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 22, 2021, 8:34 pm
#4036
Join Date: May 2011
Programs: Spg Gold, Hilton Diamond, Hyatt Diamond
Posts: 1,578
Jul 22, 2021, 9:00 pm
#4037
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: PHX
Programs: AS 75K; UA 1MM; Hyatt Globalist; Marriott LTP; Hilton Diamond (Aspire)
Posts: 56,478
Jul 23, 2021, 1:55 am
#4039
formerly a193991
Join Date: Dec 2014
Location: Zulu Romeo Hotel
Programs: Hyatt LT Globalist; LX SEN (*A Gold), AA LTG, SBB-CFF-FFS First Class GA
Posts: 4,579
On the contrary, I’m currently at PH Zurich. They proactively upgraded me into Junior Park Suite even when all the suites are sold out on the website, which is a great gesture by the hotel. Also, the breakfast here is definitely higher quality compare to PH Paris. The staffs at PH Zurich is more friendly as well.
Jul 23, 2021, 8:03 am
#4040
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Mountain Time Zone
Programs: AS Million Miler/Marriott Lifetime Titanium/ IGH Ambassador
Posts: 5,992
Jul 23, 2021, 8:10 am
#4041
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: PHX
Programs: AS 75K; UA 1MM; Hyatt Globalist; Marriott LTP; Hilton Diamond (Aspire)
Posts: 56,478
I have always received a suite at the PH Zurich. Based on my experience, they allocate the upgrades more than 24hrs in advance. That's probably the reason you did not see any availability. Yes, breakfast is fantastic at PH Zurich.. Can confirm the friendlyness, but can't compare to PHV (never stayed there).
Jul 23, 2021, 12:18 pm
#4042
Join Date: Aug 2001
Posts: 1,338
I don't think I would describe Paris as "friendly" - although I remember visiting shortly after Obama was elected. I stopped a few gendarmes for directions and they all hugged me. I also saw photos of Obama displayed in boulangeries, etc. Those days are sadly over.
Jul 25, 2021, 3:32 pm
#4044
Join Date: Sep 2016
Location: San Francisco, CA
Programs: Flying Blue Platinum, JetBlue Mosaic, Hyatt Globalist, Alaska MVP Gold.
Posts: 1,962
@zoneflyer I find your observations on breakfast interesting, as I also had this experience: the room service breakfast was an extremely poor offering by any standard. Really not acceptable for a property of this level.
Jul 25, 2021, 6:23 pm
#4045
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Mountain Time Zone
Programs: AS Million Miler/Marriott Lifetime Titanium/ IGH Ambassador
Posts: 5,992
@zoneflyer I find your observations on breakfast interesting, as I also had this experience: the room service breakfast was an extremely poor offering by any standard. Really not acceptable for a property of this level.
Jul 26, 2021, 1:18 am
#4046
Join Date: Nov 2016
Programs: Nectar Card
Posts: 1,093
[...] Honestly speaking, breakfast is a bit of disappointment. The portion and presentation is excellent but the taste is just lacking. Eggs Benedict are simply not good, we tried French Toast and Waffles both are very subpar. Fruits platter are like those from wholesale mixed fruit packages. Our local brunch spot in California can do a much better job. Globalists gets automatically selected the most expensive “American Breakfast” option (50€ listed price) and then bill taken off in the end, even when my SO ordered less food. I would never pay 50€ pp if it’s out of my pocket. [...]
On the other hand, I admit it's a five star hotel in a gastronomic capital, so they should be able to do any dish well (and perhaps many peer hotels are able to do an "American-style breakfast" well).
Last edited by futuramadramallama; Jul 26, 2021 at 1:26 pm Reason: Typo
Jul 26, 2021, 7:59 am
#4047
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Mountain Time Zone
Programs: AS Million Miler/Marriott Lifetime Titanium/ IGH Ambassador
Posts: 5,992
I wonder if part of the issue that they're trying to serve a breakfast that isn't typical of the country? E.g. If they're doing poorly on traditional French (and European) breakfast foods as well, then that's no good.
On the other hand, I admit it's a five star hotel in a gastronomic capital, so they should be able to do any dish well (and perhaps many peer hotels are able to do an "American-style breakfast" well).
On the other hand, I admit it's a five star hotel in a gastronomic capital, so they should be able to do any dish well (and perhaps many peer hotels are able to do an "American-style breakfast" well).
Jul 26, 2021, 8:10 am
#4048
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: IAH
Programs: UA 2MM, Hyatt Diamond, SPG Gold
Posts: 2,164
I wonder if part of the issue that they're trying to serve a breakfast that isn't typical of the country? E.g. If they're doing poorly on traditional French (and European) breakfast foods as well, then that's no good.
On the other hand, I admit it's a five star hotel in a gastronomic capital, so they should be able to do any dish well (and perhaps many peer hotels are able to do an "American-style breakfast" well).
On the other hand, I admit it's a five star hotel in a gastronomic capital, so they should be able to do any dish well (and perhaps many peer hotels are able to do an "American-style breakfast" well).
"Breakfast, while still good, has declined compared to previous stays. The omelettes were rubbery, and not the soft, creamy versions we remembered. We tried the eggs benedict, and the poached eggs were poorly cooked, with runny whites, both times. Worst of all (but probably better for my heart) is there is no longer any kouign-amann at breakfast."
Jul 26, 2021, 11:49 am
#4049
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Mountain Time Zone
Programs: AS Million Miler/Marriott Lifetime Titanium/ IGH Ambassador
Posts: 5,992
Breakfast has been one piece of evidence of this property's decline for some time. Here's part of a review I posted from a stay 2 years ago, well before COVID ...
"Breakfast, while still good, has declined compared to previous stays. The omelettes were rubbery, and not the soft, creamy versions we remembered. We tried the eggs benedict, and the poached eggs were poorly cooked, with runny whites, both times. Worst of all (but probably better for my heart) is there is no longer any kouign-amann at breakfast."
"Breakfast, while still good, has declined compared to previous stays. The omelettes were rubbery, and not the soft, creamy versions we remembered. We tried the eggs benedict, and the poached eggs were poorly cooked, with runny whites, both times. Worst of all (but probably better for my heart) is there is no longer any kouign-amann at breakfast."
Jul 26, 2021, 1:27 pm
#4050
Join Date: Nov 2016
Programs: Nectar Card
Posts: 1,093
Breakfast has been one piece of evidence of this property's decline for some time. Here's part of a review I posted from a stay 2 years ago, well before COVID ...
"Breakfast, while still good, has declined compared to previous stays. The omelettes were rubbery, and not the soft, creamy versions we remembered. We tried the eggs benedict, and the poached eggs were poorly cooked, with runny whites, both times. Worst of all (but probably better for my heart) is there is no longer any kouign-amann at breakfast."
"Breakfast, while still good, has declined compared to previous stays. The omelettes were rubbery, and not the soft, creamy versions we remembered. We tried the eggs benedict, and the poached eggs were poorly cooked, with runny whites, both times. Worst of all (but probably better for my heart) is there is no longer any kouign-amann at breakfast."
