Airports in Paris will be laying on free dance lessons for travelers throughout the summer, Yahoo News tells HostelBloggers.
The lessons are set up according to where travelers are flying off to - salsa for Cuba, hip-hop for New York etc. Which begs the question: what dance do they learn if they’re flying to England - Morris dancing?
Anyway, if it takes away from the sheer unmitigated horror of airports - and air travel, generally - then it’s alright by us.
Early to breakfast on our last day and our enthusiasm was growing as we only had a handful of properties to visit and then the hope of some time to ourselves in the afternoon before leaving to get back to London.
Our meeting at Perfect Hotel and Hostel was with Jerom who showed us around the property. Some rooms had an excellent balcony and a good view of the city. The property is very conveniently located and is ideal for those travelling with children as they cater your every need. This hotel is very quiet however so if you are looking for a party atmosphere then best to look elsewhere.
The shortest meeting of our trip was with Zabib at Hotel Saint Sebastien. We were shown around the property which is very clean, tidy and quiet. A very easily accessible property which is situated near the Saint–Sebastien Froissart Metro. Once again a highly recommended hotel.
Easy access from line 5 Porte de Pantin metro is Hotel de Paris. This hotel is in front of the Park of Villette, Town of Sciences and the Industry and The Music Academy. An ideal location which boasts clean and tidy and most importantly very quiet rooms. This hotel comes highly recommended.
Easy access when exciting from Gare du Nord, the Hotel Belfort has incredibly friendly staff. We met with Souhila and had a quick catch up. Rooms are excellent and tidy and clean. Location of property is great and easily accessible by bus. A short walk will take you to the Place de la Republique in the centre of Paris to the Opera de la Bastille.
The nearest metro to the Hotel Armstrong is Porte de Montreuil on line number 9. This is a great hotel because of its location as it offers a direct metro to the Eiffel Tower and The Champs Elysees. Rooms are lovely, clean and tidy and staff exceptionally friendly and helpful. We highly recommend this hotel because of its very central location.
The Hotel Ermitage was a little difficult to find, however if you have access to a phone and you can call them up then and they’ll send a car to come and pick you up from the station. Hotel is very clean and tidy and we would highly recommend it because it is very quiet and laid back.
We headed back to our hotel where I took the time out to write some of what you are reading and had a snooze and Helena set off to do a bit of shopping. Heading back on the Eurostar that evening was a breeze. We ended up getting some free champagne from a member of the bar staff as well as a handful of chocolates. What an end to a perfect trip!
All in all we had a great time in Paris. In the evenings we spent time wondering the streets and sampling the fantastic array of cheese and wine on offer as well as taking in all the sights and sounds.
Truth be told when it came to it neither one of us wanted to leave the beautiful city. We had been blessed with fantastic weather and had met some incredible people. I can speak for Helena and I when I say that a holiday is Paris is on the cards for next summer.
Another early start but on this day we were feeling very confident about things. Having had enough time to get to know Paris and learning how to navigate around on the previous day we were excited to get out and visit the hostels.
The Absolute Paris Hostel is ideally located as it is just in front of the canal St Martin. With exceptionally friendly staff who were delighted to meet with us it’s a great place to stay. The rooms are very colourful and clean and tidy and there is a very good atmosphere in the communal areas. There are all sorts of rooms on offer which make this an ideal option for groups of people travelling alone.
The Hotel de la Terrasse is in a wonderful location, situated close to the biggest antique market in the world, ‘Marche des Puces’, and nearby are the Cite des Sciences (Science Museum) and the other main tourist attractions of Paris. A lovely clean and tidy hotel with very friendly and helpful staff it again comes highly recommended. The rooms are all en-suite and plenty of space in general. This hotel has a pleasant lounge and breakfast area which is bright and sunny because of the massive windows which over look the street outside.
On arrival at Hotel le Faubourg we met with Halim. This Hotel is very centrally situated and was entirely renovated in 2005. A lovely clean and tidy hotel with everything you could possibly need. With the Montorgueil Market just a stones throw away it’s a great location. The visit was very short but we got to have a good look around and we would highly recommend the property.
The Ideal Hotel is a a really lovely hotel situated in the heart of the business and commercial district of BeauGrenelle. We met with Nawar who showed us a couple of rooms. All were very tidy and clean and they all rooms are sound-proof too ensuring a peaceful nights’ sleep.
We were to meet with Jean-Paul at Hotel Mon Reve and then later on with Nathalie but we were unable to see either one in the morning. We were once again a little early for the appointment but luckily someone else took the time out to see us. This hotel was lovely. It has everything you could possibly need and incredibly organized and tidy rooms. Two very important things to note about this hotel is that they have a strict policy and don’t allow dogs and they allow all children under the age of 12 to stay free of charge.
Friends Hostel is an incredibly easy hostel to get to which makes it a great choice for any traveller. The hostel is located at the metro stop Barbes-Rochechouart, is newly renovated and is deal for backpackers and students. With no curfew and a twenty four hour reception it’s a great choice for those looking to see the night life Paris has on offer. All in all a great hostel - very clean, tidy and well organised.
