[.ca] Sandra Gustafson's Cheap Sleeps in Paris (ISBN 0811818314)

From Amazon.com:
If you're looking for a book about the cheapest beds in Paris, Cheap Sleeps is not for you. What you will find here is "a highly selective guide to hotels" found to be "the best value in their category, be it a no-star with the shower and toilet down the hall or an antique-filled, three-star Left Bank hotel with a Jacuzzi in a marble bathroom." Hundreds of hotels are featured, from youth hostels to Kiki's haunt (the Hôtel Istria in Montparnasse) to the Ritz. For the eighth edition, Gustafson revisits each previously reviewed establishment to be sure it's still up to snuff and scours the city for new favorites. The listings are engaging, frank, and often humorous, and they include useful information on nearby environs. Entries are conveniently arranged by arrondissement and cover rates, reservations, amenities, décor, and all the vital statistics--including Web site addresses and the best rooms to request. What sets this book apart is that it is not simply a list of places to stay in Paris. Cheap Sleeps provides a bounty of detailed information. Each listing offers something unique, from descriptions of 13th-century architectural flourishes to whether a room provides a view of the Eiffel Tower or simply "lots of pink chenille and garage-sale Gothic furniture." The book also includes dozens of money- and time-saving tips that could make a savvy traveler out of even the most inept tourist and a section on "Cheap Chic," featuring deals on everything from cookware to designer hats. --Jhana Bach

resting on its laurels:
It's been six years since the last edition of this book. I used it in Paris recently and although one could get a sketchy idea of cheap accoms six years later (probably more like eight years given research and publishing lag), I would really like to see this guide updated more often. I don't blame Sandra for this, it's probably the publisher being stingy. But the out-of-date book is soiling the reputation of both author and publishers, I'm afraid.

The best Paris hotel guide I've found:
To the reader in Michigan: stop dissing Sandra Gustafson. She's entitled to congratulate herself a little for all her good work! The title _is_ misleading, but the book is very helpful for anyone looking for a good, reasonably-priced hotel. The thing about this guide is the quality of the research. General guidebooks don't really devote a great deal of effort to tracking down the best hotel deals, even though accommodation is the largest expense on holiday, while other Paris hotel guides seem to concentrate more on old-world charm than simply finding a nice room at a good price - which is Cheap Sleeps' forte. The descriptions are very detailed and she finds some wonderful, but heroically obscure, hotel choices. I stayed at one which offered simply fantastic value for money, yet was listed nowhere else. The book more than paid for itself in the first night. If you're going to Paris, you'd be mad not to buy it.

Not as Cheap as Earlier Editon:
Sorry to disagree with all those glowing stars, but I think the seventh edition is inferior to my old well-loved, well-worn earlier one. Maybe Ms. Gustafson's opinion of what is cheap has changed, but mine hasn't. The number of three-star establishments predominates, with a new emphasis on splurging. This is not why I buy this kind of guide. I also can't warm up to the author's new self-congratulatory tone she has developed. And what's the deal with belaboring how many miles were walked and how much rain was slogged through to bring the lucky reader only the best information? I've changed my allegiance to Frommer and Steves. These guys know how to talk travel without pretension.

I found a very nice laptop friendly hotel with this book:
Cheap Sleeps in Paris is wonderful. When I travel in the states, I usually go away for a long weekend, and I'm able to take advantage of weekend rates at hotel chains I know. It doesn't take much know how to get a good room in a Hilton, for example. We have lots of companies that try to keep up a consistent level of quality, and rooms tend to be pretty much the same in different cities. But in Paris, that strategy doesn't work. My stays are longer, and I just can't afford to spend 8 nights in the same kind of place I'd choose here in the US. Most of the hotels in Paris are small and ideosyncratic. It's not just that there are differences from hotel to hotel -- there are even differences from room to room within the same place. The quality of your experience depends more upon the individuals running a specific hotel than it does here in the states, where there are companies that try to maintain a culture of quality that you can count on in different cities. In Paris you're often dealing with someone who owns and operates one hotel, and the quality of the place depends a lot on that person's attitude. I found Gustafson's book to be very helpful. I went to Paris twice last year. The first time I didn't use her book, and I got an awful place in a marginal neighborhood and I wasn't able to dial out with my laptop (which I need to do for work), despite the fact that the hotel's web site said that I could. "Oh, you need an executive suite for that, they cost 3 times as much, and they're all full." The second time I did use this book, and I got a place in a much nicer neighborhood, for 2/3 the cost, with a very comfortable bed and very nice bath with shower. And I could actually dial out with my laptop. That doesn't sound like much, but I had a very hard time finding a place that would let me do that. Although it's not a focus of Cheap Sleeps, she does mention a few places that are net friendly, and that was important to me. Most people will obviously have other priorities. But I believe this book will help them as well. I've just requested another reservation at the same place for the fall. I've read some reviews here that complain about the places not being cheap enough. My room will be $68/night, in the 16th (ie., a yuppie neighborhood), on a quiet street, and it comes with a nice bath, shower, and television with cable. Not to mention the all important phone jack. I know the Franc is weak now, but when I compare that to what I pay in New York, San Francisco, London, LA, or what I'd have to pay here in Chicago, it seems pretty cheap to me. The important thing, though, is that it's not so cheap that you wouldn't want to stay there. Here's the bottom line: how much are you spending on your trip to Paris? This book is cheap. It will probably make a real difference in the quality of your trip; I know it did for me. If not, what are you out, compared to what you're spending already?

Best hotel guide to Paris:
I love Sandra. No one has put in as much legwork as she in finding smaller spots, (perhaps that are marketed mainly to other Europeans) that are in the middle of everything and are reasonably priced. I have used this book twice, and (GASP) I gave it to my mother to use! Everything worked out splendid. If Sandra says a price and location in her book is as good as it gets, believe her. If some decry that her cheap sleeps are not so cheap anymore, this may have to do with the fact that Europe in general is reaching dollar parity with the U.S. Let the reader blame the tanking U.S. dollar for the fact he can't stay in Paris for 22$ a night anymore. I guess I have reached an age where I do not want glitz, or fashionable place anymore. What has become important is little of what the Irish call 'craic' and some measure of authenticity. When Sandra says the owner is delighful, or a quintessential Frenchman, she aint kidding. And believe me, you will remember the little things of your trip, such as what Sandra can lead you to, then the big things. Use her book without reservation!