Apr 5, 2014, 7:57 pm
Last edit by: skj
I'm making this thread a wiki since there are issues that keep getting repeated (breakfast and transportation from/to CDG). Feel free to add whatever you feel is important - stick to facts of please and not one off exceptions (eg if you get an upgrade to the Presidential Suite on an award stay without any status - that's definitely a one off that doesn't belong in the WIKI - obviously you can do a regular post on it).
Public transport to the hotel from CDG
The best option is to take the Roissy bus to Opera. From there, the hotel is about a 5 minute walk.
The next best option is to take RER B to Chatelet-Les Halles. All trains from Roissy/CDG head south into Paris so no worries there. Some go express all the way into Paris (Gare du Nord, so Chatelet-Les Halles is the second stop); others are locals, in which case there are a lot of stops; some are half-express, half-local ... but all stop at Chatelet-Les Halles; and there is no point waiting for an express because it is rare if ever that an express will overtake a local. So get on whatever comes first. At Chatelet-Les Halles, transfer to RER A for one stop to Auber (which is joined to Opera station). You will be heading westbound, toward the termini St. Germain-en-Laye/Poissy/Cergny. You have to go up the stairs and back down for the Auber-bound train. Do not race across the platform for the RER B because that will be heading eastbound, to Gare de Lyon, Nation, Vincennes (and, depending on which one you get on, eventually Eurodisney!) The walk from the Auber exit closest to the RER stop takes about 10 minutes.
Public transport to the hotel from Orly
Take the Orlyval train to its end at Antony, then switch to RER B to Chatelet-Les-Halles and continue as above. In this case you can just cross the platform from the RER B to get the RER A headed to Auber.
Breakfast
The breakfast at Cafe Jeanne is free for Globalist members but is 40-50 euros per person otherwise. A modified but still very good version of this buffet breakfast is also available in the room and is also free for Globalists. Tips are not covered but then again the theory in France is that the service charge is in the price.
Museum tickets & pass from the concierge
You can buy "skip the line" tickets to the Louvre or Orsay for 18€ each, which is higher than the regular tickets via the Louvre & Orsay websites. But being able to "skip the line" obviously adds some value. They will also sell you the two day Paris Museum Pass for 55€. That is a 7€ markup.
Phone/data recommendations:
Lebara worked really well for me. What you need to do:
• You must unlock your phone (you can do this for free online with ATT through their website if you are out of contract)
• Order free SIM card at Lebara.fr a few weeks before your trip. I don’t think it took more than 2 weeks for my SIM card to arrive
• Activate SIM card at https://www.lebara.fr/activate-sim-detail?isoCode=en_GB or search “activate SIM” at Lebara.fr
• Load your SIM card with what you need. I paid 10 euro for 3G of data, unlimited SMS and local calls for 10 days (this should be plenty for most tourists)
LeFrench Mobile did not work so well for me: I paid 20-30 euro for local and international calls for my sister but was only able to make local calls and SMS
restaurant recommendations:
Nearby:
(We're here on 1 Oct 2021 and it appears this restaurant is closed permanently ...) Le Cap Bourbon- good, inexpensive, our server was nice and attentive (by French standards), great local crowd, menu has English translation
We ate a local Thai restaurant - Yo - its about a 5 minute walk from the hotel and very busy. I had a guinea fowl green curry - a first for me. Very good food and friendly service.
Other:
L'Avant Comptoir is a wine bar with great,relatively cheap eats and a great atmosphere and friendly, English-speaking staff. Standing room only and tight.
Public transport to the hotel from CDG
The best option is to take the Roissy bus to Opera. From there, the hotel is about a 5 minute walk.
The next best option is to take RER B to Chatelet-Les Halles. All trains from Roissy/CDG head south into Paris so no worries there. Some go express all the way into Paris (Gare du Nord, so Chatelet-Les Halles is the second stop); others are locals, in which case there are a lot of stops; some are half-express, half-local ... but all stop at Chatelet-Les Halles; and there is no point waiting for an express because it is rare if ever that an express will overtake a local. So get on whatever comes first. At Chatelet-Les Halles, transfer to RER A for one stop to Auber (which is joined to Opera station). You will be heading westbound, toward the termini St. Germain-en-Laye/Poissy/Cergny. You have to go up the stairs and back down for the Auber-bound train. Do not race across the platform for the RER B because that will be heading eastbound, to Gare de Lyon, Nation, Vincennes (and, depending on which one you get on, eventually Eurodisney!) The walk from the Auber exit closest to the RER stop takes about 10 minutes.
