Franklin Roosevelt Hotel

My family and I stayed here between Christmas and New Years Eve. Staff was friendly and everyone spoke English much better than my French. Rooms were nice and the area is surrounded by restaurants, shops and real people. Cab stand nearby, Metro nearby and the Champs Elysee a a couple of blocks away, yet this hotel is on a nice quiet street. Can walk to the Tour Eiffel, Invalides, but the Louvre is a bit of a hike - take a cab. Intimate little bar that was a great place to discuss the day. I can't wait to go back and stay at the Franklin Roosevelt again.\n\n

We stayed for 3 days and enjoyed our stay. In general, the staff were helpful. Our original room was next to the elevator and with a view toward a back alley. We asked to change rooms and they gave us one with a nice street view. Part of the enjoying France for us is the people and cafes and the view was very nice with windows that open, wrought iron balcony with flower box. If you require quiet to sleep you may not want a street view as people in France do eat late and there will always be the odd motorbike or truck that goes by. Try to ask for a room that is higher up (2-6 floors) for a better view.\n\nAs in most of Europe the room was realtively small, but clean and comfortable. The bathroom was spotless with very nice marble, clean towels and thick bathrobes. Location is nice as its a short walk to the Sienne, the Metro, and the Champs-Elysees (all within 5 minutes) The Arc de Triomphe is a bit further but not far maybe 10-15 minutes. If you are arriving at Charles de Gaulle, you can take the Air France Bus (open to all passengers) to the Arc de Triumphe and then take the Metro two stops to Franklin Roosevelt. From there its a short walk. \n\nSo to sum it up, good location, pleasant small hotel and we would stay there again.

Type:Dining Distance: In hotel

Breakfast

The hotel does have a breakfast buffet for 20 plus Euros. That is a bit much in my opinion, especially when France is famous for cafes and pastry shops. Skip the hotel breakfast and go to a cafe for some wonderful coffee and pastries.

Type:GettingAround Distance: Requires transportation

Metro Pass

The Paris Metro is wonderful. That said, Paris is best seen by walking around and using the Metro as needed. So we skipped buying the Metro Visite Pass and instead bought a "Carnet" or package of 10 tickets. We ended up buying one more carnet for our 3-day stay but that was still less than 2 3-day Metro Passes. For example, we walked around the Eiffel Tower, strolled to a cafe and then found out we were half-way to our hotel. It was easier and more beautiful to walk back than walk to a metro and take the train.