Hôtel de l'Union

There’s a supermarket two minutes away, with plenty of bakeries and places to eat nearby. Metro line 9 is right outside, and Nation is close too, so getting around is easy even though the hotel is a little beyond the main Paris area. The rooms were warm and really good. Staff were exceptionally helpful, and they let us leave our luggage after checkout without charging us. Just be ready for steep, winding stairs.

The room itself was nice, quiet despite being right by the street, and cleaned daily with the rubbish taken out. We stayed in a room with a shower bathroom on the sixth floor. There’s no lift, and getting up the 96 steps can be hard for some people. The stairs also weren’t in great condition. The metro stop right outside the entrance was very convenient.

The staff were very helpful, and I’d stay here again. There are plenty of cafes, shops and a supermarket within walking distance. Our third-floor room looked onto the street, with a second window in the bathroom facing the interior. I loved looking out at the rooftops, cafes and people passing by. It was fairly quiet, especially with the window shut. There was a fan or cooling unit, though we didn’t need it. The bathroom has no exhaust fan, so you’ll want to open its window. There’s no lift, so be prepared to haul suitcases up the spiral stairs.

The room was spacious, with a nice street view, and the staff were kind and helpful. We stayed six nights from late June into early July, and it was really good value. The nearby subway made it easy to reach central areas. A couple of things got in the way: the spiral stairs are hard with luggage and can smell really bad, and the street sometimes got loud enough to make sleeping difficult. Still, I’d highly recommend it to a budget traveler.