Hotel Le Clement

The Hotel Le Clement is housed in a classic five-story building with a flat-white facade studded with floral window boxes and striped awnings. The hotel's name appears in elegant cursive at the entrance, which is flanked by plants. Inside, the decor is traditional French, with lots of natural light and a homey wood-paneled lobby that doubles as a lounge with a small bar. Curved beige woven armchairs are grouped around coordinating coffee tables, and soft armchairs provide another sitting area in front of a decorative fireplace framed by bookshelves, and a bucket of umbrellas sits right near the door. The hotel is comfortably old shoe, offering a cozy refuge at reasonable rates in one of Paris' most desirable neighborhoods, attracting couples, families, and solo travelers.

The Hotel Le Clement is named after the tiny side street on which it sits in the heart of the bustling Saint-Germain area. It's a two-minute walk to the Marche Saint-Germain on Rue Lobineau, and the hotel shares the street with bars, restaurants, a pizzeria, and a soup kitchen (which is next door but doesn't tend to bother guests). It's a three-minute walk to the lively Rue du Buci on the other side of Boulevard Saint-Germain, which is packed with food shops, cafes, bars, and restaurants. Saint-Germain is famous for its bookstores, art galleries, and cafes, some of them legendary, such as Cafe de Flore and Les Deux Magots. The Luxembourg Gardens are a seven-minute walk from the hotel, and Notre Dame Cathedral is about 15 minutes away on foot. Mabillon metro station (Line 10) is a minute's walk from the hotel, and sights like the Arc de Triomphe and the Eiffel Tower can be reached in a half hour or less by metro. 

• One-minute walk to Mabillon metro station (Line 10)
• Five minute walk to Cafe de Flore or Les Deux Magots
• Seven-minute walk to Jardin du Luxembourg
• Seven-minute walk to Latin Quarter
• Eight-minute walk to banks of Seine
• 15-minute walk to Notre Dame Cathedral
• 17-minute walk to the Louvre
• 19-minute walk to Musee d'Orsay
• 25 minutes to Arc de Triomphe via public transportation
• 30 minutes to the Eiffel Tower via public transportation
• 20-minute drive to Orly Airport (without traffic)
• 35-minute drive to Charles de Gaulle Airport (without traffic)

The 28 rooms at the Hotel Le Clement are cozy and small, ranging from 10 square meters (107 square feet) to 15 square meters (161 square feet). Junior Suites, which can sleep up to three, are not larger but have separate bedrooms. Rooms are individually decorated in a formal, traditional French style, with curtains pulled back with hanging tassels -- the opposite of sleek and chic. They have wall-to-wall carpeting and coordinating wallpaper in vibrant patterns. In one of the larger rooms, peach and red carpeting meets wallpapered walls in coordinating toile while matching pillows accent the bed. Rooms include small desks with chairs, safes, and flat-screen TVs with satellite channels. Fully tiled bathrooms tend to be small, with standing showers or tub/shower combos. Hairdryers and toiletries are provided. There are no coffee- or tea-making facilities. Irons and and ironing boards are available on request. Rooms include air-conditioning, but it's not individually controlled, and guests must request that it be turned on. Wi-Fi is free, but guests complain about a slow signal that's not reliable beyond the lobby. Rooms facing the covered market have better views, but courtyard-facing rooms are quieter. Rooms come with one double bed, two twin beds, or two double beds. 

On-site features are limited, but add to Hotel Le Clements overall comfort. The wood-paneled lobby doubles as a pleasant common lounge with reading material and a small bar, which mostly serves espresso or tea. The lobby also has an old-model Internet-connected laptop for guests' use. A daily continental breakfast is served (for a fee) in a windowless breakfast room, or guests can have it brought to their rooms. The front desk operates 24 hours a day, and guests have praised the staff for its helpfulness. Wi-Fi is free, but outside the lobby the signal can be touch and go. The hotel has an elevator, which isn't that common for smaller Parisian properties, but be aware that it's tiny.