Useful information:

10 rue du Champ de Mars
75007 Paris
Tel: (33)1 40 62 67 00
Fax: (33)1 40 62 67 13
E-mail: resa@cadranhotel.com

- Single and double standard rooms: €90
- Superior (king and twin beds) rooms: €110

Metro stations close by:
Ecole Militaire (line 8)

Hotel du Cadran is not a typical Parisian hotel. Rather, it belongs to this special category of places you could call guesthouses, where you deal with the owner on a first-name basis, and to which you tend to come back every trip to Paris.

There is a French expression the meaning of which is pretty close to "he not only can talk the talk, but he also walks the walk". In French, this is "Elle n'a pas seulement l'air, elle a la chanson," which could translate literally in this way: "She not only has the tune, she's got the song."

That's what comes to mind when you consider Helene Chaine, the owner of Hotel du Cadran. She walks the walk. Meaning, when she says she's here to serve you, that's what she does indeed.

It shows as soon as you enter the hotel. There are a couple of details immediately noticeable: a large fireplace, and deep armchairs. They give the room the right note of coziness, a place where you want to spend some time resting, reading, discussing, sipping coffee and tea, and nibbling on muffins.

That's Helene's creation, right here. She makes you feel comfy and relaxed as you step in her mansion.

The reception staff is competent, and handles your check-in quickly and efficiently. If you flew in from the US of A, you want to lie down and rest. The last thing you need is a lengthy check-in. Your eyes scout the place quickly. Is it nice here? Yes. Good. Please show me my room asap. Ah, room, bed, bathtub, hot bath, lovely!

Now you are in a sunnier mood, looking at the scenery. The bathroom is clean (squeaky-clean in fact), towels are thick enough (marked to the hotel's name), French beauty products are offered by the hotel (how thoughtful). Ok, the bathroom is convincing enough. To the room!

Depending on which type of room you booked, space will be more or less cramped. In this respect, Hotel du Cadran is very 'parisian': rooms are not big. Not that they are really small, but definitely not as big as you got used to back home. So you'll have to organize a bit to put away the million clothes you brought along with your old self.

Once this is done, the room actually looks pretty nice. Bedding is firm enough, linen is of good quality, tones are pleasing to the eye, and yes, the room is quiet. Windows are double-glazed, which ensures good comfort as far as noise is concerned. Your individual A/C control allows you to select the temp you like.

Now that you are comfortably settled, it's time to go downstairs, and take a look around. Our advice: head to the reception desk, and ask them at what time you should come back to enjoy cakes and tea. You don't want to miss tea time.

If Helene is around, she'll make a point to give you all the information you need on the neighborhood. It seems she knows every shop owner around, and since Rue Cler is right up the corner, she'll have you start your first day in Paris by a walk through the street market. Quite a nice experience.

The reception staff is helpful too. The lady there knows where to go, and how to get there. The 7th district abounds in interesting museums (Invalides, Rodin) and hallmarks (Eiffel Tower, Champ de mars, Matignon office of the Prime Minister), and she'll direct you to them. Should you need a place to eat, a concert to go to, she'll find that too. A hairdresser? She'll have that. A manucure? She'll have that. A make-up artist, a baby-sitter? She'll have that too. God, what don't they have?

Go out to your destination, and come back at the hotel for tea time. In wintertime, they light up a fire in the fireplace, they play the Pianola, and Helene serves you hot tea and cupcakes. She stays around to discuss with you of your day, and helps you plan your tomorrow.

Now, December 2003 is a special date for Helene. That's the 10th anniversary of her hotel. To special occasion, special rates: for a limited time, their single and double standard rooms go for €90 a night, and their Superior (king and twin beds) go for €110. At this price, in this area and at this level of service, we find this a steal.

For all these reasons, we bestowed Hotel du Cadran our "December 2003 Hotel of Month" award!

Website:
www.paris-hotel-cadran.com
Book directly with them.