everywhere you look, there are lovely design touches, exquisite lamps, prints, pillows, vases. Not cluttered, but cosy. The overall effect is of an elegant home, not a hotel.
The welcome at the front desk is genuine and warm. Hotel staff are knowledgeable, and ready to help with restaurant suggestions, transportation suggestions, etc. or to stay discreetly at the ready. Breakfast is served in the lobby from 7:15 to very late morning, and while the price (15 Euros per person) is a little steep, the continental breakfast with additions (such as eggs, if you want them) is of high quality. Or you could walk a block or two and find a neighborhood place like the Vavin, and get about the same for half the price, if you are willing to take the more stretched and indifferent service.
There are 22 rooms and/or suites at the Sainte Beuve. The odds are you will be using their tiny elevator and making at least two trips to get you and your luggage to your room. We opted for a Standard Room, at 180 Euros/night, knowing we would be sacrificing some square footage. Our room was charming, a jewel box, on an inner courtyard, so quite quiet. The wall mounted flat screen TV does save a few square feet of living space. But I have to say, I was not entirely pleased with our quarters. I am 6 foot 2 inches. The "queen size bed" was made for a little queen. My biggest frustration was the small armoire with an elementary school locker sized space for clothes. Clearly, no room for a hanging bag, and as to sports jackets and shirts on hangars, one third projected into the room. Fine for overnight, perhaps, but not for a longer stay.There was no room for luggage, other than to squeeze them as best one could into corners. We had been traveling for 4 weeks, and had some large bags.
The very handsome black and white tiled bathroom contained one of the narrowest tubs I have ever seen. A shower attachment and shower curtain were a welcome sight, but the stylish cloth curtain was not waterproof, and no matter how careful you tried to be, there would be a small puddle next to the sink after each shower. Lighting was good, and as one might expect, some designer sundries and soaps were provided. The Sainte Beuve provides bathrobes, fine towels and even wash cloths, so much of a rarity in Europe that we carry travel sized ones on all of our trips.
I suspect the larger (and pricier) rooms might have mitigated some of these shortcomings, but I am not certain, and wasn't prepared to pay another 50 Euros or so a night to find out.
As always, we try to pack a lot into our trips to Paris. Our schedule had us leaving the hotel around 9:30 or 10 every morning and not returning until late evening. In the four days we were there, we saw four or five different people on the front desk. They were all nice, but we missed the personal warmth of our favorite hotel and its charming manager. Unfair, but love often is. Would we stay here again? Perhaps. Would we recommend it to others, yes, particularly if they didn't take a room at our favored venue.
The hotel does have some helpful services. An internet cubby. Fax and copying facilities at the front desk. Air conditioning throughout. Hair dryers, and a small safe in the rooms, laundry service, a small bar. Help with booking shows, etc. Most of what you would expect in a three star hotel and all graciously served up. I am sure the Superior and Luxury Rooms would be decorated in the same charming way and might afford more space and amenities.
Transportation note: If you are coming or going to Charles DeGaulle Airport, keep in mind that taxi fares can be steep (50-60 Euros on the meter plus add ons for baggage). Van service can be arranged, and will require some pre-planning. The Sainte Beuve doesn't do this, but you can find such services on the net. At 17 or 18 Euros per person, it is a good savings, and more convenient than the Air France Bus from Montparnasse or Invalides or the RER Subway that takes you most of the way out to the airport, and then requires a bus transfer. Also keep in mind that the Peripherique is almost always jammed, so allow a half hour to an hour more than anyone else tells you to get there.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
ulysses4
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Member: Alan R. Fridkin
Location: Westfield, MA USA
Reviews written: 235
Trusted by: 21 members
About Me:
Mediator;attorney;retired Navy Captain;avid traveler;bon vivant.
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