Posts by author Ernesto Guiraldes
Do you really think these "gifts" aren't included in your room rates? Photo: garybembridge.
D’you know who sneaked into my stateroom at three o’clock this morning? … Nobody, and that’s my complaint! – Groucho Marx, Monkey Business Apparently Groucho was alluding to the lack of some “unclassified” amenity in that film scene. But all jokes aside, travelers often give an exaggerated sense of importance to certain amenities in the » Read more
The beautiful Gare de Lyon train station is one of the many attractions of the oft-overlooked 12th arrondissement. Photo: Quinn Dombrowski
The upbeat 12th arrondissement of Paris is in a constant process of reinventing itself and today constitutes one of the city’s most modern districts, with several upscale urban renewal projects to its name. A predominantly business and residential district, the 12th was traditionally regarded as one the less touristy quarters of Paris. Today, however, visitors » Read more
The charming Hotel Chopin is located inside a 19th-century shopping arcade near the Opera Garnier. Photo by EuroCheapo.
As my regular readers will have caught on to by now, I’m a huge fan of budget hotels, and specifically those in Paris. I visit them, stay in them and follow their changes (and sadly for some, their transformation into boutique hotels). I see them as a force of good in travel, a way for » Read more
Hotel Donjon Vincennes is just a few minutes from Bérault Metro Station. Photo: Booking.com
Strictly speaking, the suburbs of Paris (“la banlieue”) are those communes that lie beyond Paris “intramuros,” in other words, outside the Peripheral Boulevard, the highway that runs around the city. While the word “banlieue” is meant to be a socially neutral term, the media often use it in a derogatory sense that is inexact and » Read more
The Hotel Beaumarchais, located near Republique, offers brightly-colored rooms at often affordable rates.
A few weeks ago I wrote about some favorite budget hotels in Paris’ less-touristic 19th and 20th arrondissements. These are great small hotels that I believe are too often dismissed by travelers as not central enough for their trips. However, as I pointed out, Paris’ northeast quarter is buzzing these days, and travelers seeking out » Read more
The Hotel Crayon, with rooms from $160-$560, is the former one-star Louvre Forum. Photo by EuroCheapo
Legend has it that Oscar Wilde remarked shortly before his death: “My wallpaper and I are fighting a duel to the death. One or the other of us has to go.” The comment pertained to the hotel room where he was staying, which would become his final resting place. These days, the same building houses » Read more
Get a different view of Paris from the Hotel Nadaud, near Pere Lachaise cemetery in northeast Paris. Photo courtesy of the hotel
Northeast Paris is witnessing an interesting phenomenon. In this multicultural collage of gritty historic neighborhoods, bohemian quarters and more recently, piecemeal gentrification, several independently-run, quality budget hotels are enjoying increased popularity with travelers, thanks mostly to word-of-mouth. While these properties may be too far away from the traditional touristic routes for some tourists, other travelers » Read more
Casa Per Ferie Santa Maria alle Fornaci is a former convent near St. Peter’s.
A few weeks ago, cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio checked in at the Domus Internationalis Paulus VI, a clerics’ hotel in Rome, before the launching of the secret electoral conclave that would lead to the Papal election. A few days later, now the new Pope, Padre Bergoglio religiously paid his bill while checking out. The final » Read more
