Sandra Gustafson's Great Sleeps Paris (Cheap Eats and Sleeps) Review

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(More customer reviews)Paris is a challenging city when it comes to lodging. Hotels abound, but are they any good? And hotels are usually crowded, so if you don't like yours, you might be stuck. Fodor's is some help, but its reviews are short. This book spends the better part of a page on an average review, and some are longer. Prices are up to date and evaluations are accurate. The book is arranged by District, so once you know about where you'd like to be you can research in detail. I do wish, however, that she would mention hotels she didn't like that she saw, because there are many hotels one encounters while in Paris and it would be nice to know why she didn't pick the ones she didn't. A minor complaint, however. A good bonus is her inclusion of many more hotel web sites than Fodor's. And believe me, most of the decent hotels have sites with photos and info, as well as reservation capabilities. Be sure to follow her advice to use email or fax to confirm and get your confirmation in writing. She also addresses shopping and does a good job. We went to some places she like and were pleased.

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For more than 20 years, savvy travelers have trusted Sandra Gustafson for insider tips and great value abroad. Completely revised, updated and in a new portable size this beloved guide offer in-the-know advice on the best deals and most unique places to eat and stay in the City of Light. For this edition, Sandra revisited each of the recommended restaurants, and scoured the city for great new discoveries. With its lively, detailed, and personal reviews, Great Eats Paris is the antidote to the lowest-common-denominator travel advice, and the perfect companion for anyone in search of the authentic Paris.

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Cheap Sleeps in Paris: The Revised and Expanded Guide to More Than 100 Charming, Comfortable, and Inexpensive Hotels Review

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(More customer reviews)Cheap Sleeps in Paris is wonderful.
When I travel in the states, I usually go away for a long weekend, and I'm able to take advantage of weekend rates at hotel chains I know. It doesn't take much know how to get a good room in a Hilton, for example. We have lots of companies that try to keep up a consistent level of quality, and rooms tend to be pretty much the same in different cities.
But in Paris, that strategy doesn't work. My stays are longer, and I just can't afford to spend 8 nights in the same kind of place I'd choose here in the US. Most of the hotels in Paris are small and ideosyncratic. It's not just that there are differences from hotel to hotel -- there are even differences from room to room within the same place. The quality of your experience depends more upon the individuals running a specific hotel than it does here in the states, where there are companies that try to maintain a culture of quality that you can count on in different cities. In Paris you're often dealing with someone who owns and operates one hotel, and the quality of the place depends a lot on that person's attitude.
I found Gustafson's book to be very helpful. I went to Paris twice last year. The first time I didn't use her book, and I got an awful place in a marginal neighborhood and I wasn't able to dial out with my laptop (which I need to do for work), despite the fact that the hotel's web site said that I could. "Oh, you need an executive suite for that, they cost 3 times as much, and they're all full."
The second time I did use this book, and I got a place in a much nicer neighborhood, for 2/3 the cost, with a very comfortable bed and very nice bath with shower. And I could actually dial out with my laptop. That doesn't sound like much, but I had a very hard time finding a place that would let me do that. Although it's not a focus of Cheap Sleeps, she does mention a few places that are net friendly, and that was important to me. Most people will obviously have other priorities. But I believe this book will help them as well.
I've just requested another reservation at the same place for the fall. I've read some reviews here that complain about the places not being cheap enough. My room will be $68/night, in the 16th (ie., a yuppie neighborhood), on a quiet street, and it comes with a nice bath, shower, and television with cable. Not to mention the all important phone jack. I know the Franc is weak now, but when I compare that to what I pay in New York, San Francisco, London, LA, or what I'd have to pay here in Chicago, it seems pretty cheap to me.
The important thing, though, is that it's not so cheap that you wouldn't want to stay there.
Here's the bottom line: how much are you spending on your trip to Paris? This book is cheap. It will probably make a real difference in the quality of your trip; I know it did for me. If not, what are you out, compared to what you're spending already?

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Arranged by arrondissement, Cheap Sleeps in Paris provides listings for over 100 hotels, pensions, B&Bs and apartments. Entries include details such as facilities, nearby tourist attractions and whether or not English is spo ken. '--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Hello France Best Budget Hotels in France, Third Edition Review

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(More customer reviews)This is the best book I've ever used for finding hotels in Paris and Mont-St. Michel. The rooms were great, clean, well located, and the detailed descriptions of each hotel and best rooms were greatly appreciated and right on the money.

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This hotel guidebook to the best budget hotels in France is packed with detailed descriptions on more than 300 charming family-owned hotels in 30 popular cities in France. The hotel information includes the best rooms with room numbers for family, triple, double and single occupancies. The book also includes information on restaurants, tips on transportation and making hotel reservations, useful websites, laundromats, packing unusual items, foreign phrases, what to do before leaving home, etc. The criteria for selecting hotels are that they must be very clean, safe, inexpensive, centrally located and, above all, have a private bathroom in the room.

