Hôtel Saint Dominique
April 2008
The Paris Traveler: With gas in my neck of the woods reaching $3.75 a gallon today and our currency worldwide devalued to the point of making travel, even on a budget, an extravagance, I am continuing along the line of ways to see Paris on the cheap(er).
Hôtel Saint Dominique is a delightfully charming 2-star hotel located in the 7th arr. on rue Saint Dominique. This is a bustling street filled with fun clothing shops, coffee shops and fast food-ish restaurants (if there is such a thing here) as the surrounding area is home to a large population of foreign students (mostly American) attending AUP (American University in Paris). If you don’t mind the pace and perhaps late night noise, this would be a great home away from home that won’t break the bank.
I would think that waking up in this tiny, yet charming guest room with a sunny courtyard right outside my window a most pleasant way to start the day. There is a recently re-decorated dining area that serves buffet breakfast which looks out onto the street that reflects picture perfect “French-ness”. My experience with 2 star hotels has been a bit sketchy–this one is as nice as any 3 star you might find, and they too can be run the gamut from “we need to leave this place immediately” to opulent. It’s weird to me how they came up with their rating system as my daughter and I never knew what to expect when we checked into hotels around Europe. There are many fabulous and funny stories as a result! 
Location could not be more perfect as the hotel is sandwiched between the Eiffel Tower and Esplanade des Invalides, the grassy park area that extends from the Quai d’Orsay to Les Invalides, an old soldiers home built by Louis XIV,…