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)
Dec 2, 2018, 12:38 pm
#3676
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Thousand Oaks, Ca., USA
Programs: AA Lifetime Plat; Bonvoy Titanium Lifetime Elite;Hyatt Globalist; HHonors Diamond; United Silver
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I dunno, to me this is exactly what makes Paris such a great place. The presence of protests, riots and pissed off people in portions of Paris is certainly nothing new or unusual.
Having said that, if you want to avoid social-discord entirely (as a tourist) then Zurich is the place you want to be.
Having said that, if you want to avoid social-discord entirely (as a tourist) then Zurich is the place you want to be.
Dec 2, 2018, 12:56 pm
#3677
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: LON
Programs: UA, AA, Hyatt
Posts: 155
Yeah, I love the diverse mix, and sometimes clash, of cultures in Paris, but from the looks of things, there was a chance that people genuinely couldn't get to the hotel yesterday because there were things on fire in the street. I'm not "scared" of the protests, but don't want to have a trip where I'm risking getting tear gassed if I leave my hotel, either. When it was contained to the Champs Elysees, I wasn't worried, as we wouldn't be in that area anyway, but considering that Vendome was specifically mentioned as a hotspot, we were wondering.
We've emailed the hotel and got a generic response that they will process the email soon, so will be interesting to see. I don't know if curfews would be likely, or how likely shops, etc will be to be open next weekend (I know Galleries Lafayette and Printemps were evacuated as a "precaution" yesterday), it would just be a sad thing to visit and not actually be able to enjoy the city.
We've emailed the hotel and got a generic response that they will process the email soon, so will be interesting to see. I don't know if curfews would be likely, or how likely shops, etc will be to be open next weekend (I know Galleries Lafayette and Printemps were evacuated as a "precaution" yesterday), it would just be a sad thing to visit and not actually be able to enjoy the city.
Dec 2, 2018, 12:57 pm
#3678
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: LON
Programs: UA, AA, Hyatt
Posts: 155
and, sorry for the double post, but friends and family in France who are following on local/national news, say that this is being described as the most violent action in more than 40 years, so yeah, definitely not the norm.
Dec 2, 2018, 1:18 pm
#3679
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Thousand Oaks, Ca., USA
Programs: AA Lifetime Plat; Bonvoy Titanium Lifetime Elite;Hyatt Globalist; HHonors Diamond; United Silver
Posts: 8,317
And while I'm not going until January 2, it's a lot longer of a trip from LAX. It's the second week planned with the first week in London, so my back up will be to stay in London the second week. However, given the sweet airfaries I picked up, I might have to journey to CDG just to catch my flight home.
Good luck you you.
Good luck you you.
Dec 2, 2018, 7:20 pm
#3680
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The hotel isn't exactly located on Place Vendome.
However, I'd think a bit about what you plan to do in Paris. If you want an elegant experience in the hotel, including a dinner there, it's hard to think that the demonstrations will matter much. You can still take the bus from CDG to Opera and walk to the hotel. If there's a problem when you need to leave, surely the hotel can arrange a car service or taxi from their back entrance.
OTOH, if you plan strolls along Champs Elyssees , this might not be the right time to come to Paris at all, almost regardless of the hotel you use.
However, I'd think a bit about what you plan to do in Paris. If you want an elegant experience in the hotel, including a dinner there, it's hard to think that the demonstrations will matter much. You can still take the bus from CDG to Opera and walk to the hotel. If there's a problem when you need to leave, surely the hotel can arrange a car service or taxi from their back entrance.
OTOH, if you plan strolls along Champs Elyssees , this might not be the right time to come to Paris at all, almost regardless of the hotel you use.
Dec 3, 2018, 2:20 pm
#3681
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Mountain Time Zone
Programs: AS Million Miler/Marriott Lifetime Titanium/ IGH Ambassador
Posts: 5,991
The hotel isn't exactly located on Place Vendome.
However, I'd think a bit about what you plan to do in Paris. If you want an elegant experience in the hotel, including a dinner there, it's hard to think that the demonstrations will matter much. You can still take the bus from CDG to Opera and walk to the hotel. If there's a problem when you need to leave, surely the hotel can arrange a car service or taxi from their back entrance.
OTOH, if you plan strolls along Champs Elyssees , this might not be the right time to come to Paris at all, almost regardless of the hotel you use.
However, I'd think a bit about what you plan to do in Paris. If you want an elegant experience in the hotel, including a dinner there, it's hard to think that the demonstrations will matter much. You can still take the bus from CDG to Opera and walk to the hotel. If there's a problem when you need to leave, surely the hotel can arrange a car service or taxi from their back entrance.
OTOH, if you plan strolls along Champs Elyssees , this might not be the right time to come to Paris at all, almost regardless of the hotel you use.
I doubt all the usual Christmas stalls are still there along the Champs Elyssees which is sad let alone the dark cloud caused by the riots. Paris is such a great place during the Holidays as well as the Galleria
Dec 4, 2018, 10:51 am
#3682
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: LON
Programs: UA, AA, Hyatt
Posts: 155
https://www.thelocal.fr/20180809/cha...finds-new-home
Dec 4, 2018, 1:23 pm
#3683
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Mountain Time Zone
Programs: AS Million Miler/Marriott Lifetime Titanium/ IGH Ambassador
Posts: 5,991
Actually, the Champs Elysees Christmas market wasn't there last year, or this year, not because of protests, but because of various bureaucratic licensing things. I discovered it last year when we had a similar stay at the Vendome, just wanting a few good meals and to walk around admiring the lights. Sounds like it might be in the Tuileries this year (which may well be impacted by protests)
https://www.thelocal.fr/20180809/cha...finds-new-home
https://www.thelocal.fr/20180809/cha...finds-new-home
Dec 4, 2018, 1:52 pm
#3684
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Join Date: Sep 2009
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Are there still Christmas lights on the Champs Elyssees? They're pretty and can be enjoyed from afar if you have the right view.
Dec 5, 2018, 7:26 am
#3685
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Mountain Time Zone
Programs: AS Million Miler/Marriott Lifetime Titanium/ IGH Ambassador
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Not sure but also not willing to try Paris this Christmas London instead. It seems that the protest may go another weekend. They're pissed.
Dec 6, 2018, 2:21 pm
#3688
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Dec 17, 2018, 5:11 am
#3689
Join Date: Jul 2009
Posts: 320
Housekeeping strike
I have an upcoming stay this week and just received a notice from the hotel that the housekeeping staff are on strike. The hotel says it shouldn’t be a problem but having just experienced the noise in San Fran of striking unions and lack of service wondering if there are any first hand reports?
Dec 17, 2018, 7:33 am
#3690
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Mountain Time Zone
Programs: AS Million Miler/Marriott Lifetime Titanium/ IGH Ambassador
Posts: 5,991
I have an upcoming stay this week and just received a notice from the hotel that the housekeeping staff are on strike. The hotel says it shouldn’t be a problem but having just experienced the noise in San Fran of striking unions and lack of service wondering if there are any first hand reports?