We reached Hotel Montparnasse St Germain (yes I know, what a long name, right?) after about an hour of taxi ride that cost me 103 euro. That's an equivalent of about S$175.
The taxi driver was nice and helpful. He didn't mind that I checked out the taxi rate from Disneyland to Montparnasse from other drivers as well.
The taxi driver was friendly and chatty but it took me some time to get used to the Paris-accent English.
I chose to stay at Montparnasse as it is a safe neighbourhood. I was tempted to book a hotel near Gare du Nord as the lodging there was cheap and accessible, but the neighbourhood is said to be unsafe - lots of drug dealers and prostitutes. With 2 kids and nil man, the choice was obvious.
It is a small, quiet and inconspicuous boutique hotel located at the corner of a street.
The reception area
Do you see the receptionist's head slightly above the counter?
We took the very tiny lift - as tiny as, if not tinier, Central Park Hotel's lift, to our room.
Very special lift too! You have to open the red door before getting into the lift.
Our room!
It's large for 2 adults!
No air-con, but we did fine as the weather was cold and wintry in June this year.
It got a little humid in the middle of the night though.
The bathroom was luxurious. Very well-equipped with a nice bathtub and rain shower. Having a nice warm bath in the tub was the first thing we did every day we were there.
The hotel was situated just right beside a Galeries Lafayette branch. We didn't venture into this place as I had read that it doesn't have brands and stocks as comprehensive as its Boulevard Haussmann store. It appeared quiet and subdued from the outside as well.
The stairs I climbed every day to the first floor to get hot water.
The tiny cafeteria where I got my hot water from
The faithful white kettle where I acquired the thirst-quenching, all-saving hot water from, every single day that we were there.
We chose our own passcode and used it to access the hotel from outside. An added security measure in a not-so-safe haven.
Paris' 2-plug sockets.
We stayed at the hotel for 5 days. The staff were friendly and helpful. They spoke English and smiled especially broadly when you use 'bonjour'. They were the total opposite of their cold and bitter British counterpart. Enquiries I made include:
- how to get to this and that place
- what is the quickest way to get to this and that place
- which metro station to use for this and that place
- metro fare for a 4-year-old
- getting to Paris airport
The hotel was convenient and accessible. Very near to 2 metro stations (Bienvenue and Edgar Quinet) and a main train station (Gare Montparnasse). Surrounded by many bistros and restaurants. We had our breakfast at the bistros around the hotel and the people were similarly friendly and helpful.
I paid about S$233.45 per night for the hotel stay. A decent rate for a small, safe and accessible hotel.
The room was cleaned every day. We had to hand our keys to the counter staff every morning before we went out. I was quite apprehensive about that but the counter staff assured me that it was for the chambermaid's access and everybody did the same thing. When we came back to the hotel, we would see Baby's unicorn standing in the middle of the 2 pillows and we had a good laugh over it.
The cons about the hotel are not having a kettle in the room and having nil room service. Sometimes we were tired from the outing and would really appreciate a dine-in option at our room. It would have been quite perfect if these two essentials of travellers were provided for.
But all in all, it was a good experience at this hotel. Love the quiet and safe neighbourhood. It even has a Sunday morning market round the corner just in front of Edgar Quinet Metro Station which we bought raspberries from. It was another good start to our lovely Paris trip.
Hotel Montparnasse St Germain
19 Rue Du Depart, Paris, 75014 France
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