Mama Shelter is probably one of the first choices of design minded travellers seeking for a stay in Paris. Especially if you’re on a tight budget, and in Paris you’d better be because this is the capital of high priced hotel rooms.
There’s the price. If you book well in advance and you’re able to catch a room at 80€ a night, these tiny failures are easily forgiven. But if you book at last notice, like we did, and pay 160€ you expect a little more. At least Wi-Fi and a friendly staff.
The grumpy mood at the reception by day was in sheer contrast with the über friendly staff we met in the evening at the bar and restaurant. One night we came in late and wanted a quick bite before we went to bed. We stepped into the hotel's own pizzeria on the ground floor to order a take away pizza and got our food for free. It tasted delicious, a must-try if you go there, even if you have to pay for it.
Downstairs, there's a pizzeria and an entirely reasonable restaurant serving steak-frites and hearty pots of mussels and chorizo. There's also a rough-and-ready bar, with DJs and live acts, which buzzes with artists and Starck wannabes. The only downside is that it's a long haul by Métro to the city centre.
Cheap but chic, with quirky decor by Philippe Starck, and a buzzing bar and restaurant attracting cool Parisians. Beds feel luxurious; standard extras include Kiehl’s toiletries, free Wi-Fi and iMac televisions. The bedside fancy-dress masks are possibly not for everyone, but the price is.
There’s the price. If you book well in advance and you’re able to catch a room at 80€ a night, these tiny failures are easily forgiven. But if you book at last notice, like we did, and pay 160€ you expect a little more. At least Wi-Fi and a friendly staff.
The grumpy mood at the reception by day was in sheer contrast with the über friendly staff we met in the evening at the bar and restaurant. One night we came in late and wanted a quick bite before we went to bed. We stepped into the hotel's own pizzeria on the ground floor to order a take away pizza and got our food for free. It tasted delicious, a must-try if you go there, even if you have to pay for it.
Downstairs, there's a pizzeria and an entirely reasonable restaurant serving steak-frites and hearty pots of mussels and chorizo. There's also a rough-and-ready bar, with DJs and live acts, which buzzes with artists and Starck wannabes. The only downside is that it's a long haul by Métro to the city centre.
Cheap but chic, with quirky decor by Philippe Starck, and a buzzing bar and restaurant attracting cool Parisians. Beds feel luxurious; standard extras include Kiehl’s toiletries, free Wi-Fi and iMac televisions. The bedside fancy-dress masks are possibly not for everyone, but the price is.
