Villathena

A nice boutique hotel in a great location

I found the Hotel Villathena to be all but perfect. The location could not have been beat, about a 5-15 minute metro ride to just about anywhere within the city of Paris from Saint-Lazare metro station. The hotel itself was clean and very modern, although the bed in my room was so large, it nearly took up the entire space of the room. No bath, but that’s to be expected in many European hotels, but the shower was wonderful. Lots of nice amenities as well. Not just the usual bath and hair gel, but also a sewing kit and manicure kit are provided. The staff were top notch and went out of their way to accommodate my needs. Also, I ordered room service and it arrived promptly and the food was delicious. I’d especially recommend L’explosion Chocolat. If heaven were chocolate, it would be that dessert! The neighborhood puts you right in the heart of Paris, what I like to refer to as "real" Paris. There’s not a tourist shop in site and walking around really makes you feel like a part of this beautiful city. There is also some excellent shopping very nearby, including Galeries Lafayette - don’t miss this! The building alone is enough to make a trip there worth visiting. I would have given this hotel five stars, but I did have one minor problem: the hair dryer in my room did not work (completely burned out) and when I called the desk to see if they had a spare, they did not. But this is the only issue I had with this hotel, and as I mentioned, I consider this minor.