Amarante Beau Manoir Hotel

Madeleine is the nearest Metro stop, just a short walk away, and the neighborhood feels very safe and friendly. There aren't many tourists around, which makes for a nice atmosphere. When we were figuring out where to go, a Frenchman with a bulldog offered to give us directions. The nearby restaurants were the best we found in Paris, with great food and friendly waiters. The room was great, with a large marble bathroom and a lovely view. Staff were friendly and very helpful. The location is right in the middle of everything. I'd definitely stay here again if I return to Paris.

Breakfast cost a jaw-dropping £20 per person per day. There was a good selection, but the quality wasn't close to what I'd expect at that price: stale croissants, apples with shriveled, wrinkly skin, and three cereals, two of them cornflakes. This might be easier to accept at a cheap hotel, but this was £100 a night, or £120 with breakfast. At that rate, I expect a lot more. The room was incredibly dark even in daytime. Metal shutters covered the window and weren't easy to open, and there were only a couple of tiny overhead lights on one side. The built-in air conditioning was physically broken, not just difficult to operate. They gave us a portable unit, but its exhaust pipe had to go out the ground-floor window into the street, so we had to sleep with the window open. In hot weather, that meant traffic noise and passing sirens. Then there were ants. I first noticed them after stepping on some barefoot in the middle of the night. It's rare for me to leave a one-star review, but I can't recommend anyone stay here.

After a 13-hour flight and an hour and a half in traffic, my parents were told by the check-in agent that they'd have to pay again for a room that had already been paid in full. Once that was sorted out, the employee said breakfast wasn't included, though it was. I had even called days after getting the confirmation to make sure everything was in order for their arrival. The way this staff member spoke to them was incredibly disrespectful and condescending, and it ruined their first night in Paris. I can't imagine how someone like that was hired in this sector, especially at a place supposed to have four stars. I was told there was no manager and that I had to wait until Monday to discuss what happened. That's three days. Absolutely unacceptable.

The hotel is old but still nice, though it needs repairs and updating. I don't recommend staying here because the lift didn't work, and they won't let you use the air conditioning outside the months they consider summer. I was there at the end of May and start of June, and it was HOT. Sleeping in that heat was hard.