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Sofitel Paris La Defense Puteaux
We always end each visit to Sofitel Paris La Defense
Because we love visiting La Defense
There are many Places to Run
The Hotel is First Class
Cleanliness: Carpets, Rooms and Upholstery
We notice familiar hotels waxing and waning
Recently Sofitel Paris La Defense has declined:
Outdated Appliances:
-Dated iPhone docking of Bose-Type radio where comparable hotels have updated to bluetooth
-Dated electric teapot where other comparable hotels have updated to expresso machines
Cracks in Bathtub, Broken Switch in Bathroom
Hardly anyone at Breakfast compared to prior years
(although it was early New Years Day)
-Salmon was stinky and old
-Poached Egg had a “broken yolk” (I wouldn’t expect this at the Sofitel Paris)
The rooms also have a deep musky smell which I have noticed in past years,
Perhaps a strong “body odor” which lingers in the room
(remotely possible that this is a scent, but not pleasant to us)
The Front Desk Staff is always very professional although:
-charged a $100 Security Deposit for each night (which is new after many years)
-they temporarily lost my luggage and
-couldn’t explain why the city tax was twice that of all other hotels which we stayed at during the week
But We LOVE Sofitel Paris La Defense
Because it is removed from Central Paris,
The Rates are lower despite the Sofitel Name
As a Point of Reference:
The Sofitel Versailles (which has also waxed and waned)
and is also remote and relatively affordable
But their Front Desk Staff was impeccable
Their Breakfast was heavily attended (and easily twice as good)
(Except for a Fellow American who showed up in Gym Trunks and Flip-Flops which you might see in the Locker Room instead of the Sofitel Breakfast)
I keep my cell phone in my pocket, but this would have been a good photo
Françoise I
Francis I of France
King of France (1494-1547)
Ushered in the Renaissance
Befriended Leonardo da Vinci, sat at his death-bed, acquired the Mona Lisa and other Da Vinci works so that even though da Vinci hails from Florence Italy, le Louvre holds the largest collection of his paintings
Succeed his cousin Louis XII as king of France in 1515
Tomb at Saint Denis
https://uk.tourisme93.com/basilica/the-tomb-of-francois.html
Francis I – the salamander king
https://hemmahoshilde.wordpress.com/2015/05/21/francis-i-with-his-salamander/
Saint Louis (Louis IX)
Saint Louis
King Louis IX (1226-1270)
Salle Saint-Louis Medieval Louvre
http://bluelionmobiletours.blogspot.com/2014/03/le-louvre-medieval-la-salle-saint-louis.html
https://www.google.com/search?ei=W_Y6XJDFFYGAtQXzzoH4Dg&q=Salle+Saint-Louis++Medieval+Louvre&
https://www.google.com/search?ei=evk6XOTfLo6itQWl4aPgBQ&q=Saint+Louis+(Louis+IX)&
Kings and Queens of France GypsyMan Media
Mercure Paris Montparnasse Raspail
Not a Bad Experience
Great Location
But Such-a-small-room
I found myself running-into-each-other
The closet was a boxy appliance in the bathroom
The shower was a phone booth
But I liked it
An attic-slanted ceiling, with cool louvered window
(I half-expected a bat to fly in)
Such a Great Location
Raspail is a street, more of a Grand Boulevard, with center median
which flows into Paris
-a great early morning run past a neighborhood Marche
Near to Monparnasse Cemetery
Catacombs
Removed Shopping District,Complete and Not So Touristy
But Such-A-Small-Room
Novotel Paris Centre Bercy
A Classy Hotel
The Breakfast Buffet is a Traffic Jam
The Rooms are Great
I like the neighborhood
Great Jog into Paris along the Seine
Good Metro Access
A Nice Grocery
A Film Museum that I don’t Understand
Hôtel Le Louis, Versailles Château
Hôtel Le Louis, Versailles Château
– MGallery By Sofitel
Why we go back to the Hôtel Le Louis every year:
To get out of Paris
A Fine Luxury Hotel
An Affordable Hotel (because it is outside of Paris)
A GREAT Breakfast
Proximity to Palace of Versailles (located on the carriageway up to the Palace)
The Best Run in Paris (through the Gardens of Versailles)
Disadvantages:
You waste a day at the Museums
(You really can’t run, eat, travel to Paris for the Museums, return and checkout)
We have come here over the years
It dipped in Quality, but since acquired by Sofitel it is superior
Great Breakfast Brunch
Great Location
Mercure Paris Montmartre Sacre Coeur, Paris
We love this place
Near Rue LePic, Grenir de Abbes, Naturalia
Book the Superior Room on the Top Floor
We usually don’t get the view of the Eiffel Tower
but the view of Sacre-Cour (if we rearrange the furniture)
Great Location
Clean Room
Bathroom: Tiny Separate Toilet
Variety of Drinks
Coffee
Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris
The Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris
When we can make it, a early Christmas Service at Motre-Dame is the best
it is dark, no one is on the street, security screening and armed police are a giving
Afterwards, wandering central Paris and stopping into secondary churches is something which we discovered. We could walk into any of the great coffee houses, but instead we go to Pied de Corchon, sometimes the only person in the place
(we are under the impression that the grand coffee houses are too exploitive for breakfast)
Last year we toured the Towers. This is include in the Museum Pass, although you need to schedule the time in “Duck The Line”
Really spectacular, just the climb is a trip, but the gargoyles and bells are as good as you expect.
Flying into Paris
Our Experience Flying into Paris
Nonstop Flights
Anything can Happen
-Flights cancelled 6 Months in advance
-Flights cancelled the night before
-Flights delayed
-Carry-on bags are judged to be too big
When possible:
-Book the Flight directly with the airlines
(otherwise, changes in the flight are handled through intermediary)
-Sign up for Frequent Flyer Plan with Airlines
(if you obtain priority seating, you board early and have first shot at the overhead bins)
-Book a Nonstop Flight, extra hours at another airport can really add-up,
(when you arrive late in the day, there is no wiggle-room if the flight is delayed)
Arcs de Paris (Arches)
Les quatre arcs de triomphe de Paris
Arc de Triumphe
Arc de Triumphe du Carorusel
The Saint Martin Gate (La porte Saint Martin)
The Saint Denis Gate (La porte Saint Denis)
La Grande Arche de la Defense
Paris for the Holidays 