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Another Fabulous Paris Hotel

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INTERCONTINENTAL PARIS – Le GRAND — HOTEL REVIEW —

We try to add Paris hotel recommendations regularly throughout the year.  Please note – we also offer our detailed list of recommended Paris hotels, restaurants, brasseries, cafes, free walking tours, trip insurance providers and more in our pre- and/or post- tour Paris extended stay package that comes in the form of an Adobe pdf that we email to our registered tour guests.  If you are registered for one of our Off the Beaten Path small group tours, and would like to receive our Paris information package, please send us a request by email. We’ll forward it to you upon receipt of your request.  << SCROLL TO BOTTOM OF PAGE FOR OUR PHOTO GALLERY >>

Another Fabulous Paris Hotel – My last trip to Paris, I met up with my son and his best friend, both arriving from the USA to spend their week of spring break in France.  I wanted something magical and very French in decor, since it was my son’s best friend’s first trip to Paris. So I chose the INTERCONTINENTAL PARIS – LE GRAND HOTEL for our 4-day stay.  The hotel location set the perfect stage for a very French experience for our special guest. It’s located just next door to the Opera Garnier and one block from the Galeries LaFayette Department store and LaFayette Gourmet, and a short walk to so many Paris highlights and “must see” museums and hot spots!  it is also the perfect location for anyone looking for a nice central location on the right bank.

I arrived by train to Paris Gare de Montparnasse  a day ahead of my son and his best friend, and took the bus 95 from the station to the Opera bus stop. From the Opera bus stop, I walked across the street to the hotel, admiring the Opera as I passed in front of it.  I was warmly welcomed at my 5 pm check-in, and promptly given my room key. Since I was traveling with 2 college age teens, I booked a superior double room for myself and a superior twin room for the teens. I was given 4th floor rooms in the Scribe wing (with a view of rue Scribe). I especially LOVED entering my room to a see a beautiful bouquet of fresh cut flowers and a welcome note from management awaiting my arrival – a much appreciated touch of hospitality!  The rooms feature a small balcony that is perfect to photograph the Parisian streets, yet when the French style balcony doors are closed, the rooms are very quiet, no street noise heard at all.  Elevators are very prompt and spacious. We never waited for one which can often be the case in many Paris hotels. Since I arrived to Paris a day ahead of my son and his best friend, I spent the remainder of my 1st day in Paris shopping and seeking out some great photo-ops. I loved the location for being able to easily walk to the Seine River and Tuileries Gardens to enjoy the end of day strolling through these beautiful gardens and photographing some of my favorite Parisian sites.

The following morning the teens arrived, as scheduled to Charles de Gaulle airport, and to the hotel shortly thereafter by taxi for a fee of 60 euros including the tip. If you prefer to take a taxi from the airport to central Paris, Sunday is the best day to do it – there is little to no traffic.  On arrival to the hotel, the teens were hungry so while we waited for their room to be available for check-in, we opted to partake in the hotel’s Sunday Champagne brunch, and WOW, it was just lovely! The brunch offers something for everyone, and everything on offer is in ample supply. My favorite was the dessert bar – Oh My! It was a beautiful spread of French pastries and cakes, and everything tasted simply delicious!

The Hotel Staff – The front desk staff are very courteous, and ready to answer any questions or respond to special requests with a smile.  The concierge and doormen also greet your arrival and departure with a smile, and will get you a taxi with no advance notice. The concierge also has a wonderful complimentary and secure luggage storage service that I found to be much nicer than many hotels in Paris. Your luggage gets a classy welcome with its very only trolley and ticket labels, and is then stored in a secure location until the time you choose to recover it. This was a perfect option for us on our departure day from the hotel, since our train to our home in Vannes departed in the mid-afternoon, and the teens had plans to visit the Louvre in the morning.

4 days in Paris with a 1st time visitor to this beautiful city – CLICK HERE to see our TOP TEN picks to discover Paris in a short stay!

Getting to the Hotel

  • Quickest access to the hotel from the Gare de Montparnasse rail station is BUS 95 — get off at Opera. Travel time is about 20 minutes.
  • Quickest access from the Gare de Lyon rail station is RER A to Opera exit — hotel is less than a half block away.  Travel time is about 15 minutes.
  • Quickest access from Charles de Gaulle Airport is by taxi ( but only on Sunday mornings – 35 minutes) – for all other days of the week, I recommend taking the “Roissy Bus” to “Opera” – it’s a shuttle that runs non-stop from the airport to a designated bus stop at the corner of rue Scribe at the Opera Garnier.  The bus also picks-up at this same bus stop and returns to all terminals at the Charles de Gaulle Airport.  Travel time is about 1 hour 15 minutes each way (but travelers should allocate 2 hours travel time in case of traffic or other unexpected delays), and cost is 11 euros per person one-way.

— The Short on the Hotel —

Hotel Room Quality — Rooms are spacious for Paris, meaning larger than usual. The room layout is very functional and well thought out. Our room included a nice size desk, lounger-comfy chair and table. The beds are large and extremely comfortable dressed with quality linens. There are ample electrical outlets for charging telephones, camera batteries, ipads and other electronics simultaneously. Rooms are equipped with ironing board and iron, a safe, hotpot to make in room coffee and tea and a minibar. The minibar refrigerator is large enough to also store additional personally purchased beverages. Bathrooms are equipped with lovely bath amenities, robes, slippers and hair dryer.  Both bed and bath linens are high quality. In general, rooms are clean and smell nice.

The Breakfast — At 40 euros per person, the buffet offers a nice selection of breakfast items that will please most travelers. The variety and selection is one of the nicest I have seen in Paris. And at this price point, it’s actually worth trying.

Overall customer service — Service with a smile and no question or request is too much.  Staff speaks several languages and is very helpful.

What makes this hotel stand out as special in our eyes?  It’s location to the Opera and surrounding historic neighborhood is perfect. It’s also still very centrally located to a large choice of restaurants, brasseries, cafes, movie theaters and other smaller boutiques. And a special plus, it’s very quiet considering the location!

What’s within walking distance?  The hotel is centrally located to truly be able to enjoy the city on foot.  It’s next door to the Opera Garnier, and a short walk from the several Starbucks, Galeries Lafayette and Lafayette Gourmet, Printemps, Eglise Madeleine, rue St. Honore shopping street, Hard Rock Cafe, Chipotle, Louvre Museum, Tuileries Gardens, Seine River, lots of fabulous restaurants, brasseries and cafes.

Check out some of the fun photos taken during our 4-Days in Paris…

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