Starr C.
Yelp
My stay at this hotel can be boiled down to one HUGE draw that I have been telling everybody about since I checked in and one not-insignificant drawback that makes me hesitate to want to stay again.
+++ YOU GET A FREE SMARTPHONE IN YOUR ROOM. I don't know if this is something new because I didn't see it mentioned anywhere when we booked the hotel, but Les Jardins du Marais had a handy phone (the company name is handy) in our room. We were able to take it out of the room and use it completely free of charge. We could use maps, look up reviews and store hours, download museum apps, etc. It's an Android phone so you can download apps to it, you can log onto your social media if you need to, AND AND AND you can make international calls (to certain countries) FOR FREE. This includes the United States and that blew my mind.
--- It. Gets. Loud. Les Jardins du Marais translates to "the Gardens of Marais" and has a chic outdoor courtyard area at the center of the buildings housing guests. As Le Marais is a poppin' and trendy neighborhood, this meant that we heard people outside talking, drinking, smoking, laughing every single night. On our first night, a Wednesday, I called reception because it was 2AM and 2AM on a Wednesday is unreasonable to be shouting when there are so many guests whose rooms face the courtyard. But there wasn't much we could do when the weekend rolled around. If you have trouble sleeping at night with noise outside your window, I'd make sure to bring earplugs or play white noise or something for the nights.
--- Also the walls are extremely thin. We realized this when we heard someone check into the room next to ours, engage in... hanky-panky... and get dressed and washed up. We could hear zippers, water running in the bathroom, the toilet cover getting shut, everything. I shudder to think how much my other neighbors could hear from our room.
But I truly cannot emphasize how valuable that phone was for us to have and to use during our trip. I have international data on my phone, but my US phone could only access the 2G networks whereas the provided phone could access 3G and 4G. International travelers - this is going to change your life. However, the sounds from outside and the sound passing between walls is a really big thing to take into consideration.
On to other stuff about the hotel!
LOCATION
The location was fantastic. We were within about 3 blocks of 3 different metro lines, with the closest being the 8 line at Saint-Sébastien - Froissart, across the street from a pharmacy where you can pick up bits like floss and skincare items. There are a lot of great little restaurants and shops nearby, including some extremely Yelp-popular stops. There are bars and restaurants that are open very late all around so you can feel free to enjoy nightlife. We walked to the Seine our first evening and found even more on-the-river drink and food options. We also walked to the Louvre our second day, a leisurely half-hour or so stroll. It's a great location, especially if you are really keen on staying in Le Marais.
THE ROOM
The room was comfortable, aside from the noise issue. We requested a queen bed, so the hotel pushed 2 twins together for us. We actually really liked the layout of the room, which included a stove and a little kitchen sink! (We learned upon leaving that we could request dishes and cookware from the front desk if we wanted to cook.) (They do include 2 wineglasses for you because France.) We couldn't complain much about the amenities at all, the room was very comfortable.
SERVICE
Front desk staff was great. They wore nametags that indicated what languages they spoke and were all extremely friendly. We appreciated the woman whose heels we heard after we complained about noise as she was en route to ask the folks outside to be quiet.
One thing we took issue with was that the hotel will default to washing the linens every 3 days if you don't request more frequent washing. We don't really feel comfortable with folks coming and going while we're out, so we typically hang the "Do Not Disturb" sign during our stays and manage without housekeeping. HOWEVER, after our 3rd day, we came back to housekeeping wrapping up cleaning our room. Nothing was amiss but we were a bit bothered that they enforce this every 3 days rule so strictly? We just prefer to have our clothes all over the floor, okay?
Definitely would recommend this hotel if you don't mind noise from outside, from your neighbors, and having your embarrassing conversations very quietly. (Neighbors, if you could hear me, what do you think dogs want to be when they grow up??)