Exclusive Hotel Du Bois Etoile Paris

I stayed at the Hotel Du Bois in September 2004 and have immediately removed it from my list of hotels to stay in Paris. I can't believe it has received the positive reviews that it has. It certainly isn't a "gem" nor "quaint". I would not recommend this hotel on any level except for its location near the Champs Elysees and Arc De Triomphe. Even at that, there are better hotels around for their price range.

I paid the price of $140 euros for a standard double. Maybe I just ran into bad luck and received the most shabbiest, depressing, smallest, threadbare, worn out room at their property. Trust me, if I could use more negative descriptors, I would! I literally had to climb over the bed to access the bathroom (if you want to call it that). It was literally the size of a broom closet. The front staff weren't very accommodating or pleasant either. I didn't even see a breakfast room and again, nor was I informed of anything by the front end staff. I was visiting a local friend in Paris who took me to the better cafes, restaurants, and bakeries which made up for my shabby stay at the Du Bois.

I've travelled extensively and the Du Bois left a bitter taste in my mouth. I will not return to this property nor would I recommend it to my fellow travellers. Please do your research and spend your dollars at another property that will offer you genuine value, quality, and above all good service for your hard earned dollar.

Thanks TripAdvisor and other reviewers for recommending this great hotel. It's only fair we now return the favor and let other readers know about this wonderful small hotel located just a stones throw from the Arc De Triomphe. We stayed in a deluxe double for three days during mid-October 2004. The size of our room was fine, the furniture was nice (some older pieces, including an antique writing desk, that gave the room nice charm) and we had a very clean bath. This hotel had just enough wear to it to make it feel comfortable. The floor to ceiling windows were what we dreamed for in Paris, and what we got, in this authentic French Hotel - the fall weather was perfect the week we stayed. The hotel staff gave us great recommendations for restaurants and travel connections during our stay and we enjoyed the morning breakfast before heading out for the day. This hotel is definitely a 4 star hotel at a 1 star price - the price was considerably less than other comparable hotels we looked at. We bought a carnet of Metro tickets and found that we were able to travel in minutes, from Metro stops close to the hotel, to the Left Bank and other locations in Paris. We also enjoyed the short walk to the Eiffel Tower and the many shops and restaurants near the Hotel Du Bois. There are a number of great bakeries close by the hotel. Just head down a street, any street, and you will find a bakery shortly. If you are looking to stay in a hotel that makes you feel, at least for a short time, that you are a Parisian, then this may be the right hotel for you.

Hotel du Bois has a great location near the Arc De Triomph, Champs de Elysse and Eiffel Tower. Other than that the hotel has some major problems. First of all there is no elevator. Hotel guests have to lug their baggage up either one, two or three flights of stairs not to mention the thirty two steps outside the hotel. The photos which appear on the website are very bright and cheery. The room which we were assigned was dark and dreary. The room was located at the threshold of the first and second flight of stairs. Between 11:00 PM and 2:00 AM we heard all the loud talking and laughing from inconsiderate guests coming back from an evening out as wells as the noise created every time our neighbors' ( next door and above) flushed their toliets, took showers or engaged in other activities. Having a room close to the outside steps enabled us to hear all the noise created by the 4:30 AM delivery of pastry and papers, the 5:30 AM garbage pickup and the 6:00 AM departure of guest thumbing down the steps with their suitcases. After four sleepless night we were absolutely exhausted. It was a terrible way to start a three week vacation. We will never stay at Hotel du Bois and would not recommend any one else to stay there.

Great location! Close to Arc De Triomph, Champs de Elysees, and walking distance to Eiffel Tower, Seine, etc. It's tucked away in a corner of a small street, cheery red blooms dot the the window. Nice, clean rooms in romantic colors, the staff was very friendly and helpful. Lovely breakfast (included)with all French delicacies. We went in fall when it was breezy and cool but summer trippers, be advised there is no air conditioning. Also, try to get a room away from the street if you cannot sleep with traffic noise.

My wife and I spent two nights recently at hotel du bois.The hotel was perfect.It was clean and everything was as described in the brochure.The location was excellent and the steps to the hotel if anything added to the charm of the exterior.The reception staff were very courteous and spoke perfect english.We would definitely stay at the hotel du bois again.

We found this hotel here on tripadvisor---. It is in a fantastic location just steps from the Place de l'Etoile/Arc de Triomphe. Conveniently, this is the second stop on one of the Air France bus lines directly from CDG Airport. The neighborhood is very quiet and fashionable. The hotel is clean and the staff wonderfully friendly and courteous. The room was small by U.S. standards but probably standard for Paris in this price range. Long distance calls to the U.S. directly from your room are quickly connected, clear, and only about .40 euros per minute (even less at night.) That is a very good deal for direct dial international calling from Europe. Also, internet access is available in the lobby. It is wireless if you bring your laptop or you can use theirs. 30 minutes was 5 euros, but 24 hours was only 10. There is a supermarket, a bakery/pastry shop, a meat and cheese shop, and a fruit and vegetable shop within a 2 minute walk also.

The hotel recommended an incredibly good, yet reasonable restaurant only a 2 minute walk away: le bistrot de l'etoile lauriston. We had the chef's tasting menu and were served 7 courses in a little over 2 hours. It was one of the best meals we have ever had.

We can highly recommend this hotel and the restaurant.

Quelle surprise! How is it possible to find such a gem of an hotel in the very heart of Paris. Delightful staff and classy rooms for moderate cost.

Vive la France!!

We stayed at the Hotel du Bois in May, 2002, and would agree with everything in the previous reviews. This is a very good hotel, with helpful, friendly (English-speaking) staff, in an upscale location just off Av. Victor Hugo about 4 blocks from the Arc d'Triomphe. Our room was "just large enough" and did have a fair amount of charm and character, and a good view. And compared to other Paris hotels, the price was right. Having said this, this hotel is not for everyone. The hotel is built on the edge of one of the steepest little hills in Paris outside of Montmartre. As a result, the "street" in front of the hotel is not a street, but a set of about 32 steps from one street level to another. Although the ground floor of the hotel contains attractive shops adjacent to Av. Victor Hugo, the hotel does not have an elevator, so that from the main front side of the hotel, one must traverse these steps. (One can avoid the steps, but not the hill, by coming from the other direction). The hotel itself has three floors, which means another set or two of steps inside for guests in two-thirds of its rooms. This undoubtedly is why most guide books rate the hotel two stars rather than three. Since we had totally worn ourselves out in Italy before coming to Paris, we were quite conscious of this aspect. I trust most guests would not feel it as keenly as we did. Another factor to consider is that while this area has some fine expensive restaurants, there are not as many good low-cost places to eat as in some other areas. Busses, the Metro and moderate walks can solve this problem, however. As long as guests are aware of these two relatively minor caveats, I can highly recommend the Hotel du Bois.

This hotel was wonderful. My husband and I had a wonderful, very spacious room. My in-laws rooom was nice as well. There are different sized rooms, so be sure to ask for a larger room.You could peak outside my in-laws room and see the Arc. It is in wonderful part of town...slightly inconvienient from the subway stops, but not too bad.There is a decent climb up stairs to get here, but avoidable depending on what station you come in on.Overall we had a wonderful experience with this hotel and would totally recommend it.They had internet, if you purchased a card for a reasonable price. Breakfast was good. Staff beyond nice.

Finding an inexpensive place to stay in Paris is quite a challenge, but I stumbled upon the Hotel du Bois through the Internet and took my chances. When Mom and I arrived we were very pleasantly surprised to find the photos on the web matched the real thing perfectly. The staff was very friendly and tolerated my pitiful French with a smile and even helped with pronounciation when I asked. Located about 3 blocks from the Arc de Triomphe once you emerge from the Metro (the trek from the train thru the Metro to the exit is a bit long after a day of sightseeing) and tucked away in an cove from the main street and offers an amazing breakfast -- even encourages you to stock up for the day out. I would definitely stay here again!