Hotel La Vieille France

The location by Gare Du Nord is superb, and that seems to be what the high price is for. The hotel was just OK, though. The old flooring has a hole covered by carpet, and it definitely needs renovation. For this price, we expected a kettle, tea, coffee, and milk in the room.

I have walking pneumonia, and this was our last hotel before I needed to go home for medical treatment. This is no place to stay, especially if you have health issues. Every wall had black mold. They’d painted over it repeatedly, and now the walls were cracking and sagging. Tapping them made a crumbling sound from behind. The mold had even worked into the framed picture with the hotel policies on the wall. Within two minutes of entering, my lungs were burning and I was choking up. Seconds later my nose started bleeding, no joke. I’m sensitive to mold, as I’m sure most people are. The room also smelled of cigarettes and had burns all over the floor. The bathroom had bug carcasses and live bugs hovering around. The toilet seat was held on by hopes and dreams. Sitting on it felt like I could fall in or off onto the sticky floor. I went downstairs to plead with the owner, but he argued that the rooms were perfectly clean. When I explained my health situation, with bloody tissue still under my nose, he all but rolled his eyes and said there was nothing he could do. It brought me to tears. My partner went down and was more forceful than I felt capable of being. Then the owner said he could refund the second night, which was €60 cheaper, and that I’d have to go through booking for the rest. I contacted booking, and they contacted him. They said he planned to keep the €180 for the first night as a cancellation fee. I’ve never felt so disrespected or lied to by a business. When booking called and told me, I phoned the hotel myself and asked if I could come back to take pictures for booking so I could get my money. I was screamed at, called a liar, and told never to come back. I’ve now disputed it and filed a claim through my bank. Stay far away if you value your health. I wouldn’t even speak the name out loud.

With three large suitcases, the walk from Gare du nord was still easy, and having a lift helped. It’s a handy place for a night or two in Paris. Nothing especially fancy, but good for the price, and I’d stay again.

For a one-night stop before leaving Paris, the location worked well: Gare du Nord is about a five-minute walk, and Magenta is nearby for the airport RER. There are plenty of restaurants, cafés and bars open 7/7 around the corner. Our room was a surprisingly good size with two twin beds. The Wi-Fi had a strong signal but was a little unreliable, and traffic was noticeable around 5pm before easing off. I liked having so much nearby, though 80€ felt a bit steep.