Exceeded my expectations! (Novotel Vaugirard Montparnasse (Paris, France))

Member Name: frankie1984

Product:	Novotel Vaugirard Montparnasse (Paris, France)
Date:	08/12/08 (148 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Modern, Funky and nice restaurant

Disadvantages: Is slightly pricey for a 3 star

On my recent trip to Paris I went to inspect a couple of hotels in the Novotel chain. The first one was the Novotel Vaugirard which is a 3 star hotel. Whilst here I even enjoyed a meal in the restaurant which I will come to later on but, first let me tell you about the hotel.


The hotel:
The hotel is distinguishable from the outside as being a Novotel by the standard blue written signage on the building along with the sign outside the door. Nothing really particular stands out as you pull up to the hotel to make you think 'wow' as the building is pretty simple - however once I entered the building the hotel suddenly had a more desirable impression on me due to the funky lobby and generally modern and clean reception I was now stood in.


Location:
The hotel is located in the 15th Arondissement of Paris on the left bank and is located at 257 Rue De Vaugirard. The hotel's closest attractions are the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre but most locations are within easy reach either by walking should you wish to get around this way or by taking the metro.


First impressions:
As I mentioned the hotel didn't really do anything for me as I pulled up outside as it didn't stand out as anything special but, upon entering my opinion changed immediately - you see I love 'funky' hotels for want of a better word and like modern twists whilst not being in too posh a hotel that I feel uncomfortable! The Novotel Vaugirard meets the criteria as it has the modern design but staff are friendly and polite without being pretentious. The lobby was one of those for me where I walk into and think 'ah I like it already!' before even seeing a room. For all I knew at this stage the rooms could've have been a mess but, I was instantly hooked by the decor - for me this says that they have done what they intended - grabbed a client and caught them well and truly in their grasp! So hopefully the rest of the hotel would be just as good!


The rooms:
So not that I had high expectations or anything but, off we went to the room - stepping out of the lift I was met by a large and funky (that word again!) plant pot that my camera screamed out to demand a picture and then down a short corridor which was brightly lit and spacious and there was the room. Light and also spacious I was well and truly hooked - minimalistic decor with plain walls but right splashes of colour thrown in to give it that IKEA/Habitat look and it was my ideal room. The room was well equipped for a city break too with tea and coffee facilities and a small mini bar. There is also a safe deposit box and air conditioning which I am sure during summer would be useful! The thing I liked was that the windows could be opened fully instead of these silly windows that are popping up everywhere now that only open partially! There is a radio in the room which can also be used as an alarm clock but, if you prefer a wakeup call can be made through the telephone instead. Overall I was impressed by the room which was a standard room type. The hotel also has superior rooms which I believe are a bit larger. Altogether there are 187 rooms which also include 3 suites although I am not sure what these are like and there are 5 rooms which are adapted for wheelchair users. Interestingly out of all 187 rooms, only 22 are smoking rooms. Since the ban in July for France to become non smoking city in public places, a lot of hotels have dropped their number of smoking rooms and this one is no exception.
Room service is available from 7pm - midnight.


Restaurants and bars:
As I mentioned earlier I enjoyed a rather nice meal at the Novotel Vaugirard - in fact it was the nicest meal I had whilst in Paris! Firstly the bar - The hotel has 1 bar which is located just off from the lobby and is adequate enough to get a drink in before dinner of heading out for the evening. They serve a variety of drinks as most hotel bars do but, as again with most hotel bars, the drinks come at a price! A pint of lager came in at 9 Euros so it's probably best not to drink in here all evening.
The restaurant is right next to the bar and until recently was also just part of the bar. The hotel have now decided to market this place as somewhere to encourage guests to eat rather than looking outside the hotel and with the food we had this is a brilliant idea if you ask me! We ate a set menu as the dinner was hosted for us but, all the items we had are normally available. For starters we had a pastry of some sort which was a small base loaded with tomato and a pesto. It was light and tasty and the perfect starter as it was not heavy at all. The main came next which was a chicken coated in some kind of mild spicy sauce but, not overpowering. The chicken was served with vegetables and again was yummy! Dessert was by far though the main attraction for me and I was simply delighted to receive a chocolate fondue with vanilla ice cream and an orange sauce. The fondue was simply divine which combined with the nicest vanilla ice cream I have ever tasted I could have ate two lots easily! Coffee followed dessert and was served with a little chocolate - a perfect end to a perfect meal!
The only downside is I am not sure how much it actually is to eat in here - I tried to see if there were any menu's unfortunately not and as this meal was hosted by the hotel I am not sure how much per head you would be looking at to eat in here. I imagine prices would be on par with bar prices but, for the splendid food and also the lovely dining area I would be keen to eat here if prices were not too extortionate and would definitely recommend it.


Other facilities:
The hotel has a range of other facilities which include private parking which is pretty hard to come by in some city hotels long with a small gym and sauna. The hotel also has one small meeting room which fits up to 18 people. The hotel has WI-FI throughout and most interesting is that they accept pets although you do have to arrange this in advance with them and there are certain conditions involved so it is best to contact the hotel directly for this! There is also a children's play section located just off the lobby.



Price:
The hotel rates are not bad but, for some it may seem a little high for a 3 star - in my opinion though this hotel should have a slightly higher rating so it's worth remembering this when getting prices. If you book directly with the hotel you can get a room for approximately 149 Euros per night based n two people sharing and also including breakfast. At the current exchange rate this works out at around £115 per night.



Overall opinion:
As I am sure you have gathered by now I was impressed by this hotel - I wasn't expecting much so maybe that's why I was so taken by it but, it really is a nice hotel. Location is pretty good, the staff I came into contact with were friendly enough and the hotel is clean and modern. I thought that the rooms were bright and airy and were somewhere you'd definitely be glad to come back to after a long day out sightseeing. The restaurant is another highlight too so even though normally I wouldn't recommend staying in your hotel for an evening meal, this is one I'd make an exception for. Overall a good choice of hotel for a Paris city break.

Summary: A nice hotel that is modern and funky