Expert: Stephen Tanenbaum - 8/11/2007

Question
Hi Stephen,

My fiancee and i are planning on a small honeymoon to London and Paris.  We live in Dallas and we were thinking of going in December for a week or so.  While in London, we don't have to worry about lodging since we have family there.  What's the best way to get to Paris?  I saw some prices w/ the EuroStar, but that was a bit pricey. What's the best and cheap place to stay in Paris for a couple of nights?  Where would i find the best deals on airfare?

Thanks for your time in advance.

Jenny

Answer
Hi Jenny:

On the up side you are planning four months prior to your departure for Paris. On the down side December is a holiday month.

We do best with longer Paris stays. Just returned from 1 1/2 months in Paris paying $77/day for a 1,016 sq. ft. 2BR apartment. This does not help you. Prior, we also rented apartments BUT four visits ago visited a favorite two star hotel....Chaplain Rive Gauge. Below are comments from a few 'users' found at www.tripadvisor.com a great site for checking the quality of hotels around the world. I checked a few sites and two said the hotel was booked for several 'test' dates I entered for December. Another site said there was availability. I suggest you call the hotel directly. I believe this is the correct info for the hotel:
11 bis rue Jules-Chaplain
75006 Paris
Tel : 33(0)1 43 26 47 64
Fax : 33(0)1 40 51 79 75

(1) "Good Value for Money"  
Jul 28, 2007 MelbourneLeapy, Melbourne
My teenaged daughter and I spent two nights at this hotel just after Bastille Day. Compared to hotels in the States the rooms are tiny, but it is charming and I found the hotel staff to be friendly and all able to speak enough English that we didn't have any problems being understood. The lift is so small that only...

(2)Very Satisfied"  
Jun 14, 2007 curlyred2, NY
We are senior citizens who just returned from Paris. We stayed at the Hotel Chaplain for 5 nights and were very satisfied. I had booked the hotel over the internet and was not sure what we would find but were very pleasantly surprised. The room was clean and had what appeared to be a new bathroom. Staff was friendly and...

(3) A site that offers more info on Chaplain Rive Gauche...
http://www.venere.com/hotel/?htid=14472&lg=en&tripref=27046

Here is MY VERY OWN photo album on the hotel. Again, all to naught if no availability.

Hotel Chaplain Rive Gauche
http://imageevent.com/worldromer/traveltraveltravel/bestlittlehotel/bestlittleho...

I have no 'back-up' two star hotel. I would refer you to www.tripadvisor.com  You should be able to find a quality 2-3 star hotel although the 'December' factor may make the search a bit more difficult. Another good strategy is a web search for 2 or 3 star hotels with location, amenities, price you prefer and THEN off the tripadvisor.com to learn the 'rest of the story' from those who have recently stayed there. When we see 7 or 8 great reviews we might discount the one or two 'gripe' reviews. Also, note the basis of negative reviews. A reviewer for Venice hotel raved on and on about numerous aspects, amenities of the hotel...ie location, friendly, great breakfast....and in near off hand fashion tossed in these few words.... beds not comfortable...YIKES. All in all thumbs up for TripAdvisor.com.

Transport to Paris: We flew Glasgow to London on Ryan air for all of $6.00 each and from Milan to Glasgow for $35 on Ryan. Again, checked Ryan and could not find available December flights for London to Paris.

To answer you question more specifically we specialize in FREE airline travel meaning we do NOT pay for tickets. Our Summer 2007 flights to Paris-London-Barcelona were FREE as are all other flights we book.

We used only 10,000 frequent flyer miles for each RT ticket Paris to Barcelona.  Same would hold true for London-Paris.
Here is a  link to our most recent newsletter which details some recent FREE travel deals.
www.CTNwinterspring2007.blogspot.com

A major deal, for example, is the Citibank offer....changed a bit since last April but still currently offering FREE
credit cards (no annual fee first year) and simply charge $750 and you get 20,000 free miles good for TWO FREE RT TIX for LONDON TO PARIS. Here is the LINK but do keep in mind there is likely NOT enough time to obtain the card, make purchases, have miles posted and request DECEMBER seats on short notice. Maybe next time....

http://www.aa.com/apps/netSAAver/ViewPromotionsDetail.jhtml?repositoryId=1601855...

I would suggest further web research, including discount Airlines like Ryan Air, for the best London to Paris flight.

Good luck with your travel/Honeymoon plans.

Steve T.