Public transport to the hotel from Orly
Take the Orlyval train to its end at Antony, then switch to RER B to Chatelet-Les-Halles and continue as above. In this case you can just cross the platform from the RER B to get the RER A headed to Auber.
Breakfast
The breakfast at Cafe Jeanne is free for Globalist members but is 40-50 euros per person otherwise. A modified but still very good version of this buffet breakfast is also available in the room and is also free for Globalists. Tips are not covered but then again the theory in France is that the service charge is in the price.
Museum tickets & pass from the concierge
You can buy "skip the line" tickets to the Louvre or Orsay for 18€ each, which is higher than the regular tickets via the Louvre & Orsay websites. But being able to "skip the line" obviously adds some value. They will also sell you the two day Paris Museum Pass for 55€. That is a 7€ markup.
Phone/data recommendations:
Lebara worked really well for me. What you need to do:
• You must unlock your phone (you can do this for free online with ATT through their website if you are out of contract)
• Order free SIM card at Lebara.fr a few weeks before your trip. I don’t think it took more than 2 weeks for my SIM card to arrive
• Activate SIM card at https://www.lebara.fr/activate-sim-detail?isoCode=en_GB or search “activate SIM” at Lebara.fr
• Load your SIM card with what you need. I paid 10 euro for 3G of data, unlimited SMS and local calls for 10 days (this should be plenty for most tourists)
LeFrench Mobile did not work so well for me: I paid 20-30 euro for local and international calls for my sister but was only able to make local calls and SMS
restaurant recommendations:
Nearby:
(We're here on 1 Oct 2021 and it appears this restaurant is closed permanently ...) Le Cap Bourbon- good, inexpensive, our server was nice and attentive (by French standards), great local crowd, menu has English translation
We ate a local Thai restaurant - Yo - its about a 5 minute walk from the hotel and very busy. I had a guinea fowl green curry - a first for me. Very good food and friendly service.
Other:
L'Avant Comptoir is a wine bar with great,relatively cheap eats and a great atmosphere and friendly, English-speaking staff. Standing room only and tight.
Park Hyatt Paris-Vendôme REVIEW - MASTER THREAD (Aug 2011 onward)
Jul 3, 2012, 4:22 pm
#751
Join Date: Apr 2012
Posts: 213
To play devil's advocate, breakfast is not a Platinum amenity. You were treated to breakfast as part of their service, not Hyatt policy. So, if the only charge you had to pay for was eggs, consider yourself pretty lucky. 6 Euros for a full breakfast in Paris is pretty salty. (Especially in the Vendome neighborhood) The fact that they took it off the bill was gracious as they specifically stated that eggs were not included.
For what its worth, bacon is definitely included as I got a bowl of it each morning. I still salivate over the chocolate mousse in shot glasses, little silver spoons and fresh strawberries. On the other hand, the Pop Tart I had this morning was good…
For what its worth, bacon is definitely included as I got a bowl of it each morning. I still salivate over the chocolate mousse in shot glasses, little silver spoons and fresh strawberries. On the other hand, the Pop Tart I had this morning was good…
Bacon was not offered, eggs and meat was extra. Anything hot that had to be 'ordered' was not included. The only hot item on the buffet area that I can think of was the quiche -- which was quite tasty.
There was no mousse in glasses, did this have to be ordered through the server?
again, I'm not complaining, I'm grateful for the free stay (well, I did order a room service burger late at night, at a cost of 40 euros!), and free breakfast. Still, with the "quality" of this hotel, it shouldn't have been so confusing and demeaning to obtain my 'free' breakfast.
Last edited by alanisrox69; Jul 3, 2012 at 4:31 pm
Jul 3, 2012, 5:59 pm
#752
Join Date: Jul 2011
Posts: 775
While breakfast is not an amenity, I was offered it complimentary, with the words "Full American Breakfast"...
Bacon was not offered, eggs and meat was extra. Anything hot that had to be 'ordered' was not included. The only hot item on the buffet area that I can think of was the quiche -- which was quite tasty.
There was no mousse in glasses, did this have to be ordered through the server?
again, I'm not complaining, I'm grateful for the free stay (well, I did order a room service burger late at night, at a cost of 40 euros!), and free breakfast. Still, with the "quality" of this hotel, it shouldn't have been so confusing and demeaning to obtain my 'free' breakfast.
Bacon was not offered, eggs and meat was extra. Anything hot that had to be 'ordered' was not included. The only hot item on the buffet area that I can think of was the quiche -- which was quite tasty.
There was no mousse in glasses, did this have to be ordered through the server?
again, I'm not complaining, I'm grateful for the free stay (well, I did order a room service burger late at night, at a cost of 40 euros!), and free breakfast. Still, with the "quality" of this hotel, it shouldn't have been so confusing and demeaning to obtain my 'free' breakfast.
