Paris hotel/restaurant recs for December

[leftover_salmon]

(Maybe I'm just an artard or maybe the new search function sucks but I couldn't find anything on hotels in Paris from the past year on this site...)

So my girlfriend and I nixed a winter vacation in the Carribean for one in Paris since (gasp!) neither of us has ever been. We will be there for a week between December 23rd (arriving early morning) and the 30th. Looking for hotel ideas in the $300/night and under range (a few that seem good to me: Hotel Le A, Five Hotel, Banke Hotel, Secret de Paris, Jardins de la Villa), as well as a slew of restaurant recs -- one or two blowout dinners (L'Atelier and L'Astrance are at the top of my list right now) and then a lot of bistros and neighborhood places where we can eat pate and drink house wine in a setting preferably devoid of tourists. (I speak decent French.)

 

[likeaboss]

Saw that you had no replies, and although I probably can't provide advice as well as some here, I figured I'd try to help.

I have stayed at The Five hotel...it was nice and stylish despite the tiny rooms (as all rooms in Paris are). The location was okay, just a few blocks from the subway but I would probably try to find a more centrally located hotel next time as walking around Paris is easy. Saint Germain area is probably a good choice although probably more expensive.

We ate at both restaurants you mentioned here (L'Atelier and L'Astrance) and would definitely recommend both, with L'Astrance being a few steps above IMO in terms of food, service, price, and pretentiousness . Definitely a meal I would recommend as a blow out dinner.

As far as small bistros to enjoy wine and pate, you will have too many choices =). Every place in Paris seemed to have equally amazing food. It's Paris after all.

 

[gamelan]

just got back from two weeks in Paris.

Meurice and Arpege were both amazing. Meurice gets the nod for best overall experience but best deal goes to Arpege. as far as three stars go, you'd be hard pressed to beat their 11 course lunch menu at 120 Euros.

for bistros, i thought Chateaubriand was overrated. Jadis was my favorite. Spring was really good but it left me wanting more (esp. seeing as i had eaten at Arpege the previous day). Ribaldingue was interesting in an offal sort of way. Aux Deux Amis was solid (def. your best bet if you want to avoid tourists). really good lunch deal. get your reservations in early. while i had no problems getting into any of these places, i was not able to get a seat at Frenchie.

and most importantly, have fun!

-Jeff