Hotel Cluny Sorbonne has alot of great attributes, it's clean, it's in a great location, the beds are comfortable and the shower has endless hot water. There are an equal amount of things needing updating in this hotel so it really comes down to what you are looking for. If it's a Hilton experience you seek then skip right past this hotel. If it's a solid 3 star reliable and safe hotel near all read on.
The Pros:
-Wifi free & great
-it's in a super great convenient location in the Latin Quarter, just across the street from the University Sorbonne and steps away from Sorbonne Plaza with a small variety of restaurants (about 3) that are very popular have lots of indoor and outdoor seating and in a lovely quaint setting large decorative fountains and a view of the University.
-It's also just around the corner from main street St. Michel which can take you just about anywhere you want to go in Paris via nearby transportation (bus & metro stations galore or within a 5-25 min walk.
Stay on St. Michel for about 5 min & you hit St. Germaine another main st. Go R on St. G and in 10 min you're at Notre Dam, Go L & in 20 min you're at The Louvre, or go straight for 10 min over one of the 37 bridges (over Seine River) & you can take a water taxi or walk along the Seine in either direction to many main attractions.
-The hotel is on the left bank, the latin quarter is loaded with cafes and restaurants and fast food baguette and crepe counters, too many to count and all selling giant size versions of this food for a few Euros. Including several varieties of pizza.
-if healthy eating is on your plan it's a little harder to keep on track in the Latin Quarter as healthy items are not number one on the menu. Rather bread and cheese & chocolate is.
-the front desk people (we experienced 2 guys & 1 gal) are all courteous and competent. If you ask a direct question they will give you good directions and referrals to area restaurants, transportation and more.
-we arrived early from the airport & were accommodated & checked in by 1130a.
-the room was clean, the bed was comfy but
-Get taxi on St. Michel
The Cons:
-the bedding was very old and scratchy, flannel like you would buy in a cheap department store. The bed sheets though clean & starched had holes in it
- the carpeting was horrible with many stains
- the room by Paris standards was on the larger side, think enough room for a double bed centered in the room with about 2 feet of space to walk around window side and about 4 feet on other side. There was a small desk and 2 chairs (good to put your 2nd suitcase if you're traveling with another person who has a suitcase). The closet was a decent size with plenty of hangers. There was a mirror on the wall which is good because the bathroom didnt have one on it's door. The space in the room was a bit tight but again ok for Paris. No outlet in bathroom.
-The bathroom was small with a toilet a sink and a shower.There was a small shelf to put some toiletry items. They provided the shampoo/body soap mix and bar soap.
-the hot water was insanely hot. It was so hot we used it to make tea & instant coffee and it worked out just fine.
-there was a TV but we never turned it on.
What could improve this hotel:
-a few hooks on the doors would help greatly to aid in hanging up some items guests dont want to have to go in and out of their suitcase. (there is no dresser so you have to live out of your suitcase) unless you hang a few items in the closet.
-shower doors instead of the curtain that sticks to you while you are taking a shower
- coffee and tea would go a long way in helping guests get off to a good start in the morning. There is no coffee shop in the immediate area you have to walk up to st. michel where there are a few starbucks about 5 min away. It wouldn't cost the hotel much to provide this and guests would be willing to pay a few bucks more to have this convenience. Since all of Paris eats croissants and sweet breads for breakfast having a supply of those would also be great with some fresh fruit. I for one would of paid a bit more for this so as not to waste precious site seeing time trying to hunt down breakfast. (they even have a breakfast room that's not being used)
- there is no fitness center which is a big issue for me as I work out everyday. Since we only spent 3 nights here it was doable but beyond that I couldnt stay in this hotel.
- they have a very small lift about 2 feet by 3 feet inside, literally one person and a suitcase fit in there or two people squeezing 2 very small suitcases (as we did when we checked in). after that we used the stairs. we were on the 1st floor (20 steps).
Overall if you're just looking for a place to crash after a full day in Paris with no frills in a great location near everything this is your place.
If you can't overlook the outdated rooms and stained carpet and no frills bedding then you can add $100 a night to your bill and find yourself a nice comfy updated read more