This magnificent hotel has become my home away from home in Paris. It's ideally located on a quiet street in the heart of the Latin Quarter. It's just a few steps from the lively Place de la Contrescarpe, which has a phenomenal number of cafés and restaurants to suit just about every taste, and leads to the old Rue Mouffetard, a quiet, mostly pedestrian cobbled street that winds its way down to the Church of Saint-Médard, and is also lined with cafés and small boutiques, as well as various food vendors. Although very "touristy", it's still one of my favorite streets in Paris (and there are so many!). I first stayed at this hotel in the late 1990s and, after a 20-year hiatus, returned last June. In the meantime, it has been bought by a hotel consortium, having been owned and operated by a very friendly mother-daughter team. Even after 20 years, and with the change in management, the hotel experience is even better. One of the things I love most is the fact that there's no TV in the room. When I'm there, I feel like I'm on vacation, away from the news, which can be overwhelming. Internet access is free, and power converters are usually available at reception. The property is very secure. There are two large green doors opening onto Rue du Cardinal Lemoine, and each guest is given a small electronic device with their key that activates the unlocking mechanism. Once you've passed through the double doors, you climb slightly up a cobbled path that leads to a beautiful little garden, complete with tables, chairs and benches. With packed luggage and jet lag, this may seem daunting at first. But be patient: you're almost home. The hotel installed air conditioning just two years ago, which was very welcome during my stay, when temperatures reached 36°C (97°F). In my experience, air conditioning is still quite rare in Paris. It's an undeniable plus if you're traveling during the summer months. All the rooms I stayed in had floor-to-ceiling French windows, which open to let in a pleasant breeze when the weather permits. The rooms are decorated in a floral, French provincial style, I assume. The rooms are spacious and very clean, the bathrooms are modern and the mattress is very comfortable. The staff are multilingual and very helpful. I can honestly say I've never stayed in another hotel where I felt so welcome. The Hôtel des Grandes Écoles is very close to two metro lines: line 10, which runs east-west and whose station is at the bottom of the hotel, and line 7 on rue Monge, which runs north-south. I've already booked my room for my stay in November. I wanted to be in Paris for my birthday, and you only live once. In short, I recommend this hotel, very highly, and advise you to book as far in advance as possible, as it's a very poorly kept secret it seems. And I'm very happy for them that it's become so popular.…