Review: Hotel Candide

If you’re looking for a hotel that has you slap-bang in the middle of Paris’s tourist areas, if you want to walk out your front door and be 2 steps from the Eiffel Tower or Champs-Elysées, then I’m afraid the New Hotel Candide is not the place for you. But if you’re in the market for decent accommodation at a decent price, come on down.   The 48-room New Hotel Candide (no, it’s not newly built, but part of the New Hotel chain) is on a narrow street in the southern section of the 11th arrondissement. The closest attraction is Père-Lachaise cemetery—which is actually one of the coolest places in Paris—but you’re only a 30-metre walk from the Voltaire métro station (Line 9). From there, you can either head to the changeover to Line 1 and continue on to some of Paris’s most famous sites, including the Louvre (6 kilometres from the hotel) and the Arc de Triomphe, or you can go 2 stops north to Oberkampf, with its always-happening nightlife. It’s not a long walk to the Bastille or the Marais—in fact, it’s quite a nice walk, 2 kilometres through a part of Paris most tourists don’t see.   Whichever way you decide to go, the hotel provides a quiet retreat from the hubbub of Paris. There’s not much through-traffic on Rue Petion, important considering you might need to open a window at night—the hotel is NOT air-conditioned. However, it does have an elevator, non-smoking rooms, 24-hour reception and, more importantly, allows puppy dogs.   The décor at the Candide is functional. You’re not going to find any stunning antiques or Phillip Starck interiors, but everything is clean and neat, with a renovation a few years ago. The rooms are spacious by Paris standards, and have comfy beds, private bathrooms, TV, telephone, coffee/tea-making facilities, safes, and hair-dryers; call reception for an iron. Other services include electrical adaptors, mini-bar and radio alarm. However, if you’re worried you’ll sleep through the alarm and miss your flight, book a wake-up call with reception. The staff are friendly and helpful, and are only too happy to book events tickets for you. They were also great when we needed to hire a car. There’s parking (paid) just around the corner. You can check in at 11 a.m.—very helpful, considering many other hotels don’t allow you to check in until 3 p.m.—and check-out is at a decent 12 p.m. The staff will also keep your bags at reception if your flight is later in the afternoon and you need to rush out for that one last coffee or croissant.   Speaking of, the hotel serves breakfast in a cheery room (usually included in your room rate; check when booking) but there are several standard Parisian bar/cafés nearby. Fitting in with the tone of the neighborhood, they’re no-nonsense establishments that don’t charge the 5€ per thimble that you’ll find down on the Grands Boulevards. Restaurants in the area tend to be of the cheap Asian/African variety, so I’d recommend you head down to the Bastille or Marais if you’re in the mood for finer dining. Just near the Voltaire station (a= 142 rue Roquette) you’ll find a supermarket, but go a little way further (only 250 meters from the hotel) to the Monoprix at 166 Avenue Ledru Rollin for all your grocery needs.   With a modem/data port connection in each room, the Candide is perfectly equipped to deal with business travelers. You’ll also find high-speed Internet in the lobby, for those of you who can bear to travel without your laptops but still need to get online. The hotel also offers meeting rooms. For families traveling together, kids under 10 stay free.   New Hotel Candide3, rue Petion, 75011Tel: + 33.1.43.79.02.33Fax: + 33.1.43.79.06.88Website: http://www.new-hotel.com/Candide/en/hotel.aspEmail: [email protected]Métro: Voltaire (Line 9)     Book through Bookings