hotel & dining advice needed

Hubby %26amp; I leave for Nice in 3 wks. Have decided to spend a wk in Paris, my first time. Yes, I%26#39;m EXCITED!!!!!!

He is partially disabled, serious back problems. Our focus of this trip is the Louve. Want to be really close so we can walk there.

Money isn%26#39;t an issue, considering the Ritz. Want something really nice so if his back has a bad day he can stay in the hotel %26amp; enjoy himself.

Suggestions appreciated, also dining locations. Hubbys hobby is fine dining so don%26#39;t worry about price. We know its expensive to eat in France.

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How does the idea of staying in Le Bristol

appeal if husband%26#39;s back is playing up even then dine there excellent restaurant.

Why spend more money than one has to.

This hotel was good enought for the Rothschild family.

Have to write very quickly or tA has trouble in letting me in

More tomorrow

Gerlis

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Sorry miessed out %26quot;more%26quot; in haste Gerlis

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I agree on the money thing. My hubby can%26#39;t do the things most people can do. No sports except to watch. So we spend money on those things he can do. Eating %26amp; staying in wonderful hotels. If his back is bad on some days %26amp; he can go to the lobby, he will sit there %26amp; take in all the sites. Believe me, we%26#39;d rather not spend the money on this but we are %26quot;taking lemons %26amp; making lemonade.%26quot;

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You can most certainly spend a lot on hotels--staying at the Ritz or Plaza Athénée is one way....and you can certainly spend a lot on dining in Paris--Taillevent or Le Grand Vefours can take care of that. But, you do not have to spend these amounts to find wonderful, conveniently situated, hotel accommodations, or wonderful, relatively inexpensive dining options in Paris. People sometimes say the %26quot;..money isn%26#39;t an issue..%26#39;...until they discover the cost.

So with this in mind, you might get more meaningful and better directed recommendations, suggestions and advice if you provided some sort of an idea of your personal preferences, priorities, interests and proposed BUDGET (hotel per night in €uros)??.. and what you consider an average price range for dinners??

Otherwise, stay at the Ritz and dine at Taillevent...you won%26#39;t be disappointed.

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I don%26#39;t like the Ritz, I find it too stuffy, but it does have a pool if that helps his back. The Meurice is cozier and in the same league. I also prefer the Crillon, absolutely love coming out to the Place de la Concorde.

The Lancaster Hotel regularly gets voted the best palace hotel in Paris and the Plaza Athenee gets my personal vote for best design and best people scene (they also have a better restaurant than the Ritz) but neither of these are walking distance.

One word about fine dining in Paris. This city probably has the greatest concentration of three star restaurants on planet earth, BUT if hubby has a back problem, sitting for three hours+ through a meal could become painful. I%26#39;d recommend checking out the less traditional places owned by the three star chef%26#39;s: Robuchon, Savoy and Ducasse all have excellent restaurants with haute cuisine that do not require such a large investment in time. These places are still elegant without the ten course meals, which is what you end up eating in the three star places. Sendersen%26#39;s new Bistrot at the Madeline is also sure to please.

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Thank you - its great advice. You are so right about sitting for a long meal.

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Hubby says we%26#39;ll spend between $400 - $600 a day for food in France. We basically eat one %26#39;big%26quot; meal %26amp; snack here %26amp; there if we get hungery. Like ice cream! Yeah, we eat poorly when we travel. Want to enjoy the local %26#39;treats%26#39;. Take vitamins to help make up for it. Things go back to normal when we get home.

The Louvre %26amp; Notre Dame is our focus this trip. We plan on coming back. I want to shop!

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I will say we don%26#39;t take our finest when we travel. I%26#39;ve lost luggage before %26amp; with what the airlines reimburse, its not worth it. So its mostly khakis, shirts, sweaters. No jogging suits %26amp; we%26#39;ll leave jeans home if they are inappropriate. Will bring one really nice outfit %26amp; hubby bring suit jacket. Also leave home all jewelry except weding band %26amp; watch.

If I%26#39;m going to be treated like trash at the Ritz cause of this, please let me know. We are far from the worst dressed but our style when traveling is basically business casual.

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Even if you are close to the Louvre, do you realise the Louvre is so so huge that even with a good back you get tired, so i wouldn%26#39;t recommend the Louvre with a bad back. Also there are many stairs up and down, the lifts do not serve all floors, get the special map for disabled at the information, they will tell you which lifts serve which floor, where to take them.

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You might consider staying in one of the more expensive rooms at the Regina, which is right across the street from one entrance to the Louvre (and the Louvre%26#39;s costume and fine arts museum). You could just cross the street and go down the escalator in the entrance to the Louvre %26quot;mall%26quot; area, and it%26#39;s just a short walk back to the hotel. You could also walk from the hotel to Nôtre-Dame if you don%26#39;t want to take a short taxi ride.