Le 1er Etage Marais — Hotel in Paris

I had read on various travel platforms that this 'hotel' had excellent reviews so of course I was excited. Unfortunately, it did not live up to the expectations. I would not stay here again.

OK, the positive first: Cleaning ladies were quite friendly Located in the heart of Le Marais if you're into it: college-dorm-room charme

Now, things I wish I had known before booking: They might call it a hotel, but it really is a large apartment that has been transformed into what I would call an AirBnB. There are few bedrooms that have their private bathrooms and a toilet in them.

There is no elevator, so you have to carry your luggage up a steep, winding and somewhat narrow staircase.

When we were staying there, handymen were painting the hallways, they were walking right by our window and the water was off for a while and the toilets didn't work.

The view from the window is onto a wall

The hotel uses a pungent room perfume in the common area as well as in the rooms.

There was a used, dirty towel in our bathroom (shower floor) when we arrived.

The rooms are nicely photographed, but in real life, the rooms really just look ok and a bit lived down. One lamp wasn't working, some of the shelves were skewed.

The light in the toilet works with a motion detector, which might be a good thing for some people, I found it annoying at night, because it was so bright.

I guess it's an ok stay for young people. Anyone who is used to a bit more comfort should rather keep looking for a...

This hotel has an indiscreet door on a side street (there is no name or sign for this hotel on the street). You will put in a code, and walk in. You will face a dark, spooky corridor. Walk a little bit and there’s another door to put in the code. Go thru and you will see a narrow, winding, carpeted, mildewy looking staircase. Then you will see another door and you put in a code to get in the actual hotel. There are some positives: The staff were nice and helpful. The inside of the hotel was very clean. Breakfast was good. Negatives: There is a gay club (or bar) with loud music across the street from this hotel. The club is open from 7:00 pm to 3:00 or 4:00 am. Our room (#4) was right where we could see this club with its flashing pink/purple lights from our window. Our room smelled like a very strong cleaning agent. The smell gave us a headache, but because of the club’s loud music we couldn’t open the window to let some fresh air in. When the club finally closed, it was time for the very noisy garbage trucks to show up to pick up the garbage from all the businesses in the street. So we still couldn’t open the window. I am sorry to say that, for us, all the positives that I noted above do not offset the negative points. Thinking back, we could have complained about the strong smell, noisy bar and garbage trucks, but we didn’t. We stayed at this hotel for two nights and paid a total of 500 euros. For this much money we...

Our stay was so wonderful! The location felt more like a cozy b&b than a fancy hotel, which we loved. The staff are pleasant and friendly. The room was spacious and quiet. The decor was cute and inspired. The hair dryer was full-size and powerful. ||The daily breakfast service was a treat with orange juice, coffee, fresh fruits, yogurts, veggies, cheese, and a selection of pastries (baguette, croissant, and pain au chocolat). Also, the communal kitchen was delightful with tea offerings and filtered water.||My allergies had been bothering me our entire trip, except at Le 1er Etage Marais. The cleanliness and well-maintained facility definitely helped me breath better. The heating was perfect without drying out the room. ||Finally, the location was absolutely phenomenal. It's both a very close walk to a lot of amazing sights, restaurants, bars, and shopping and also very convenient to the metro. The neighborhood itself is a joy. ||Perhaps, the only nitpick would be the walk from the ground level of thel building housing the hotel to the hotel entrance is through a dank and dark narrow staircase.||Overall, we had a blast! Thank you Le 1er...