Every time I visit Paris, it’s the same thing. My eyes grow wide as saucers and my jaw drags along the sidewalk. It would be helpful if I could have someone perpetually at my elbow, reminding me to breathe. That’s just how it is. That’s just how much I love Paris.
When my husband Johnny Jet and I arrived in Paris last month, we headed straight for our hotel, Hotel Verneuil, to drop off our bags and hit the streets. Hotel Verneuil is a lovely 17th-century building tucked away on a quiet side street (8, rue de Verneuil), located in the Saint-Germain des Près area of the city.
Hotel Verneuil is a clean, four-star, moderately priced boutique hotel. It’s quaint and oozes Parisian charm. It’s a bed and breakfast and has a cozy, homey feeling. When you walk in, you’ll find a welcoming reception area to your right and a shared living room for guests, complete with a library, a fireplace and a selection of alcoholic beverages to choose from. Of course, like me, you can always ask for tea, as well. Since the guest rooms are fairly small, this is a nice place to come and relax and it really does feel like a living room in a friend’s home, if not your own.
It’s unknown what this centuries-old building was used for over the years but after WWII, it was converted into a hotel. There are 26 rooms in total. As you walk up the rickety steps to yours, you may find yourself wondering if there’s something wrong with you or with the stairs. It’s the stairs. You should definitely watch your step when you’re going up or down. But the unevenness of the staircase just adds to the charm of this place, reminding visitors that this is an old structure, one with history and character.
As I’ve mentioned, the rooms are small. The room we stayed in surprised me when we first opened the door. Despite the traditional decor of the main floor, our room was bright and modern, with teal and tangerine-tinted accessories. Some of the rooms have a more understated look to them, as you can see from the photo above. The bathroom featured a mix of stone and tile, giving it a modern feel as well. The stand-up shower was the only thing that posed problems – though maybe it’s just me. Have you ever seen those European showers that don’t have doors? The water gets all over the floor and soaks the bath mat. I have yet to master showering in one of these showers without getting water everywhere! But that aside, the shower was great and I loved the L’Occitane bath products.
Included in the reasonable room rate are breakfast, free long distance phone calls (that’s unusual – and awesome!) and WiFi. Breakfast is served on the lower level in a sort of cellar or you can have it in your room. There’s a simple selection of fresh pastries (only in France does it seem acceptable to have baguette with Nutella for breakfast!), fruit, yogurt, eggs, etc.
Not only is Hotel Verneuil a great option in terms of cost and comfort but it’s also ideally situated in the heart of Paris. It’s within easy walking distance to The Louvre, the Seine, Musée d’Orsay and Notre Dame and is just a half hour walk to the Latin Quarter. It’s also near cafes and shopping. Really, there’s everything you’ll need nearby. My husband and I walked and walked and walked and then walked some more but there’s no city in the world better for walking – with or without purpose – than Paris. The highlight of one of our long walks was leaving our lock of love on the Pont des Arts, along with the thousands of others that line this bridge of hopes and dreams. We hope to return some day, perhaps stay at Hotel Verneuil and walk the short distance from the hotel to visit our lock. I hope it will still be there!
If you’re looking for a moderately-priced, clean hotel with great service in a fab location, definitely consider Hotel Verneuil for your next visit to Paris.
Danial Strickland
May 17, 2013 at 10:50 am (10 years ago)This Salamanca District hotel less than 220 yards from the 24-hour Airport Bus stop and a 10 minute walk from Retiro Park and O’Donnell Metro Station. It features an indoor bar and rooms with a flat-screen TV.
Chadwick Pope
June 10, 2013 at 8:31 pm (10 years ago)The staff, all four that I interacted with, were very polite and helpful. They speak English and go out of their way to answer questions. I was greeted by name each time I returned to the hotel. As for the reviews that said the staff was not courteous, it’s hard to believe they stayed at the same hotel. My deluxe room on the top floor was decorated to a very high standard, compared to my experiences of many other Parisian and European hotels, with beautiful paint, upholstery and fixtures. It was not large, but in my experience, all hotels in Paris are going to have small rooms by American standards if they are in a prime location and you are not paying $600 night. This hotel has been recently renovated and was nearing completion during my stay – it is going to be a jewel. The location is perfect for the left bank. I would definitely stay again.