HOTEL RICHMOND OPERA
Paris Elegance
on a Rail Tourist Budget
I was taking the Eurostar from
London to Paris and then renting a car for heading out into the French
countryside toward
Champagne and Alsace. Looking for a Paris hotel that would be
easy
on the budget in an expensive city and one convenient to the Gare du
Nord train station where the Eurostar arrives and the Paris Hertz counter
at Louvre Carrousel where
I was to pick up my rental car. Okay, I guessed
the Louvre Carrousel was close to the famous museum - actually its
underneath!
(see NOT
ALL PARIS ART IS IN MUSEUMS).
There are lots and lots of hotels in Paris. Some very
expensive
and luxurious and some cheap, but dodgy. So picking one is a bit
like throwing a dart at a board.
Hotel
Richmond Opera is the one I picked after browsing around
and my dart aim turned out pretty good.
The Richmond Opera Hotel is about 100 years old and presents itself in
the stately style you might expect from a trip to Paris. It’s
3 stars, not the George Cinq, of course, but a very reasonable alternative
at a mdoest mid class bargain rate. The hotel was last renovated in 1996.
The
rooms are large for an older
building, air-conditioned, and the Louis XV style inlaid
furnishings give an old world feel that lets you know you’re in
Paris. And the modern bathroom plumbing all worked. The lounge bar
off
the reception lobby is a very stylish place to have the included breakfast
or a drink in the evening. Marble, mirrors and stained glass ceiling
marble
and directoire furniture give the place a feeling of elegance. The front
desk staff were very friendly (in Paris!) and helpful.
The
hotel is located on a narrow one-way street Rue du Helder just around
the corner from the Paris Opera and the famous Galleries Lafayette shopping
mall (see also Three
Hotels in Nice), off the Boulevard
Haussman. The taxi ride from the Gare du Nord train station was 10
Euro including
tip and
the Louvre was about a 15 minute walk through the heart of Paris’
exclusive shopping district around the Place Vendome and down the Rue
Saint Honore. The Roissy bus stop at the Opéra
is 5 minutes walk for easy connection to Charles de Gaulle airport.
(See other Paris
Opera-Louvre Hotels).
For
a little Paris romance or just an aperatif with the locals, grand movie
palaces are just at the end of the block among street-side restaurants
on the Boulevard des Capucines, and at the 
Brasserie on the Boulevard
Haussman a very Parisian street corner vendor will make you a crepe
sandwich, fresh on the griddle in front
of you. I probably rather annoyed her with my indecision, but get one,
its
a gourmet meal wrapped in a paper napkin you can eat while you walk the
streets of Paris. Or get an ice cream if you prefer to drip as you
stroll. © Bargain
Travel Europe
Hotel Richmond Opera Review
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Richmond Opera
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SEE ALSO:
HOW DO RAIL PASSES REALLY WORK
RENAULT ATELIER ON THE CHAMPS ELYSÉES
WINE
ROAD OF THE DUKES OF BURGUNDY
STRASBOURG
SWEET TOOTH
