Hôtel de l'Europe — Hotel in Paris

So we booked this very last minute (the day of our stay) as our original hotel cancelled our booking! The pictures made the place look very plush - in reality it is a little tired. |Positives:|The hotel is in a very good location, close to the metro station of Porte D'Orleans which is on line 4. This will take you directly to Notre Dame, as well as being able to change for Line 6 (Arc de Triompe, Eiffel tour etc) and Line B (Charles De Gaulle). We found the staff to be very friendly, considering they don't speak English. The older man was very friendly and accommodating - it does help if you can understand some basic French, if not I would suggest a phrase book/app before staying. Although small, the room was clean. Towels and toilet rolls replenished every day - just what you need for a base whilst visiting Paris. The wifi is free, and worked perfectly well with our phones - no connection problems!||Negatives:|When you exit the lift, into the corridor, there are no lights. It is pitch black and you have to navigate with your phone light - this is at all times during the day. Also, the walls are very thin. I wouldn't recommend staying here if you are a light sleeper! Another thing I found strange, was that you have to leave your key at reception when you go out. This is fine during the day, as the room needs to be cleaned but I couldn't understand why it was necessary during the evening. Not something I had encountered before, but I'm sure there is a logical reason behind it. ||Overall: a pleasant enough base - 165€ for three nights is a bargain and you can't expect red carpets. As mentioned, everywhere was clean and useable. If you are looking for luxury and pretty decor, accompanied with English speaking staff - this is probably not the place for you. If you want a cheap base, close to amenities and aren't too bothered about tired looking paint/wallpaper this accommodation would suit you well. ||Paris is very expensive - so don't expect to pay rock bottom prices and get top billed luxury!! Also - who spends all their time in their hotel room? There is so much to...

So we booked this very last minute (the day of our stay) as our original hotel cancelled our booking! The pictures made the place look very plush - in reality it is a little tired. |Positives:|The hotel is in a very good location, close to the metro station of Porte D'Orleans which is on line 4. This will take you directly to Notre Dame, as well as being able to change for Line 6 (Arc de Triompe, Eiffel tour etc) and Line B (Charles De Gaulle). We found the staff to be very friendly, considering they don't speak English. The older man was very friendly and accommodating - it does help if you can understand some basic French, if not I would suggest a phrase book/app before staying. Although small, the room was clean. Towels and toilet rolls replenished every day - just what you need for a base whilst visiting Paris. The wifi is free, and worked perfectly well with our phones - no connection problems!||Negatives:|When you exit the lift, into the corridor, there are no lights. It is pitch black and you have to navigate with your phone light - this is at all times during the day. Also, the walls are very thin. I wouldn't recommend staying here if you are a light sleeper! Another thing I found strange, was that you have to leave your key at reception when you go out. This is fine during the day, as the room needs to be cleaned but I couldn't understand why it was necessary during the evening. Not something I had encountered before, but I'm sure there is a logical reason behind it. ||Overall: a pleasant enough base - 165€ for three nights is a bargain and you can't expect red carpets. As mentioned, everywhere was clean and useable. If you are looking for luxury and pretty decor, accompanied with English speaking staff - this is probably not the place for you. If you want a cheap base, close to amenities and aren't too bothered about tired looking paint/wallpaper this accommodation would suit you well. ||Paris is very expensive - so don't expect to pay rock bottom prices and get top billed luxury!! Also - who spends all their time in their hotel room? There is so much to...

Location wise this hotel is pretty useful. Two metro stations, Porte d'Orléans and Alesia are about 12-15 minutes walk away. From Porte d'Orléans one can take a metro to most of the tourist landmarks in the Zone 1 of Paris. Check in was smooth. I was given a room on the 3rd floor. The elevator is super compact. It can accommodate just about 2 people with 2 back packs or small suitcases. The room was small (and so is the bed) too but had 2 huge glass windows opening out to the street view. There is a small desk and a small alcove for your luggage. The bathroom is tiny and even though one is constantly squeezing oneself but still bumping into walls and fixtures. Some basic toiletries are provided. The wifi works alright. The housekeeping was done daily. There is no fridge/mini bar. There is no air-conditioning either. The hallways are narrow and the lights don't come on when you step into them so either you have to carry a flashlight or grope your way to the elevator. There is no restaurant or kitchen at the hotel.There are some restaurants, cafes and convenience stores nearby. Though I wouldn't recommend any of those restaurants unless one has no other option.The main entrance gets locked late at night and the hotel folks provide you the door pass code to get in. The old men at the reception don't speak fluent English but one can still manage with them as they are pleasant, courteous and helpful. To summarize - a very basic hotel in a good location....