Hostel Review: The Ideal Hotel**

The Ideal Hotel**
Paris, France

Photo Credit: www.idealhotelparis.com

Where we heard about it: www.hostelbookers.com, after scrambling for 1/2 hour trying to find something remotely within our budget that had vacancy!

What sealed the deal: Vacancy! Not costing me my firstborn child!

First impressions: A little character-less and small, but clean and quiet.

What we paid: (high season) 44 EURO/$66 CAD each, private 2xTwin Room.

Photo Credit: www.idealhotelparis.com

What we liked: After our overwhelming and exhausting day of trying to find a place to stay, sight-seeing, lugging our bags across the city, it was so nice to crash in a quiet room all our own! We even had our own bathroom that came with towels and soap (oh the luxury)! The beds were comfortable, we had a nice view out of our window (which we kept open for the breeze...still no A/C), and the staff were professional, if not especially friendly (maybe that's a Paris thing?). It was literally a 2 minute walk from the Metro station, and 15 minutes from the Eiffel tower (no directions necessary...just step out the door and walk in the direction of the big spire). The neighborhood was quiet, business-y, and felt safe for 2 girls and a small monkey to be walking around after dark. Breakfast was decent, with more variety than your general hostel fare.

What we didn't like: We only booked this place because there was nowhere else to go...it was more than we had budgeted for accommodations, so we did resent that a little. I prefer places with more personality, myself, and in more central locations. Besides the tower, there wasn't really anything else of interest very close by. The room was tiny. Breakfast cost 7 EURO/$10.50 CAD, which we didn't know until we had eaten... oops.

Photo Credit: www.idealhotelparis.com

Internet Availability: There is a computer terminal in the lobby. I never figured out how to use it, and I'm not sure if you have to pay for it. Free Wi-Fi available!

Would we stay there again?
In a similar situation, yeah I would. All in all, it was adequate, and probably decent value for money considering the going rates, but I have a feeling Paris has much more to offer.

Disclaimer: this is not a paid advertisement! The opinions expressed here belong only to Regis and I. The prices were recorded in my travel journal, and the Canadian conversion was based on 1 EURO = 1.5 CAD, which is a rough estimate of what it was at while we were travelling in June 2011.