32 rue des Saints Pères, 75007 Paris

Académie Hôtel Saint Germain

Name: Académie Hôtel Saint Germain
Address: 32 rue des Saints Pères, Paris, 75007, FR
Rating: 4.45

Hotel 4-star in Paris

Presentation

The Académie Hôtel Saint-Germain occupies a building on Rue des Saints-Pères, just a few meters from the boulevard that gave the neighborhood its name. You enter almost silently, the door opening onto a vestibule where the woodwork and fabrics recall a time when the place served as a boarding house.

That was in 1900. Albert Camus, Jean-Paul Sartre, and Simone de Beauvoir rented rooms there by the year, drawn by the proximity of the cafés and bookstores of the Left Bank. You encounter this history in the corridors without it ever being overly emphasized: solid oak parquet here, an exposed beam there.

On the ground floor, reception never closes. The staff speak several languages and handle luggage without your having to ask twice. A little farther on, the bar waits for aperitif hour in a warm dimness, ideal for ending the day without going back out.

Going up to the upper floors, the 33 rooms and suites come in three harmonies: crimson and gold as a nod to Napoleon III, powder pink and silver in memory of Marie Antoinette, pale blue and gold in the colors of the kings of France. The fabrics are thick, the antique furniture has been carefully restored, and the bathrooms are thoroughly modern: some suites hide a hydro-massage bathtub beneath a 19th-century beam ceiling.

It should be said plainly: the classic rooms, at thirteen square meters, are among the most compact in the neighborhood. That is the price of a preserved Haussmann-style building rather than a recent construction designed with space in mind. Those looking for more room will opt for a junior suite, with its sitting area and desk; the others will enjoy soundproofing that never disappoints: rooms facing the courtyard or on higher floors make it possible to sleep late without a sound from the street.

Breakfast is served between 7:30 and 10:30 in a room with exposed stone. Soft-boiled eggs, charcuterie, pastries, fresh-squeezed juice: the buffet is generous, and it is charged as an extra, as in most addresses of this standard in Paris. Nothing, however, prevents it from being brought up to the room on a morning when one prefers to take one’s time under the covers.

Outside, everything is within a step’s reach. The Musée d’Orsay is a ten-minute walk away, the Louvre in eight, and the Jardin du Luxembourg in a leisurely fifteen-minute stroll. The Saint-Germain-des-Prés station is two hundred and fifty meters away, and Les Deux Magots is even closer, for a terrace coffee before heading out to explore.

One last tip, for those arriving late: ask for a courtyard-facing room when booking. Rue des Saints-Pères gets lively early in the morning, and it is deliveries, not the bells of Saint-Germain, that wake the first guests.

Summary of a few positive reviews read on the Web

Small room but well laid out. The bed is comfortable and the bathroom has been renovated with a jet bathtub. You can feel the recent renovation.
Staff available from arrival. Our luggage was brought up without delay and the person at reception gave good dinner recommendations.
Generous breakfast, with eggs made to order and fresh-squeezed orange juice in the morning. Charged extra but fair for the quality.
Well located for sightseeing on foot. The Louvre is ten minutes away and the Saint-Germain-des-Prés metro is two minutes away.
Very quiet courtyard room. Despite a lively street in the morning, we slept well until nine o’clock.