Stgermainparis

If you�re staying in Massy and trying to visit Paris proper, you�re looking at about an hour commute. Spending almost two hours coming and going each day just doesn�t seem worth it.

corporate-wage-slave

I think it's clearly mentioned in post 1 that the OP was driven by cost and redemption availability with 3 people, so that adds a lot of friction to the process. And the Trafalgar won't be on their schedule! Massy HGI is indeed next to the RER B line station, but it's essentially a hotel for Orly airport, so the lengthy commute will figure. It won't take an hour to get to Ch�telet, but most tourist spots are going to involve a second metro trip from there. But for the fact that there is another HGI for Orly, I'm quite sure that HGI Massy would be have been called Orly HGI. it's a bit odd really, the metro in central Paris has stations very close together so the suggested HGI in la Villette could lead to 45 minute long metro trips to say the Eiffel Tower, but la Villette is central Paris and the city's bars and restaurants are on your doorstep. That's not the case for Massy, which is a somewhat grim part of the banlieu (suburbs). That said, hotel prices in Paris can be as crazy as all the major European cities, so there will be times where HGI Massy will make sense, or at least be affordable, so it's a valid suggestion in that context. There are more affordable Hamptons around London's suburbs which could do a similar role (e.g. Park Royal, also next to a tube station).

Eyrie

I uses buses a lot in London (within zones 1-2), and pre-pandemic on a daily basis. Google maps is generally ok for arrival times as long as you don't expect it to be very accurate (assume a few minutes' error margin). What it's useful for is to see the general frequency of buses (are they coming every 3, 5 or 10 minutes). Tfl website is much more accurate but a bit more hassle than google maps unless you save your regular bus stops under your "favourites", so I have stopped using it.

Buses take longer and you can get stuck in traffic (or the dreaded "this bus is on diversion" where it's up to the gods how much longer your journey takes), so for anything time-sensitive it's worth taking the tube. If your trip is only within the very touristy-shopping part of London, the bus can be slower than walking for some streets.

But overall, if you don't mind spending 20mins more on your trip, getting a seat on the upper deck is a nice way to get a sense of the city and you're often more likely to get a seat on a bus than on the tube.

I use my bus-commute to read, and losing 10-15mins compared to taking the tube and having to change twice is nothing - it's my preferable way to get to the office when I decide to go in nowadays

Wiggums

38 minutes from the front of HGI Massy to the Louvre Museum. If it was to the Gare du Nord, I'd reconsider but this one stops at the Catacombs and Louvre.

HGI Massy is 33k and is highly rated at 4.6 out of 5.0 stars. I am staying at the Trafalgar because it's the perfect location. As for Massy, it's about 10 miles away from Orly. I don't know Hilton's purpose for putting the hotel there, but it's right at the RER and only 38 minutes to Louvre. If the metro takes 35 minutes around Paris, might as well stay at Massy. However, I wasn't aware it was a grim part of Paris, I was hoping it wasn't like St. Denis or Creteil. I guess I'll have to make changes....

Stgermainparis

Point to point may be 38 minutes. But in my experience, there�s usually wait times and walk times. Of course that�s true of any metro or bus transport. But for me, being able to walk out the door and experience my vacation/city right away is worth a little extra money for good location. Also nice to go back to hotel sometimes during the day and recharge or clean up before dinner. If you�re staying in Massy, you probably will only want to do the RER once into the city each day.

Many of us on this thread have lived in Paris and are just trying to help you with your questions. But everyone has different priorities. And if that hotel in Massy for whatever reason is your priority, then just book it and plan for the RER.

yakel

Completely agree...having lived in Paris, the RER/Metro and buses are fantastic, but again as has been mentioned, there are slow downs and rail strikes on some days, so you cannot be certain every single day you can get into the center of Paris on the RER. Also as mentioned here, it's always great to be able to stop off at a convenient downtown location to take a break or whatnot.

ontheroadnow

I'm in similar situation except my daughter is 23. When you look at the Hilton London Angel Kings Cross, what kind of room is that? I echo your sentiments about European rooms for three adult sized people. Sure do miss the two queens option like the states.

corporate-wage-slave

I haven't got any data to back this up, but my suspicion would be that most European families would expect to book a second room, perhaps with connecting door, if there was a teenage or adult child(ren) in the travel group. But for the Hilton London Angel Kings Cross - not the Doubletree with the similar name - they do have some reasonably large rooms with two double beds, under the "Deluxe Room with two Double Beds" title and they would probably meet your needs. Very similar to the West Wing at the Metropole, however unlike the Metropole there are only a few of these rooms (6 or so) in the Hilton Islington, which isn't a big hotel, 188 rooms in all.

Freetotravel

Agree completely with this. A lot of tourists are probably nervous about taking the buses in London maybe not knowing where they go. But there are some routes passing a number of sights (11, 23, 24, 38 come to mind), and there�s a daily cap for bus use (using the same system as the tube) as well which provide the hop-on-hop-off tour the Londoners or frugal travelers way; you could travel one stop or the whole route for the same price on the bus 😀

hotturnip

The main thing about hotel location in Paris is: near to a Metro stop. And it's hard NOT to be near to a Metro stop. And inside the Blv Peripherique, I've not experienced a "bad" neighborhood. So even if you're a little outside the center, you can be anywhere in minutes on the Metro. During the day trains run about every 2-5 minutes.

Jaimito Cartero

We stayed with two adults and a teen almost 16 years ago at the Hilton Park Lane. Was a bit of a hassle to book with points for 3 people. Had to be transferred to the Scotland diamond desk to book it. The lounge was nice, and the hotel was nicely situated. Hotel was otherwise nothing spectacular, and no upgrades were forthcoming.

I can honestly say that we enjoyed out previous stay at a nice house, pre Airbnb, in the late 90�s much more. There are some locations that points are great to use, but I don�t find that the case with Hilton and London.

bmrisko

Assuming there is a not a strike. We have 2-3 days of transportation strike coming up again this week. RER traffic will be cut in half if we're lucky. Also, factor in the 10-15min frequency of normal RER into your trip planning. I'll say it again, I would never come to Paris as a tourist and not stay within the Peripherique. Any cost savings is just not worth the extra commuting headache. If you have to nickel and dime it that much, you may want to save Paris for a time when you can increase your travel budget to fully enjoy the city.

Wiggums

For me, I'm driving in Paris so I figured Massy was better. Cheaper parking and a direct line to Paris. Don't want to stay in St. Denis or Creteil, both are bad areas. Massy is a mix, but the HGI is in a good area (I think). I will keep myself apprised, if a strike is coming up when I'm there in June, then I'll make changes. The HGI is way cheaper and has modern amenities.

yakel

Again doesn't really make much sense to stay all the way out in Massy if it's central Paris you want to enjoy. Driving in the center of Paris these days is a huge headache (IMHO), much worse than it was eons ago. But that's my take.

Wiggums

I have driven in Cairo, Mexico City, Rome (even in the days nobody stopped at red lights before the cameras), and even Paris 20 years ago when people went twice as fast as the speed limits. I lived on Rue de Berri, above the Chicago Pie Factory which sadly no longer exists, best chorizo pizza ever.

I drove through Paris in 2017 and found it much calmer than 1990's. Same goes for Rome. Speed cameras, that's why. The frequent strikes were one of the major reasons why I had a car while living in Paris.

I'm retired so I'm on a budget... $130 to stay in Massy or $300 to stay in Paris.. and both would take the same amount of time to get to the Catacombs.