PARIS - France 2014 - page 224

Warning: The next two hotels are very busy with my readers (reserve long in ad-
vance).
$$ Grand Hôtel Lévêque**, ideally located on Rue Cler, is all about location. It's a
busy place with a sliver-size elevator, a sleek breakfast room that doubles as a lounge, and
unreliable service but fairly priced, sufficiently comfortable accommodations. This hotel
receives more than its share of complaints, but the location and price may make it worth
a try. Rooms on Rue Cler come with fun views but morning noise as the market sets up
(S-€90-120,Db-€180,Tb-€210,29RueCler,tel.[phone], www.hotel-leveque.com ,
[e-mail] ).
$ Hôtel du Champ de Mars**, a cozy option 10 steps from Rue Cler, has adorable
rooms and serious owners Françoise and Stephane. This plush little hotel has a small-
town feel from top to bottom. The rooms are snug but lovingly kept, and single rooms
can work as tiny doubles. It's an excellent value despite the lack of air-conditioning (Sb-
€105, Db-€125, 30 yards off Rue Cler at 7 Rue du Champ de Mars, tel. [phone],
www.hotelduchampdemars.com , [e-mail] ) .
Near Rue Cler, Close to Ecole Militaire Métro Stop
The following listings are a five-minute walk from Rue Cler, near the Ecole Militaire
Métro stop or RER: Pont de l'Alma.
$$$ Hôtel Duquesne Eiffel***, a few blocks farther from the action, is calm, hos-
pitable, and very comfortable. It features handsome rooms (some with terrific Eiffel
Tower views), a welcoming lobby, and a big, hot breakfast for €13 (Db-€190-260, price
grows with room size, Tb-€220-300, 10 percent less with this topic in 2014, 23 Avenue
Duquesne, tel. [phone], www.hde.fr , [e-mail] ) .
$$$ Hôtel Splendid***, at a major intersection near the Ecole Militaire Métro stop,
offers adequate comfort with faded furnishings. A number of rooms have a sensational
Eiffel Tower view (Sb-€140-190, Db-€170-230, Db view rooms and suites-€250-350, pay
Wi-Fi, small bar, deals for Rick Steves readers, 29 Avenue de Tourville, tel. [phone]
29, www.hotel-splendid-paris.com , [e-mail] ) , helpful Den-
nis at reception.
$$$ Hôtel de France Invalides** is a fair mid-range option away from most other
hotels I list. It's run by a brother-sister team (Alain and Marie-Hélène) with a small bar/
lounge and 60 well-maintained rooms, some with knockout views of Invalides' golden
dome, but no air-conditioning. Rooms on the courtyard are very quiet, while those on the
Les Invalides side face a large street (Sb-€140, standard Db-€150-300, 5 percent discount
with this topic in 2014, connecting rooms possible for families, 102 Boulevard de la Tour
Maubourg, tel. [phone], www.hoteldefrance.com , [e-mail] ) .