Over the last couple of years "commuting" to France to take care of my Dad , and spending a few days in Paris on the way, I usually stayed with a good friend in Versailles.
This year though, he had just bought a new appartment meters away from the previous one, but in dire need of renovation. So this was not really an option...
Besides, I had a lot of meetings for my other blog, most taking place in the East of Paris, so I decided to find a small hotel near Gare de Lyon and Bastille, and I found a little gem on tripadvisor.com - The Pavillon Saint Louis Bastille, old stone walls, tiny but confortable room. Only complaint was that their WiFi connection was not working in the room, apparently a temporary problem due to a change of provider. Nice little breakfast room at the front of the hotel where the service was lovely and the fare quite adequate, although cooked breakfast is not available. It seems to be very popular with Dutch people, a sign of good value!.
It is walking distance from three Metro stations: Ledru Rollin, Gare de Lyon and Bastille a bit further away, so really convenient.
Also, walking distance to Rue Cremieux - see photo on the left _ a very charming street lined up with plant pots, quite like a London mews.
There is quite a collection of good brasseries, small bistrots and also the Train Bleu in the Gare de Lyon itself.
If you keep coming back and check my "Restaurants" page, then you will see my reviews of the ones I tried.
Near by Bastille, there is a BIG market, with 6 kms (!) of stalls on the Thursday and Sunday - don't miss it!
In the meantime, here are some photos and later on, see my review on our "Markets" page.