Hotel Villa Montparnasse

It stands on a little street not far from Place Denfert Rochereau and just a stone's throw from Montparnasse Cemetery. Despite its location outside of the main tourist hub of the city centre (i.e. the area surrounding the Louvre and Notre-Dame), the hotel enjoys very good public transport links, with Saint-Germain-des-Prés just 6 stops away (a direct journey of around 10 minutes). The RER B (Denfert Rochereau stop) provides access to the Roissy Charles de Gaulle and Orly airports, and the Orlybus also leaves from this square.

The hotel belongs to the Les Hôtels de Paris group, which has 24 hotels across the city, including the Villa Lutèce, the Villa Luxembourg, and the Villa Panthéon (Easyvoyage having written articles on all three).

Despite belonging to a chain of hotels, the Montparnasse hotel certainly has its own distinct personality and has even been decorated with an African theme in tribute to the lion statue that stands on Place Denfert Rochereau. From the outside, this little red brick building on the corner of the street looks rather traditional and very Parisian. Inside, where you'll be met by a small dark wooden reception desk, the tone is set by the safari-style wallpaper, complete with leopard motifs and adorned with pictures of tigers. These very kitsch surroundings might not have been what you were expecting, but at least it brings a touch of warmth to the place.

The various African statuettes (which are not very original) dotted around the place and the painted panel in the transparent lift are extensions of the savannah theme.

The hotel has a total of 46 guest rooms and those on the corner of the building also have a small wrought iron balcony. Given the location of the hotel, none of the rooms have any views to speak of (although the rooms alongside the reception overlook Montparnasse Cemetery), but at least you're not going to be facing straight into the neighbouring buildings.

It's worth pointing out that the Standard rooms here are perfectly reasonable in terms of size (around 20 m²) and all of them are rather bright with high windows. All of the rooms have the same layout, irrespective of their category, and you'll find they've ditched the pictures of elephants and other animals of the savannah (found in the common areas) in favour of a more classical style consisting of dark wooden furniture (which isn't of the best quality and reveals a lot of scratches) and beige walls. The carpets, however, are in good condition and the surroundings generally pleasant.

The bathrooms feature yellow tiling and some of them even have a window letting in plenty of natural light. They are decently sized and pleasant on the whole, but it's still a shame to see the wear and tear of the years, such as scratches on the bathtub and washbasin, and chips out of the earthenware tiles.

As with most urban hotels, the Villa Montparnasse serves breakfast only. You will find it served in a room on the basement level, which therefore has no natural light, In terms of the decor, you'll find it sways between the primary African theme and a more British style, with sagging armchairs in shades of red and yellow. Generally speaking, though, these little hints of colour are very useful in brightening up this otherwise dark room.

An American-style buffet breakfast consisting of a variety of sweet and savoury dishes is served from 7:30am to 9:30am, so you'd best not bank on too much of a lie-in!