Great Location for Gare du Nord
by TripAdvisor Member STEVEFR
This hotel is very close to Gare Du Nord. Not opposite as some other reviews suggest. It is opposite gare de l'est but walkable within 5 mins from Gare Du Nord so very convenient for late arrival or early departure for Eurostar. Metro is also straight outside.
The staff were extremely helpful and friendly.
The room was adequate but clean. No fridge or mini-bar and no tea/coffee facilities provided. Ordered Tea from room service and received a continental breakfast at EUR7.50 each, a bit steep!
Slight noise from the street but did seem to be construction at night on nearby station area. Some rooms have a slight distant view of the Eiffel tower across the rooftops.. always a joy in Paris to have!
The hotel is not central Paris but for the price comparison and ease for Eurostar and Metro it is worth considering.
Mmmm....
by TripAdvisor Member mads335
Booked a 3 night stay through hotel own website, each night got a different rate ( due availaibility) but was all on one booking.
Arrived via Eurostar and walked the 5mins to hotel which is directly opposite Gare De L'est - very easy to get to and in good location.
Upon check in was told that could only book us in for first night as rates were different and to come back next morning to update the keycards. We had room no.230 on 2nd floor. View looked out over aircon units and dirty building next door. Bath was damaged, rusty and wallpaper peeling off walls. Room literally was the size of the bed and minimal room to walk past TV ( which out of 20 channels just had 1 English speaking..CNN news) and wardrobe. Bathroom was tiny and when using the shower the water poured out underneath the glass panel....very bad.
Next day went to get the keycards updated and spoke to a lovely receptionist(Melissa )who asked if we preferred to change rooms which we did to the 7th floor and looking out over the station. She said the room wasnt very nice and neither was 229 or 231...so beware!!
We changed rooms which was marginally bigger but had a much better view, bathroom the same but without damage to bath and walls.
No tea/cofee faciclities and automatically charged for breakfast each day even though we didnt have it.
If I had paid the going rate for this hotel I would have been sorely disappointed, however had special rate which was fair for what we received. Other staff on reception were rude and arrogant especially the other lady on reception.
Usually stay in Intercontinentals/Crowne Plaza or Holiday Inn's and would rate this a very low class Holiday Inn hotel. Chose after much looking at reviews on the net and close location to Eurostar terminal(Gare Du Nord)
If got same rate per night (between 40-80 Euros) then would probably stay again but would not be happy at all paying the 165Euro a night which is the going rate.
Good location for taking the train, bus and city tour bus but hotel not really upto standard for over £100 per night which is the going rate and would say it was the smallest room we have ever stayed in anywhere in the world, however it depends what you are after, we used to go out in the morning and not get back until very late at night ( the restaurants near the hotel stay open until the early hours ) so used to just use the room for sleeping/showering.
Not bad
by TripAdvisor Member FordM
Working in Paris for a few days and this looked reasonable from the other reviews and close to Garde Du Norde train station for Eurostar.
The hotel was as advertised, the room was okay, it was clean, the bed was comfortable and the staff were helpful.
I was using the Eurostar, and I should mention that this is not the closest Mercure, but some colleagues had stayed at the one closer to Garde Du Norde train station, and I fancied giving this one a go. I suspect from talking to my colleagues that there is not much in it though. The Mersure Est 3 is about a 10 min walk (out the front of the train station, up to the cross roads and turn right, about 5 mins until you reach another cross roads and you will see McDonalds over on the left. Turn left and you will reach Garde de L'Est metro station. The Mecure is opposite.
I am no expert on Paris, but the local area is a little low rent, but so are parts of London. I must admit that I did not feel like walking to far in the evening around the hotel area. There are a few sex shops
and you generally feel that you want to keep your self to your self rather than advertise the fact you are a tourist, but saying that I never felt threatened. I do not think I would stay in this area if I was visiting with my wife though, but on a budget, it was fine, with easy access to the metro system.
Eating near by: If you do not want to go far for a quick bite, there is a burger type restaurant on one side of the hotel, which was fine, and a more upmarket restaurant the other side, serving more traditional French food, which was also quite pleasant. The lager is expensive though!
Overall, for a business traveller staying a couple of nights and wanting a hotel close to the Eurostar, comfortable bed, restaurants close by, but not fussed about the surroundings so much, I would say this is fine. For a family traveller, personally I would pay the extra
and stay closer to the tourist sites!
Recently renovated - great hotel !
by TripAdvisor Member huw2006
I noticed the Holiday Inn Gare de L'Est on a recent trip to Paris and decided to check out the hotel when I was back in town, however reading the reviews on Tripadvisor I wondered whether I had made the right decision.
I soon found out I had - the hotel was only taken into the Holiday Inn chain on 1st January this year since when the lobby and all bedrooms have been renovated. As a Priority Club member I was given a voucher for a beer in the bar and was warmly greeted by one of the managers who told me about the upgrade of the hotel.
My air conditioned room (501) was very well decorated, great lighting, good coffee machine, iron, flat screen tv - and a first for me a range of electrical sockets - European, UK and US fittings above the desk !
Apparently the bathrooms are due to be upgraded in the second half of the year though mine was perfectly adequate and clean.
My only disappointment was that the windows could only be opened slightly when it would have been nice to be able embrace the full hustle and bustle of the Paris streets, that said with the windows closed I found the room to be well insulated from the noise outside.
I ate in the next door hotel - where I later found out from the bar manager you can charge meals to your room. Didn't have time for breakfast as I had a 7am train but at least it's just a short hop across the road on to the platform.
Great Deal
by TripAdvisor Member MissPf
Great Hotel overlooking the Gare Du Nord. Rooms are basic but actually quite cosy. Friendly staff. Very different experience to the last time I was in Paris staying in another Mercure.
Forum Posts
paris transportation
by dstdiva2
I am visiting paris from 6/08/04-6/11/04. my question is in regards to transportation. i have hotel reservations at holiday inn paris fontenay sous bois. is it better to by a paris visite card to travel or buy the carnets? in my short period of travel what are the must see tourist attractions? what zone is my hotel located? i will then go to biarritz for the remainder of my trip in france. is there a rental company preferred?
Re: paris transportation
by GUYON
Fontenay sous Bois is in the East suburbs. I hope your hotel is near the RER (express metro)station.
The tickets are not available for the suburbs. Fontenay is in Zone 3
The alternative is :
-either you buy a Paris Pass : 3 days 18.25 Euros or 5 days 26.65 E (4 days pass does not exist)
- or you buy a weekly carte orange necessarily the Wednesday 8 June . It worths 19,50 E. An ID photo is compulsory.
I do not know why your accomodation is located in the suburbs but it is never a bargain to te lodged in the suburbs. There are plenty of budget hotels centraly located with many attractions nearby.
The main attractions of Paris are :
- Tour Eiffel
- Notre Dame
- Sacre Coeur and Montmartre Hill
- arc de Triomphe and Champs Elysees
- Chateau de Versailles.
- Louvre museum
Chateau de Versailles is far from Fontenay so you can visit the 5 other attractions within the 4 days of your stay.
On my opinion, the cheapest rent-a-car company is ADA but the competitors can propose promotions.
Have a good stay
RAY
Re: Re: paris transportation
by Marylyon1
Hello!
I agree with Ray concerning your hotel. If you can change it, that would be adviseable. You will lose so much time on the RER and metro every day and they can be exhausting especially for first timers. Anyways, enjoy your upcoming trip!
Mary
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