Where to Stay in Paris

Our friends are planning a trip to Paris and asked us for some advice on where to stay.  I must admit, my husband has much more experience in this area, so here is the advice he gave:

First, pick a neighborhood.  The 5th and the 7th are really the best out there (location, food, stuff to do, etc).  If you are going to be in Paris 4+ days, we really recommend trying out two different neighborhoods.  If Stephanie and I were going, we would try to pay less than 100 Euro a night. 

7th - Rue Cler, Tour Eiffel, etc

This is the best street in the best neighborhood around and there are like a zillion awesome little 10 table restaurants.  The main con here is that the only sights within walking distance are the Tour Eiffel and Les Invalids (Napoleon’s Tomb).  Well that, and there tend to be many Americans around. There are metro stops... but they aren't on the best line and not super close.  

Hotel Champ du Mars - I stayed here with my buddy ages ago and it still gets awesome reviews, better price.  Review on TripAdvisor, click here.

Hotel L'Eveque  - On the best street in Paris, lots of Rick Steves' readers, my family has spent a lot of nights here, looks like it has gotten more expensive.  Review on TripAdvisor, click here. 

5th - Marais, Basitlle

This has the best location, near stuff and very good Metro access. This is also where all the French people want to live (especially as you move back from the main drags).  Less of a neighborhood, but you can walk to a ton of sites.  Stephanie and I stayed here the last time (in a not great hotel, everything else was booked).  

Hotel Castex - Awesome location, they have made it much nicer, cheap, my family used to stay here (late 90s) but there was a bad change of ownership... seems to be resolved now.  Review on TripAdvisor, click here. 

Hotel Jean D'Arc - always pretty nice, looks like people love it, still well priced, my parents liked it.  Review on TripAdvisor, click here. 

Other Tips

Whatever you do, don't get breakfast at a hotel unless it is free.  Paris has the best cafes in the world and you will get a much better value sitting in some awesome cafe eating much better food.  Back in the day, breakfast was always free, but now that it is not it is no longer worth it.  

Rick Steves' book and website are the best, but given the number of people using them, for hotels I would give credence to tripadvisor.com, Orbitz.com, Venere.com, etc.

Classic Andalusian Gazpacho

Summer is here, at least that's what the thermometer says.  It's a whopping 94 degrees in Chicago!  The perfect temperature for a cool bowl of gazpacho.  I just whipped up my first batch of the season.  One of many I've made after my first trip to Spain in 2007.  I'm addicted and fully admit it!  After trying many different recipes, this is the most authentic recipe I've found and my favorite!

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Classic-Andalusian-Gazpacho-106874

Gazpacho "El Faro"
The classic Andalusian gazpacho is found all over the region with surprisingly few variations, except for the addition of cucumber and onion — ingredients that have fallen out of favor with chefs who prefer to allow the pure taste of the tomatoes, Sherry vinegar, and olive oil to shine through. In this version, cumin lends an intriguing, subtle flavor.

yield: Makes 4 servings
active time: 30 minutes
total time: 3 1/2 hours

Ingredients:

• 1 (2-inch-long) piece baguette, crust discarded
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 tablespoons Sherry vinegar (preferably "reserva"), or to taste (NOTE: I bought some at Williams-Sonoma.)
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin (optional)
• 2 1/2 lb ripe tomatoes, cored and quartered (NOTE: this equals about 8 medium tomatoes and I don't core them.)
• 1/2 cup mild extra-virgin olive oil (preferably Andalusian hojiblanca)
• Garnish: finely chopped red and green bell peppers

Preparation:

Soak bread in 1/2 cup water 1 minute, then squeeze dry, discarding soaking water.

Mash garlic to a paste with salt using a mortar and pestle (or mince and mash with a large knife). Blend garlic paste, bread, 2 tablespoons vinegar, sugar, cumin, and half of tomatoes in a food processor until tomatoes are very finely chopped. Add remaining tomatoes with motor running and, when very finely chopped, gradually add oil in a slow stream, blending until as smooth as possible, about 1 minute.

Force soup through a sieve into a bowl, pressing firmly on solids. Discard solids. (NOTE: I don't usually do this part.)

Transfer to a glass container and chill, covered, until cold, about 3 hours. Season with salt and vinegar before serving.

Gazpacho can be chilled up to 2 days.

Loving Spain!