Hotel De La Sorbonne review, Paris, France

Hotel De La Sorbonne
Paris, France
A 100% Smoke-Free Hotel

By Dave Grossman, HotelMagician.com

May 2009

The Hotel de la Sorbonne had gotten good reviews on sites like TripAdvisor, so when I was choosing between a variety of hotels in Paris’ Latin Quarter, I chose this hotel over roughly ten in the area, The Hotel de la Sorbonne is located directly adjacent to the Sorbonne (the most famous University in France) in the heart of the Latin Quarter and while a first time visitor to Paris might choose to be nearer the more posh Champs Elysees, I have been to Paris many times and wanted someplace more “in the action”.  Although the Hotel de la Sorbonne is only rated 2 stars, I chose it on the reviews, location, and the fact that it has recently completed a major renovation. I am a sucker for new or freshly renovated hotels.

The arrival was not spectacular. Fresh off a flight where the handle had been broken off my luggage, I was given a room key for a 4th floor room and then informed that the elevator was under repair. It was due to be fixed shortly following my stay, but it was an inconvenience, nonetheless. On the plus side, the reception was very friendly and spoke perfect English.

The room itself was tiny. Granted I booked a “single” as I’d be by myself on this trip, but even for a single room, it was like a closet. The worst part was certainly the bathroom. The shower was small enough that I could not turn around without accidentally either shutting off the water or changing the temperature to cold or scalding. I guess there wasn’t room for a larger one, though, given that you could rest your head on the sink (if you chose) from the toilet. An extra few feet in there would have made a massive difference.

It was certainly not all bad, however. The room is indeed freshly renovated and includes an iMac computer complete with free Internet access (a somewhat spotty WiFi signal is also provided for free by the hotel) and also acted as the room’s television with access to more than 20 channels including CNBC Europe and BBC World in English.

And to be fair, the rate for such a central location in Paris (and the 2 star rating) indicated I might not feel the luxury of a 4 star hotel. I paid a total of 195 Euros for two nights or about $260. That’s a great price for central Paris and the cramped quarters are not unusual for a lower priced hotel anywhere in Europe. (I’m just not personally very used to it!)

Lobby

The hotel is easily reachable from Charles de Gaulle airport on the RER “B” line (stop “Luxembourg”), sits right off Place de la Sorbonne and is a 5 minute walk to the famous Luxembourg Gardens. The touristic area of Rue St Severin is a 10 minute walk down rue St. Michel and about a 15 minute walk away is the fun Rue Muffetard with an outdoor food market 5 days a week and a nice collection of downscale shops, bars, and restaurants.

I should also add that I was specifically looking for local nightlife and figured that it would be hard to miss in an area with four universities. The hotel staff unfortunately could not recommend anything (yes, it was a Sunday and Monday night but I knew there had to be SOMETHING open and busy). On my own, between the hotel and Rue Muffetard, I stumbled on an English pub (of all things in Paris!) that turned out to be the busiest watering hole I’d walked by. The staff was extremely friendly and I found myself there past closing time. If you’re not stuck on a traditional French bar, I highly recommend “Bombardier” (2, place du Pantheon – tel: 01 43 54 79 22), open 7 days a week. Tell Barry or Jerry that Dave, the hotel guy from New York, sent you. They’ll take good care of you.

PS: The Hotel De La Sorbonne is a 100% Smoke-Free hotel.

-DG