Parisien Nights (Hotels in Paris in general)

Member Name: huddro

Product:	Hotels in Paris in general
Date:	19/06/01 (530 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Location, Comfort

Disadvantages: Not many rooms, Busy

When travelling on business it is nice to find a hotel that is “home from home” and that is exactly what the four star Golden Tulip Hotel Washington Opera has become.

Located on Rue de Richelieu this hotel is ideally situated for the financial district of Paris. Especially for me as our offices are next to the Bourse about a ten-minute walk away. For those looking to explore L’Opera is at the end of the road in one direction and a further ten minutes walk takes you to the banks of the Seine and the Louvre.

Arriving at Gare Du Nord on the Eurostar it is best to take a taxi to the Hotel, costing from 38 francs (about 3.80) out of rush hour it is a reasonably priced trip to the hotel.

The front of the hotel can be easily missed being only a double doorway in a marble entrance with the smallest possible sign on one side. This automatic door opens into the reception area with the desk on the left and a small seating area to the right.

The front desk is staffed by a minimum of two people, both multi-lingual, so there is never a language problem. I have enough trouble with English and my French is just embarrassing really so this is a total bonus for me.

A single elevator located at the rear of the reception takes you to your floor. Arriving at your destination the first thing you notice as you step from the elevator is that the soft lighting in each hall is activated by your movement, this is a nice touch rather than the usual glaring fluorescent lights found in most hotels.

Entry to your room is via an electronic key card. Each room is incredibly large considering the small size of this hotel. A standard room includes a desk, mini bar/fridge, TV (with satellite channels), double wardrobe with safe, two armchairs, a small dining table, double bed (more later), two bedside cabinets, and a direct dial telephone.

The décor is subtle yet classy with deep reds mixing with dark woods to g
ive a feeling of warmth, while remaining open and spacious. Each room has two sets of floor to ceiling patio doors opening to give an outlook over Rue de Richelieu on one side and I have to confess no idea on the other as we all seem to get the rooms at the front of the hotel on our trips, so if anyone stays here let me know and I’ll update the op.

Drinks in the mini bar are reasonably priced with a coke costing 3 francs (about 30p at current exchange rates). There are no tea or coffee making facilities in the room but a call to reception brings a tray delivered to your room within 5 minutes, at a cost of about 2 pounds for a pot of coffee giving 6 cups this is really good value. Remember to ask for café au lait or ask for a jug of milk as otherwise you get a pot of exceptionally strong thick black coffee and will be awake all night!

But I hear you ask what about the bathroom? Through a door in the corner of the room you find yourself in a marbled bathing paradise! The sink and bath are sunk into marble tops with chrome fittings finishing the effect. A power shower hung above the bath will revive you after a hard night in the bars of Paris and complimentary Nina Ricci bath products make you smell nice after all the garlic in the food.


Now back to the bed, as promised. As I said earlier these rooms are very spacious and this can be demonstrated by the size of bed. It is possible to fit 6 people in a double here! No I haven’t tried but by lying on one side and rolling across you can work it out! Now you are thinking I am really sad but believe me there are only so many nights you can go out drinking during the week when away on business and those odd nights stuck in a hotel room do get very boring!!

Breakfast is not included in the price of a room here but is available from 0700 to 1030 each weekday morning. Take the elevator to the basement and tucked away in one corner is the breakfast bar. A small sel
ection of cereals are available, and a much larger selection of pastries and croissants with Fruit juice and tea or coffee. To be honest a better option for the price is to head out to one of the many cafes around Paris for breakfast.

There is no restaurant at this hotel but you have the choice of so many establishments within about a five minutes walk that it is never an issue. There is a bar located in the basement open until the last resident goes to bed and room service is available twenty four hours a day with hot food available until ten thirty in the evening. For those wishing to return from Paris with a guaranteed tan the hotel offers a solarium for that sun in moment.

This hotel is very classy and could be a little stuffy if it were not for the relaxed and welcoming demeanour of the team and a willingness to try to accommodate your every need, don’t be so rude! This is an ideal base for the business traveller or for a weekend break to explore the sights of Paris.


For those of you flying further travel information:
Charles De Gaulle Airport approx 30 km
Orly Airport approx 20 km

Full Address:
Golden Tulip Hotel Washington Opera
50 Rue de Richelieu
Paris 75001, France
Tel (0033) 01-42966806
Fax (0033) 01-40150112

Summary: