Travel Muse Magazine

Romance… in the way of a love affair with a book or a dream of going to your long-awaited goal city that you’ve been drooling over on Instagram for years. That’s what the Hotel du Danube in Paris’s desirable Saint Germain des Prés neighborhood is like. The location (6th arrondissement, Left Bank/Rive Gauche), the beds, the pillows, the slippers, the bath products, the people… everything truly was wonderful. In fact, this hotel made Paris feel like home!

Getting off an overnight transatlantic flight, waiting in long lines at customs, then whirling thru traffic in a cab is stressful. You hope that when you pull up to the hotel you booked it seems clean and safe and everything is in order. But when you get there and everything feels comfortable and even better than online, you feel like you can finally breathe and can make it past 9pm before going to bed thus overcoming jet lag. That was what we experienced at the Danube. Our good friends who moved to France stay here monthly when they come into the city and recommended it to us. They were right.

The decor is cool without trying too hard. The color scheme inside and out is tres chic with eye-catching greens and pinks plus even more colorful artwork in the lobby. Getting upstairs with your luggage is tight using the elevator, which is so small it basically accommodates just a person and their bags. (Wheelchair users should ask about specifics before booking here.) The hotel is clearly several old buildings joined creatively together with quirky turns and doorways. If you don’t have mobility issues, this adds to the charm.

We stayed in room 34 and highly recommend it for a couple or two friends. It has a lovely courtyard view that whispers “You’re in Paris!”, a small table with chairs, mini fridge, coffee maker (with great espresso), separate WC and shower/sink room. The linens and pillows were all high quality and just felt comfortable all around. Our three teenage kids stayed across the hall in room 31 – a triple (a holy grail of family travel rooms in Europe). It has a double bed (like our, plenty of room for two adults) and a sofa bed (which could sleep two small kids or small teens if needed, but our son had it for himself). The kids’ room was good but not as fabulous as room 34’s layout. The sofa bed wasn’t that comfy and having the toilet in the same room as the sink and shower wasn’t ideal. That room also didn’t have a great view that makes you want to open the windows while you sip your café. Our friends had one of the premiere rooms on the main street over the hotel’s entrance with a sought-after Parisian street view, complete with flower bed window boxes.

It’s a small detail, but the unlimited sparkling water bottle refills the hotel offers is a nice touch. So much better than just drinking tap water at night without having to run to a shop for more. The tap water is good here too and perfect for filling up a reusable water to hydrate on the long Parisian walks you’ll be taking through the sites, streets and museums.

The area is excellent with good restaurants for coffee, breakfast, lunch and dinner all around. There’s also a nice little market around the corner where you can pick up a chilled bottle of sparkling wine and pastries to enjoy in the courtyard or your room after dinner. Plus it’s a quick walk to such must-sees as the Louvre, Musée d’Orsay, Café de Flore, Deux Magots, the Luxembourg gardens and really everything else! Metro and bus are also close by.

I didn’t want to check out after a week here. Can’t wait to be back! I won’t even bother to look anywhere else. Hotel du Danube makes for an ideal home base in and around Paris!