Charming Studio Center of Paris Bastille

At €35 per person, this felt like a five-star stay for the price. The staff were kind, the water was warm, the view was great, and we had a lovely time. It's nowhere near fancy, and if you're picky or have high standards, it may not be for you. But if you're traveling on a budget and just need a decent place for a night or two in central paris, you couldn't do better for the money.

We checked in, slept one night in our clothes, then left first thing in the morning instead of staying the other two nights. It was so filthy and unsanitary that we couldn't stay. We found a nicer hotel up the road, where the receptionist said about half their walk-in guests had checked in here, seen the rooms, and run away too. The place was a total bait and switch, and the booking was nonrefundable. The rooms looked nothing like the photos. There were old contact lenses on the floor, dried substances on the walls, a broken, moldy shower, and suspicious liquids oozing from the staircase walls. You could hear a neighbor coughing, and the beds were hard and unsanitary. We booked through booking.com, which is doing nothing to help us get a refund. Be careful with this hotel and any sites that let you book it.

The room smelled strongly of cigarette smoke, like someone had just smoked in it before we arrived. There was black mold on the walls, ceiling, bathroom, windows, and curtains, plus hairs left in the bed. We booked two nights, but regretted it as soon as we walked in and started searching for somewhere else. The prices meant we had to put up with one night. I definitely wouldn't recommend this hotel.

I can't recommend this kind of customer service. I never got to stay, so this isn't a review of the room. I'd booked one night and chose to pay a reservation fee by card, then the rest in cash, but they charged the full amount to my card. I didn't understand why. While I was waiting for my flight, I got an email saying my booking had been cancelled, seemingly out of nowhere. I was almost left without a place to stay in Paris. When I called, the man who answered said they were overbooked and apparently their website wasn't working properly. He said I'd get my money back, though I don't know yet if that will happen, but the platform's 10% fee wouldn't be refunded.