My husband and I have just returned from a three night stay at the Hotel des Academies et des Arts where we were celebrating our wedding anniversary. We had visited Paris once before and stayed in the 1er arrondissement and, although we enjoyed our first stay, this time we wanted to find a more authentic Parisien neighbourhood to experience a different Paris. Staying at the Hotel des Academies et des Arts we were not disappointed as this is a great hotel in a very appealing area - don't be put off by looking at a map of Paris and wondering if you may be too far off the beaten track as this is not the case at all. The Hotel is located a short and very pleasant 5 minute walk from the Jardin du Luxembourg which is a real hive of activity - recommend lunch in the little cafe there - and you can walk through the Jardin and find yourself near St Sulpice and Boulevard St Germain in no time at all. However, the local neighbourhood around Rue Vavin is very buzzy on a Saturday with lots of nice little shops and cafes plus the peaceful Musee Zadkine is just around the corner and you can happily while away a morning or afternoon in the area. There are also several Metro stops near to the hotel for taking trips further afield although you may find yourself, like us, longing to return to the local area when you find yourself emerging from a Metro stop into a typically busy and touristy area!! The Hotel itself is delightful - recently refurbished with a lot of thought and style yet small enough to be really friendly, offering first class personal service. The team on reception were able to recommend some excellent local restaurants, the three that we chose were all no more than a 5 minute walk from the Hotel and we had three superb meals. We decided to pay the extra 15 euros each for breakfast and this was probably one of the nicest hotel breakfast experiences we have had as there is no unseemly battling at a large buffet - instead the hotel staff deliver your own breakfast to your table and, given the current cost of eating out in Paris, we thought that we were getting good value for our 15 euros.
Are there any downsides? Well, if your budget allows we would recommend booking into one of the largest rooms as space is at a premium here and our room was a little on the small side. Also try to get a front facing room which will be lighter than those at the back of the hotel. But that's it really - all in all a great find and we will certainly return!

Hotel des Academies et des arts, 15 rue de la Grande Chaumiere.
We stayed here for 4 nights in March ’08 and had a very enjoyable time. It does not surprise me that the hotel is 4th in the Tripadvisor popularity index.
First – Location. This lovely hotel is a 10 minute walk from Port Royal Metro and RER station. ( So easily accessible from both Charles de Gaulle and Orly airports). The RER trip from CDG takes about 40 minutes, one way fare is €8.20, an absolute bargain.
The hotel is also served by three other Metro stations, Raspail, Notre Dame des Champs and Vavin. Vavin is only 50 metres away on Boulevard du Montparnasse, while the other two are less than 10 mins easy walk.

Check in was dealt with very quickly and efficiently by the lovely Patricia. The hotel is situated right across the road from a well known art school and therefore it is only fitting that the hotel itself has a very arty theme. The theme is based on the ‘White Figures’, and you will understand exactly what I mean when you stay here. Very chic, very creative, we loved it.

Our room was on the third floor (see my photos). It was compact but perfectly adequate and most comfortable. It was in three sections. Bedroom, bathroom (yes we had a bath, but I'm not sure if all rooms do) and a separate toilet. The room had 4 windows, the most I have ever seen in any hotel bedroom!!
The view was of a tiny courtyard at the rear which has also been very creatively attended to with the ‘White Figure’theme. Our room was beautifully quiet and we enjoyed 4 blissful nights of undisturbed sleep despite being less than 50 metres from the very busy Boulevard du Montparnasse. The bed was one of the most comfortable we had ever slept in and on the last day we tried to find the manufacturers label on the mattress so that we might purchase a similar one for home (how sad is that?)

Fresh towels every day and cosmetics etc are provided and the room was expertly cleaned and tidied. Flat screen TV which was nice to switch on for a while in the evening and a hair drier too. There is also a room safe. The lift is very efficient, but how could you not use the amazing spiral staircase with those white figures leading the way !! Free wi fi is available and there is an internet terminal in the elegant reception area.

We waited every day to find the Parisien rudeness that many people mention, but we did not find it in Paris and we certainly did not find it at Hotel des Academies et des arts. Our hosts were the epitome of good service and assistance. They booked taxis and restaurants for us and saved us lots of time with excellent directions to metro and sights. I could not fault the service and this alone would bring me back to the hotel again and again.

Breakfast is served in the hotel at €15, but while it looked excellent and we would have liked to have sampled it, there are so many places nearby to try out that we never did eat breakfast there.

Favourite nearby patisserie ‘Au pain de Vavin’ – just 5 minutes away. Favourite nearby restaurant – ‘Le parc aux Cerfs’ - just 3 minutes away on rue Vavin.

An excellent hotel, book it, you won’t be sorry.

ABSOLUTELY PERFECT!!!

My husband and I spent a week at this absolutely wonderful hotel and will most definitely be back. It was our second honeymoon and finding this perfect hotel made the trip one to remember...

I chose to reserve here after many, many hours of research on the internet on Paris hotels. I kept reading review after review for Hotel des Academies et des Arts with nothing but glowing references ...now I completely understand why.

The room was immaculate, a decent size for French standards, and had a queen size bed (which was a must for us as opposed to 2 twins pushed together). The mattress and pillows were actually more comfortable than our mattress at home. We acutally had a week of the most amazing sleep! (We have 5 year old twins so this meant everything to catch up on sleep!) The bathroom was small but very clean and the shower was always hot and the water pressure was great.

Now I know one review said you could hear the water in pipes in another room, an yes on several occasions that was the case, but you have to remember you are in Paris! The buildings are built hundreds of years ago and connecting walls of buildings are shared. In my humble opinion it was not annoying by any means and I am not the most patient person in the world! ;-)

The staff was absloutely lovely and they went out of their way to make our stay pleasurable. They assisted us with reservations, recommendations, and directions. We were actually there during the Metro strike and pleasantly suprised to find it really didnt affect anything as we were able to walk to so many things from the hotel.

I absolutely can not wait to go back.....my only only worry is that everyone will find out what an incredible place this is to stay in Paris ...and we wont be able to get a reservation!!!

Yes the hotel is tiny but when you arrive you feel like you've got a real 'find'. Down a little side road from the busy Bvd Montparnasse - you're spoiled with restaurants/bars nearby plus within easy walking distance of most places in Paris. (Well, we walked everywhere - not saying everyone should!) The way the place has been decorated is really luxurious and creative - the reception is tiny, but really cosy and everything looks so well appointed. The room again was really little, but beds to die for and everything you needed - great pressure shower and a bath you could really lie down in. If you're comign to Paris there's so much to do, I can't imagine anyone would want to spend ages in there hotel room anyway - so the size of the room isn't a problem oh and there's heaps of storage/'hanging space for clothes.. Plus all hotels in Paris have tiny rooms anyway. The staff are exellent - really welcoming and friendly. I would return in a heart-beat!