Our hotel was about as picturesque as you can imagine, and it was very nice. I found it online after the hotel our travel agent found for us was about twice as expensive. The Hotel de Notre Dame was about two blocks from the river, but I don't know what we would have seen with a view room, because the street is curved. As it was, we had an inside room which opened onto a utility rooftop with a fire exit; it was completely quiet and private, and we could leave the window open.
The Rue Maitre Albert was tiny. This is looking back the way we came when we approached the hotel. The sidewalk on the right side where our hotel was, is even narrower than the one on the left in this photo. Our hotel was just at the curve in the street, which almost formed an "L," with one end opening onto a small square near the river, and the other opening almost onto Place Maubert (see below) where there was a convenient Metro stop. That is, it would have been convenient if we'd used it much.
Here's Lee standing in the lobby, which was much bigger and more elaborately decorated than any I can remember staying in in Paris. The hotel was comfortable, and the owners were friendly. You can see the decor in the more formal of the two sitting areas below. There was a computer with free Internet, which was extra nice.
It looks very French, doesn't it?
And here's Lee again, walking down the hallway. We were on the first floor, which is the one above the ground floor. The upstairs was as tiny as the downstairs was spacious. It was comfortable, though. The infrastructure in this area is ancient, and rooms and halls tend to be very, very small. I'll have more pix of the hotel in another post. If anyone's looking for a place to stay in Paris, I recommend the Hotel de Notre Dame on Rue Maitre Albert. You can find it online, and if you call, they can speak to you in English.
This morning I took a few more photos of our hotel before we got started. We were very comfortable here. The room was tiny, but what do you expect in the heart of the Latin Quarter? It was perfect. And it looks quite spacious compared to our shoebox-sized room and the narrow hallways. We didn't spend any time in the downstairs area, although it looks fairly comfortable for this kind of furniture. There were more comfy chairs in the darkened back area near the bar, which is also where we went online to check e-mail. The hotel was pleasant and really well located.
This is looking toward the bar in back, past the elevators.
Elevator doors. The front desk is right across from the elevators but out of sight here, and the computer is beyond the white easy chair.
This breakfast nook was near the front windows on the other side of the front door from the sitting area at the top of the post. We never used it, but we saw a few people having breakfast here.
I like the beamed ceilings. I think they're part of the original Medieval building. It's hard to believe, but I'm sure some of the structure dates that far back.