Jul 3, 2012, 9:02 pm
#755
Join Date: Apr 2012
Posts: 213
either way, my idea behind my trip was to spend as little real $ as possible. I guess the points are more valuable using them for a flight, but I had plenty of points for the flight both ways + hotels.
Jul 4, 2012, 1:35 am
#756
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: SEA
Programs: AS MVP, Hhonors Gold, National Executive, Identity Gold, MLife Gold
Posts: 2,687
Jul 5, 2012, 5:49 am
#757
Join Date: Jun 2011
Posts: 76
Sorry if this question has been answered a million times before...
Which is better - Vendome or Madeleine?
Right now I'm booked for 3 free nights at the Vendome and 1 at the Madeleine. I think I can get 4 at the Madeleine though.
Should I do that or stick with changing hotels?
Which is better - Vendome or Madeleine?
Right now I'm booked for 3 free nights at the Vendome and 1 at the Madeleine. I think I can get 4 at the Madeleine though.
Should I do that or stick with changing hotels?
Jul 5, 2012, 6:22 am
#758
Join Date: Apr 2012
Posts: 213
Sorry if this question has been answered a million times before...
Which is better - Vendome or Madeleine?
Right now I'm booked for 3 free nights at the Vendome and 1 at the Madeleine. I think I can get 4 at the Madeleine though.
Should I do that or stick with changing hotels?
Which is better - Vendome or Madeleine?
Right now I'm booked for 3 free nights at the Vendome and 1 at the Madeleine. I think I can get 4 at the Madeleine though.
Should I do that or stick with changing hotels?
Jul 12, 2012, 7:08 am
#760
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Atlanta and the Big Island, Hawaii
Programs: DL Diamond, SPG Gold. I share these affiliations so that you can ask me questions about the programs
Posts: 812
Paid upgrade question
I apologize if this question has been asked in the past. I'm looking for recent guest experiences with attempting to pay for upgrades at check-in. Has anyone had success negotiating an upgrade on the day of check-in, at a reduced cost? I'm particularly interested in the cost to upgrade to the Park Suite (more of a larger room) from a Park Queen (on points).
Also, I don't think many take advantage of the bike program. I've enjoyed staying here twice this past year and cannot more highly recommend it. They provide the helmet, water, and a good bike at no extra charge. Taking it out in the early morning for a ride around Paris on the quiet weekends is fantastic!
Also, I don't think many take advantage of the bike program. I've enjoyed staying here twice this past year and cannot more highly recommend it. They provide the helmet, water, and a good bike at no extra charge. Taking it out in the early morning for a ride around Paris on the quiet weekends is fantastic!
Jul 12, 2012, 1:21 pm
#761
Join Date: Apr 2012
Posts: 213
I apologize if this question has been asked in the past. I'm looking for recent guest experiences with attempting to pay for upgrades at check-in. Has anyone had success negotiating an upgrade on the day of check-in, at a reduced cost? I'm particularly interested in the cost to upgrade to the Park Suite (more of a larger room) from a Park Queen (on points).
Also, I don't think many take advantage of the bike program. I've enjoyed staying here twice this past year and cannot more highly recommend it. They provide the helmet, water, and a good bike at no extra charge. Taking it out in the early morning for a ride around Paris on the quiet weekends is fantastic!
Also, I don't think many take advantage of the bike program. I've enjoyed staying here twice this past year and cannot more highly recommend it. They provide the helmet, water, and a good bike at no extra charge. Taking it out in the early morning for a ride around Paris on the quiet weekends is fantastic!
Jul 14, 2012, 6:41 am
#762
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Atlanta and the Big Island, Hawaii
Programs: DL Diamond, SPG Gold. I share these affiliations so that you can ask me questions about the programs
Posts: 812
Does anyone have information on my paid upgrade question a post above?
Jul 14, 2012, 9:57 am
#763
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: BKK
Posts: 6,741
Jul 14, 2012, 10:18 am
#764
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: BRU, BE
Programs: LH, United, Hyatt, Air France
Posts: 464
Jul 14, 2012, 3:23 pm
#765
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Atlanta and the Big Island, Hawaii
Programs: DL Diamond, SPG Gold. I share these affiliations so that you can ask me questions about the programs
Posts: 812
There is a very efficient bike program organized by the city of Paris
http://en.velib.paris.fr/
http://en.velib.paris.fr/
Yes, Velib is a great program except that it doesn't work with almost all north american credit cards (and at least one or two north americans would enjoy supporting this program). Having it as a perk of staying at the Park Hyatt Vendome is another example of their fantastic service. I can't wait to go back.