tough choice

I promised my daughter we would splurge on a hotel for two nights as we pass through Paris. She cannot decide between the Plaza Athenee or the Ritz. Tough choice. However I have heard that a both hotels that if you are not a weathy Saudi that the staff is not very helpful. Also does anyone know what class of room you need to get a view of the Eiffel Tower at Plaza Athenee. Any insights would be great.

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I don%26#39;t know about those two, but how about the Georges V? I believe (may be wrong) that there are ET views from there as well...

And the staff is incredibly nice.

Les

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The Ritz is all old lady chintz, while the PA is modern chic.

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For the view I%26#39;d go for the Meurice, also my preference in parisian palaces!

That doesn%26#39;t help your choice he? ;-) between the two you mentionned I%26#39;d try the Plaza, the one thing I like in the Ritz though is the bar. Hmmm Tough choice indeed!

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I haven%26#39;t stayed at either hotel, but I have had drinks at each. The Ritz was perfectly nice, but the bartender at the Plaza Athenee was one of the most endearing people I%26#39;ve met in Paris. He didn%26#39;t know what the drink I ordered was -- a Rob Roy -- so in my broken French and his broken English, I coached him on how to make the drink. To thanks me for his %26quot;lesson,%26quot; he gave us free drinks. With the presumption that he is indicative of the staff at the Plaza Athenee, I would definitely stay there.

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Thanks for all the help. But now I am thinking about staying at L%26#39;Hotel, which looks totally chic for alot less money for a suite. All the reviews have been very positive. Any insights into this hotel would be great.

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I%26#39;ve never been, but my friend lives next door and it is a nice, quiet street, very near the bustling rue de Seine. The bar is one of the in spots of the local stars for the moment.

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Those social dramas always put me on tears. ;-)

Think of the Hotel de Crillon, too, on Place de la Concorde - provided the fact that the rooms with a view over Concorde, Elysée, Seine Tour Eiffel etc etc are of course the most expensives

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It seems to me that a bartender in an establishment like the Plaza Athenée should speak more than broken English, and know what a Rob Roy is. A hotel in this (price) class should have trained staff - not only courteous and friendly but also knowledgeable.

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I would go for the Meurice;it is recently renovated, has spacious rooms with views over Tuilieries and the Eiffel Tower in distance. At the Crillon only the royal suites have a view over place Concorde as the hotel occupies only the left edge of the magnificient building. Other rooms are in a newer edifice, with views over the courtyard or the pedestrian rue Boissy D%26#39;Anglas.

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Jantoo

This erudite comment reves perhaps more than at first reading suggests all the staff i hav eevern known at recherche places are as he states.

Chic is certainly not a word I would always associate with the Plaza Athenee!Very nice if you like that sort of thing.

The Crillon is becoming a corporate crash pad. As for wealth one gets this everywhere. Was at Negresco when a russian soundingaman had his minder open samm crocodile brief case full of 500 euros notes for tips,

For me either the Bristol or the Meurice.

Good luck Gerlis