Cheap Sleeps in Paris

 (11 customer reviews)

Cheap Sleeps in Paris is wonderful.When I travel in the states, I usually go away for a long weekend, and I'm able to take advantage of weekend rates at hotel chains I know. It doesn't take much know how to get a good room in a Hilton, for example. We have lots of companies that try to keep up a consistent level of quality, and rooms tend to be pretty much the same in different cities.But in Paris, that strategy doesn't work. My stays are longer, and I just can't afford to spend 8 nights in the same kind of place I'd choose here in the US. Most of the hotels in Paris are small and ideosyncratic. It's not just that there are differences from hotel to hotel -- there are even differences from room to room within the same place. The quality of your experience depends more upon the individuals running a specific hotel than it does here in the states, where there are companies that try to maintain a culture of quality that you can count on in different cities. In...Read more

SANDRA GUSTAFSON'S REVIEWS ARE HONEST IN OPINION AND VERY ACCURATE. I ACTUALLY STAYED AT ONE OF THE HOTELS WHICH IS IN HER BOOK AND THE FINE COMMENTS THAT SHE MADE ABOUT THIS HOTEL WERE TRUE. MANY TIMES ONE FINDS THAT A REVIEW COULD BE BASED ON THE HOTEL PAYING THE REVIEWER TO SAY GOOD THINGS ABOUT IT AS THE REVIEW DOESN'T MATCH WHAT YOU REALLY GET. BUT IN THIS CASE EVERYTHING IS ACCURATE. MS. GUSTAFSON ALSO GIVES HELPFUL HINTS ABOUT TRAVELING IN PARIS. ALL IN ALL THIS BOOK IS A WONDERFUL SOURCE FOR ANYONE LOOKING FOR CHARMING HOTELS TO STAY IN PARIS BUT WITHOUT PAYING DEARLY FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO STAY IN THEM. THIS BOOK'S DEFINITELY WORTH THE MONEY.

I read this book virtually cover to cover before going to spend just a few days in Paris. My recollection is that it had some of the best directions I ran across for getting from the airport into the city. When faced with the confusion of the airport, I just wanted to find a cab. But we ultimately decided to try the bus/train/Metro. And we made it with no problem. We stayed at one of the recommended hotels--Grand Hotel Des Balcons. It was a nice little hotel, which was amazingly affordable and was not just patronized by Americans. One night at dinner we were seated next to another American couple at a restaurant recommended in "Cheap Eats" (Au Petit Prince). They too were relying on both "Cheap Sleeps" and "Cheap Eats" and were also happy with every recommendation that they had relied on.My only complaint is that the books are published separately. There should be a combined Cheap Eats/Cheap Sleeps or at least a package deal offering a...Read more