Hotel Le Sainte-Beuve

Rooms

A warm, homely style runs throughout the 22 guests rooms. Each has plush curtains, oil paintings, upholstered chairs and nice pieces of furniture (an old oak armoire, an antique dressing table, perhaps marble-topped bedside tables). They are also spotlessly clean, with loads of storage space and a writing desk. Comfortable beds dressed in crisp white linen ensure the first purpose of all hotels: a good night’s sleep.

Classic Rooms are the least expensive, as they are the smallest and overlook a rather plain courtyard. Rooms continue to be categorised according to size as you move up the price ladder. We stayed in a Superior Room, which we found to be a little small, though the pale green walls and antique writing desk were charming. Deluxe Rooms offer slightly more space and enjoy top-floor views. Rooms overlooking the rue Sainte-Beuve are bright and double-glazed, so you can expect a quiet night’s sleep.

Right at the top of the building is the Junior Suite. It runs the entire depth of the property, with space for both a huge kingsize bed and a double sofabed (great for families). This room feels the most light and airy, and we loved the colourful flower boxes lining the windows and the beautiful views beyond.

Monochrome tiled bathrooms offer bathrobes and big white towels. Some baths are three-quarter size, though all have overhead showers. Families should note that some of the Classic and Superior Rooms can interconnect, making them good for older children.

Features include:

• Air conditioning
• Minibar/fridge
• WiFi

Eating

There's no breakfast room; instead, tables are plonked around the salon in the morning. It's a very casual, delightfully orchestrated arrangement, which suits the spirit of the hotel well. You come down, sit where you wish and are served by obliging staff. Pots of fresh coffee are brought forth, baskets of croissants and baguettes (from the excellent Mulot boulangerie) appear with jams and yoghurts, and there's freshly-squeezed orange juice. You can go a la carte with coffee and omelettes if that’s what you fancy.

A light room service menu is available at certain times of day (hot food: from noon-3pm and 7pm-9pm; cold food from noon-9pm, excluding Sunday night). Expect soups and salads, croque monsieur, quiche lorraine and even hamburgers.

Local restaurants are on your doorstep. Try Le Timbre - very small and loved by locals with an English chef and a fine cellar. La Coupole on Boulevard Montparnasse is a big old bistro, where hard-up artists (some now famous) used to pay for food with pictures, many of which still hang on the wall. La Rotonde nearby is nice and simple, and serves great meat from the Massif Central. If you want, you can wander up to Saint Germain and have lunch at Les Deux Magots; a café where Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir spent the early sixties in the company of assorted artists and intellectuals.

Features include:

• Minibar/fridge
• Restaurants nearby

Activities

• Spurn the metro. It may be on your doorstep, and thus tempting, but Paris is a city in which to walk; there is too much beauty to burrow underground
  
  
• We also loved using the Velib bikes as they’re cheap, really sturdy and very easy to ride. Bike stations are everywhere and there are plenty of cycle lanes. Great fun - just beware of French drivers!
  
  
• Stroll through the exquisite Jardin du Luxembourg and rent out the toy 1920s sail boats - they turn grown men into children!
  
  
• Visit the church of Saint Sulpice (as in The Da Vinci Code), stop at a Saint-Germain café for sustenance, then cross the river to Notre Dame - all within a leisurely half-hour walk
  
  
• Stray to the east and you will find the lesser-visited Jardin des Plantes (with a small zoo)
  
  
• Stay local and you can explore Montparnasse, its station, its cemetery and its cafés. It's a student area - lively, busy and worth a good wander
  
  
• For something less polished, head to Belleville. It has a more alternative, “grittier” scene with a thriving Chinatown, a great park and some real funky cafés and street art
  
  
• Explore the vibrant Latin Quarter. It's just a stroll away and boasts the Sorbonne and the Pantheon - both are architectural delights

Activities on site or nearby include:

• Cycling
• Nightlife
• Shopping / markets

Kids

Children under 2 years old stay for free in a baby cot; a maximum of one child per room. Cots and babysitting are provided on request. Extra beds for children over 2 are charged.

Best for:

Babies (0-1 years), Toddlers (1-4 years), Teens (over 12)

Family friendly accommodation:

Some of the Classic and Superior Rooms interconnect. Most rooms (other than the Classic) can take a cot, but only the Deluxe rooms can accommodate older children on sofabeds.

Cots Available, Extra Beds Available

For more family-friendly places, see our Kids Collection

Location

You are in the 6th arrondissement, between the Jardin du Luxembourg and Montparnasse station, and 20 minutes south west of Ile de la Cité and Notre Dame. The nearest metro stations are Vavin (with a direct link to the Eurostar at the Gare du Nord) and Notre Dame des Champs, both a 2-minute walk.

By Air
Paris Charles de Gaulle (30km) is 45-60 minutes away, Paris Orly (35km) 30-45 minutes. Click on the links below for a list of airlines serving these airports.

From the Airport
Jump on the RER - both airports are connected to the city by line B. Change onto the metro at Denfert Rochereau for a 2-stop hop to Vavin.

By Train
Eurostar whisks you from London straight into the Gare du Nord. From there, take metro line 4 direct to Vavin (30-40 mins) or hop in a taxi.

Detailed directions will be sent to you when you book through i-escape.com.

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