Le Regent Montmartre Hotel is a fantastic choice of hotel because of the brilliant view of the MontMarte Cathedral from most rooms on the fifth floor. Unfortunately you cannot request these rooms but perhaps you will be lucky when booking in advance. This hotel is very clean and tidy and the staff are incredibly friendly. The hotel offers an excellent breakfast buffet, one of the best we saw throughout the trip and it is also very easily accessible from the metro.
On returning back to our hotel we decided to go for dinner. We headed out to a Columbian restaurant just around the corner which was incredibly good! We had a traditional meal which was out of this world!
With our tummies full and sleepy from the wine, we got home and headed right to bed.
We hadn’t realised that our first appointment was only at 10h00 so we set our alarms for 06h30. Quick shower and then breakfast and we headed off for our first appointment by 7:30. I am not entirely sure why but we had this idea that navigating around Paris was going to be incredibly difficult. The people in Paris were just lovely, everyone offering to help with directions and everyone trying to speak English to us. With Helena by my side navigating Paris was a breeze!
We were early for our first appointment which was with the Edward at the Woodstock Hostel. A beautiful hostel, one that I would highly recommend for the seasoned back packer as it has all the charm in the world. With a fantastic out door area with tables and chairs and lots of bright paintwork as well as a great reception area with lots of great art and bits and pieces.
This hostel was situated in a great area, not entirely central but within arms reach of the nearest metro it’s ideal. The rooms are basic but very clean and tidy and the staff really helpful, friendly and fun. Another reason why this hostel is particularly good is because they only accept backpackers, no families or children allowed.
The Hotel Garden was the hotel where we chose to stay whilst in Paris. As far as a lively night life sort of atmosphere is concerned it’s not the place you should stay if that is what you are after however if you are looking for convenience, cleanliness and peace and quiet this hotel is a perfect option. Situated just a few minutes walk from the Voltaire Metro it’s positioning is great.
David, the owner, offered to pay for our dinner and suggested we go to a Columbian restaurant around the corner. Eventually he convinced us to accept the offer and when Helena attempted to thank him for his kindness, she said it all wrong. What she meant to say was that his offer was very kind but instead she said that his offer was very sexual. An incredibly awkward moment to say the very least, David quickly reminded us that he was a married man!
Peace and Love Hostel is an incredible hostel. If you’re looking for fun and games then this is the perfect place to stay. With incredible staff that are more than passionate about travel and a great bar and lounge area situated very centrally this is a great choice for accommodation. The hostel itself is very clean and tidy and brightly decorated, they have all you could ever need so it comes highly recommended. For those wanting to experience the Paris night life they have no curfew and their bar is open as long as there is a demand so again another good reason to stay at the Peace and Love Hostel.
On to the The 3 Ducks Hostel a truly beautiful little hostel with a fantastic atmosphere, as far as a central location is concerned it is ideal. With great staff and a very lively bar and lounge area it is guaranteed to be good fun staying there. Again the staff at the 3 Ducks Hostel were very enthusiastic about travelling and I am sure given the time to sit down and share a beer would have a million tales to tell.
On arrival at the Aloha Hostel the girls at the reception desk seemed a bit perplexed about who we were. Once we explained it was all systems go. We first got a good show around the property. With a lovely bar and lounge area and a great internet café it’s a really nice hostel. We sat at the bar area having a chat about all sorts including the comings and goings within the hostel. After a quick show around we gave them our complimentary t-shirts and took some photographs. The hostel location is very central so again comes highly recommended.
Our meeting at Le Montclair Montmartre Hostel began with a quick look around the building. With a lovely bright and sunny lobby area and great internet café it’s a great choice of accommodation. With exceptionally friendly staff and great, clean facilities I would highly recommend it.This property has a good variety of rooms so its ideal for any type of traveller be it for groups of people travelling on their own.
On arriving at the Boissiere hotel we were greeted by Laurent Corbel, a real character with lots to say. At the moment the property is undergoing a major refurbishment. All the rooms on the fifth and top floor are en-suite however when the refurbishment is complete all rooms will be en-suite. The building is equipped with wi-fi and there is a computer available downstairs for internet access. The rooms are really incredible with nice modern furniture and some that have excellent views are available. The staff are very friendly and helpful so all in all this property comes highly recommended.
We headed back to our hotel after this last appointment, totally exhausted but somehow we managed to muscle up the energy to go and see of the sights and enjoy a lovely glass of French wine. Back at the hotel by 10, our heads hit the pillow and were out!
Helena and I left the office at 16h00, expecting to arrive at Waterloo and easily board our train to Paris. We arrived at the station only to find absolute chaos.
Earlier on in the day there had been a fire alert on board a Eurostar train which shut down the tunnel in both directions for several hours. We ended up boarding the train at 20h15 that evening, the train which was meant to be departing at 17h45.
Eventually after hours waiting we were on the train ready to go only to find we had been situated in the worst possible carriage with a demon child who decided to scream from the start of the journey to the very end. Needless to say this was the final insult for what seemed would be a nightmare trip to Paris.
We arrived in Paris just after 01h00, now we were faced with figuring out how we would get to our hotel as the metro was now closed. Luckily because we were delayed for reasons out of our control Euro star agreed to refund us for the taxi which we had to take to our hotel. Eventually we arrived at the Garden Hotel at about 02h00 and we went right to bed, totally exhausted!
