I heard this place mentioned in another thread; can anyone spend a few moments to write a trip report including details like location, prices, nearest metro station, clientele, standard of bedding/air conditioning/best rooms to ask for and any othr pertinent info?

It sounds interesting for an upcoming stay - is there a website (tried a search but just got a whole load of booking sites).

thanks

http://www.discoverfrance.net/France...bigayles.shtml

You can take a look at an actual photo of the building on www.pagesjaunes.fr - select Paris as your city on the right hand side of the page, and input the address in the pop-up window.

It's a noisy section of the street with lots of bars, kind of like Rush Street in Chicago, so I'm not sure how peaceful it is. It's located in the heart of the gay Marais district and the closest Metro stop is Hotel de Ville. The price information above is very outdated, and I think it's kind of pricey. That's all the info I have.

It's in a great location (cnr. rue Ste Croix la Bretonnerie/r. Vieille du Temple metro nearer St. Paul than HdV), but it's skanky and for a man of your esteemable good taste rather NQOCD Although I know you sometimes enjoy adventurous accommodations, remembering your review of an establishment in Montr�al it is rather of the same ilk and I don't think you would be happy with it. I haven't stayed there, but have friends that have. None wanted to return. The furnishings are rather worn out and there is only one room with private bathroom. American friends were not impressed with standards of cleanliness and sharing a bathroom is really archaic.

You're much better off close by at for example H�tel de la Brettonerie or H�tel Axial de Beaubourg.

I agree that it is skanky and noisy. There are so many other nice options in the immediate area that I would recommend staying elsewhere.

Aha!

Are these gay or not? have only ever roughed it at the less good Intercontinental, otherwise I stay with friends. I like to be near Le Marais

Neither are gay per se, but being in the Marais have a sizeable gay clientele. Neither are particularly remarkable, but decent solid 3*.

Another in the neighbourhood that does stand out and is a bit of a design treasure (by Jacques Garcia) is the Costes brothers Hotel du Bourg Tibourg.

SYDguy's suggestions about other area hotels are right on the money. They're clean, cool, and convenient (for Marais).

As for Hotel Central, it has its own website, www.hotelcentralmarais.com.

I used to stay there rather frequently, but other posters are right. This is not the cleanest or easy-to-use place. For the same price, you could stay somewhere far better.

I would recommend the Hotel Beaubourg if you can get a room - it's not the Ritz, kind of basic European pension, but it's quiet, and the location is PERFECT, right across the street from the QG which is a leather, darkroom bar, on rue Simon le Franc. One street further up is Le Mic Man, again, a darkroom bar.

http://www.pariserve.com/beaubourg/english.htm

I second the recommendation of Hotel Beauborg. I have stayed there many times and it always the first place I check when heading to Paris.

I guess one man's skanky is another man's basic lodging. I've stayed at Hotel Central twice and I would put in on the same level as some of the mid to lower-end B & B's in P'Town or Palm Springs.

The price is certainly much less than anything else I've found in Paris, but if you're finicky, you'd probably have issues.

The bathrooms are shared, as they are in many older European B & B's, but they are completely private. In other words, you go from your room into a corridor and there are individual bathrooms off the corridor,

The street itself is noisy and there IS a bar on the first floor, but I didn't find either of my rooms particularly noisy. The location is terrific. You can walk to the Marais, the Beauborg (sp?) and the Gai Moulin, my favorite gay restaurant in Paris.

You definitely get more of a feel for Paris than you do when you stay at any of the big box hotels, even though it's very basic with few, ie no, ameneties.

This place is great. The owner is fun to talk with, the bar is fun, and the local crowd that visits the bar are hillarious. Plus, how many places can you say come back to my room up stairs!

We are thinking of this place for a forthcoming trip. Anyone any experience?

Hey Guys, found this thread and wanted to ask a quick question! The partner and I are arriving in Paris in a few weeks, any recommendations on a few good restaurants and/or bars for us when we end up in the gay area?? Many Thanks!

That's a great boutique hotel in the Marais, Axial Beaubourg. Right in the smack of all the action.

They are actually two seperate entities:

Hotel Beaubourg, 11 rue Simon le Franc
Hotel Axial Beaubourg, 11 rue du Temple

Both are well located in the Marais. The Axial is the better of the two.