felis

If you land at Roissy 1 (CDG 1), sur youneed to take a bus to the RER statin, which is really not nice nor comfortable and takes time.

If you land in CDG2 (AF,DL), in this case, the RER station is a few hundred of yards away, and, after 9:00, tthe trains are direct to downtown.
The connectin in Vhatelet-Les Halles is really very easy, it is on the same station, and there are 3 more stations up to La DEFENSE.

By bus or cab, youd on not need to pass through Paris downtown, so it may, on must cases be shorter.

felis

there are a lot of parkings in the area, some of them are free but others are dedicated to stores(particularly the ones for the hypermarket). I am not sure if they are open all the night.
It may not be totaly safe to let the car in sthe street, as the district around La defense are not 100 percent nice (but still not dangerous, you can walk without any problem).
The best would probably be to question the hotel directly.

You know that, from La defense, the RER and Metro will drop you very quicky and conveniently to Champs-Elysées, Le lOuvre, Musee d'orsay, Notre Dame, Quartier Latin, and, with a connection, on a lot of other interesting places, including versailles.

You could probably alos just use a rental car for the day and drop it back in the evening.
With Avis, if no insurance needded, I can find 30 euros per day rentals, and even less. If you need to add 10 or 15 bucks for a parling, that might not be so nice.

ntamayo

Here's a tip if you're arriving early in the day (i.e. < 10am) on a weekday, and you're a Gold or Plat elite:

If you're room is not ready yet, even though you requested an early check-in on your booking, ask if you can wait in the club lounge on the 10th floor while your room is being made up. If you're Gold or Plat, you're going to have access to the lounge anyways during your stay; might as well take advantage of it off the bat.

Also, I found cheap alternative to the brasserie food. Go to the nearby Auchan hypermarket in the 4-Temps shopping mall (by the RER station on the walk back to the hotel). My wife and I were able to pick up my favorite smelly cheese, salad, baguettes, cold cuts, smoked salmon, fruit and water for less than 10 Euros to take back to the room.

paradocs

We did just that. Convenient and cheap. But, you forgot the excellent $3 bottle of wine!

bdschobel

We did that, too! Great minds think alike, apparently.

Bruce

ntamayo

True, true, paradocs, but since we really don't drink, we could've splurged those extra 3 euros on foie gras!

One thing I wished, though, is for them to keep the lounge open during the weekends, and keep a distance away from the loud non-business crowd during breakfast.

AlexR

Thanks to all for your advice. I had a great time in France and a nice stay at Renaissance LaDefense.

Muerz

I'd like to ask you which hotel is more convenient for shopping Paris: The Renaissance or the Courtyard Neuilly? The Marriott is far too expensive for the dates I wanna go. I have been there last year on a good rate but 450++ Euro is too expensive for this place. Renaissance and Courtyard are both about 130 Euro. Which one is the better one? Which one is more convenient for shopping? Are the metro far away? Are they in busy areas? Are the rooms large enough to fit 3 people? How much is breakfast there? Is breakfast worth it (eggs, pancakes... available)? Can get a suite for 3 at the Courtyard for the cost of a Quality room at the Renaissance. Which one should I choose?

Muerz

monahos

While the Courtyard in Neuilly is physically closer to Paris than the Renaissance in la Défense, there is no metro going to Neuilly. A direct RATP bus from the Neuilly to Etoile takes about 25 minutes, while the metro from la Défense to Etoile takes 5-10 minutes.

Neuilly is a nicer area than la Défense, which is Paris' (barren) skyscraper business district. Neuilly is an upscale residential suburb.

I would choose the Courtyard for a longer stay, if I had a car, or planned to use taxis. On a weekend shopping trip, I would opt for the Renaissance and take the metro.

jenn_1K

Two years ago we stayed at the Courtyard. There is a metro station that is about a 3/4 mile walk from the hotel. The breakfast buffet was very nice there as well.

bdschobel

I have stayed at each hotel several times and agree with everything that monahos said. I'll add that the Renaissance has a pretty nice lounge (available to elite Marriott Rewards members), while the Courtyard won't give you even a free breakfast. That alone would tilt my decision toward Renaissance.

The Courtyard is definitely in a nicer area, but not necessarily for shopping. The Metro is a 15-minute walk (two different lines, actually). The Renaissance is quite close to a big shopping mall. It's not the fancy central Paris shopping, but it's where real Parisians would shop.

Bruce

paradocs

Also, the walk to the metro station from Renaissance is about 3 minutes. Quite convenient. There is a very large supermarket closeby with great selections. I know that is not the kind of shopping you are asking about, but it is fun to look. We picked up baguettes, cheese and wine for a picnic at the Renaissance.

Did you do a search? You may remember that we have batted around the pros and cons of the Marriott and the Renaissance. There is quite a bit of info within the threads.

We loved the Renaissance. It's easy to get around from La Defense. Many of the posters shunned it because in their opinion it lacks a Parisian ambience. We needed 2 rooms on an award stay and Renaissance was easy to get.

[This message has been edited by paradocs (edited 11-02-2002).]

wideman

If you're traveling to Paris especially for shopping, you really ought to consider staying somewhere other than a Marriott property. You can find rooms that are far more convenient and more reasonably priced.

The rue Caumartin, for example, is less than 5 minutes walk from the 2 biggest (I think) department stores in Paris, Printemps and Galeries Lafayette. On Caumartin, you'll find clean and comfortable accommodations at the Libertel Caumartin, Astra Opera, Saint-Petersbourg, and La Pera (Golden Tulip) hotels. For more upscale (and pricier) accommodations, the Grand Intercontinental and the Scribe are around the corner. In addition to the big department stores, this area is only a few more minutes walk from the Madeleine and St-Honore areas, and it's got terrific metro/RER access.

If you're interested in shopping the left bank, there are a zillion good choices. I like the area just off the rue de Rennes between Montparnase and St-Germain -- the Holiday Inn St Germain is just one of lots of places that you can almost always get for well under €150/night.

Muerz

I considered one of those since they are not that expensive than the other chain hotels. The Hyatts (Park and Madeleine) are even more expensive than the Marriott, and I was not that impressed by either the Marriott or the Hyatt Regency Madeleine. But since I want to get rewards or GP points, I want to stay either at Marriott or Hyatt and this is why I considered those two hotels. Also what can I expect being a Silver Member at Marriott Rewards? Seems like the Renaissance will have my nights. Metro access seems to be convenient to Champs Elysees and Opera and this is important.

Thank you fellow FT'ers

Muerz

ntamayo

Have fun on your stay at La Defense. I too chose this over the CY for the proximity to the Metro. You'll also be next to the 4-Temps mega-shopping center, where you can pack a cheap lunch at the supermarket (Auchan if I remember) to take with you into town.