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Secret Hotels: Extraordinary Values in the World's Most Stunning Destinations Review

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(More customer reviews)You can't get a room during peak season at a resort for $1,500 a night --- the rich took them all long ago.
So what can you get for less than $250 a night?
You'd be surprised.
The editors of Budget Travel challenged themselves to find resort hotels "that don't show up on big online booking engines or get written about in fussy travel magazines."
They discovered an interesting, unreported truth: Not everyone who goes to live in a beautiful place is filthy rich. Some bliss-seekers have just enough capital to get themselves there and make the down payment on a property. A season of sweat equity later, and they're the proprietors of a small hotel --- a human-scaled retreat, "run by real people for real people, and run with love."
This book features picture-and-text profiles of eight destinations: Provence, Bali, Cornwall, Costa Rica, Tuscany, the Caribbean, the French Riviera and Tahiti. I've spent a fair amount of time in Provence, Costa Rica and the Caribbean, so those are the sections I read most closely.
Provence: I expected to find all the recommended hotels far from the madding crowd, tucked away on rocky hillsides in the Luberon. Well, the Mas du Loriot (the book says it's $63 to $157 a night --- but that was before the Euro began to stomp the dollar) is in those hills, but that's a good thing: Each room has a private terrace overlooking lavender fields. If you're off to see the Pont du Gard, La Begude Saint-Pierre ($88 to $251) is nearby; with welcome candor, the text alerts you that a few of its 23 rooms are right near the road. There's an urban hotel in Arles, a 12-room inn just five miles north of St.-Remy, a 23-room charmer five minutes from Avignon, and, to round it off, an auberge in a 12th century building in the Luberon. A nice selection, all with contact information that includes web sites.
Costa Rica: We were there as eco-tourism was just revving up. But we never got to the Ylang Ylang Beach Resort (from $120, including breakfast and dinner), reachable by a 15-minute beach walk. Might have been worth it just for the swimming pool that has its own waterfall. We also missed the more developed Pacific coast, though the Amor de Mar (from $55) seems absolutely bucolic. Also on the Pacific side is the dramatic Moana Lodge (from $60), where surfers chill under Zulu shields. From the photographs, I could easily develop a soft spot for the 8-room, Swiss-owned hotel called The Place, and I am a fool for any hotel that's named after Milarepa, the Tibetan Buddhist saint. The rest of the hotels are all on the Pacific, which made me wonder: nothing in the rain forest or the Ossa Peninsula?
Tuscany: It's the Provence of France. And so my initial thought was: Why not Umbria, just as nice and delightfully overlooked? Then I looked at La Rignana ($133 to $177), in the vineyards of Chianti, and Podere Torrena ($240, including breakfast and dinner) in nearby Radda. Ancient houses, carved furniture, family-style dinners --- what's not to like? I was particularly struck by the variety in this section. On one hand, there's a fairly-tale village on a hilltop that's home to Castello di Gargonza; on the other, there's a restored 17th century farmhouse at the end of a two-mile dirt road.
The thing about secrets, of course, is that no one keeps them --- especially the editors of Budget Travel. Is it possible that you'll go to one of their suggested hotels and find it booked solid with people just like you? Oh, yes. So it's always best to consult tripadvisor.com and compare notes with veteran travelers. And if the parade's moved on, don't tell anyone where the smart money is vacationing --- except, maybe, me.


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The inside deal on fabulous yet affordable hotels in the world's top vacation destinationsWhere should we stay?" This may be the most vexing question facing anyone planning a holiday—especially travelers whose resources aren't unlimited. But finding affordable accommodation does not mean having to settle for surly desk clerks, paltry meals, and a cramped hotel room whose only window faces a brick wall. Breathtaking views, attentive service, great on-site food, and the full range of amenities—all are available at a cost that won't make you cringe. You just have to know where to look.That's where Secret Hotels comes in. Compiled by the editors of Budget Travel magazine, this out-of-the-ordinary guidebook acquaints you with an enticing array of lodgings—from beachside cottages, to hilltop villas, to gracious, family-run guesthouses—where you'll vacation in comfort and style without having to worry about breaking the bank. Setting its sights on eight of the world's top travel destinations—Provence, Tuscany, Tahiti, the Caribbean, Costa Rica, Cornwall, Bali, and the French Riviera—Secret Hotels scopes out the hidden treasures that, till now, have mostly been known only to the locals. The description of each hotel is accompanied by sumptuous color photos of the grounds and interiors, and contact information and rates (usually less than $200 per night) are provided.

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