LIM College

by Mikayla Bunker

I wasn’t really sure what to expect walking into my hotel room on my first day in Paris. I had looked up the hotel beforehand but there were hardly any pictures on the site. When I first walked up to the hotel I noticed how charming and “old world” France it was on the outside, but my first thought was how are we going to fit the 22 people that we have in this itty bitty hotel?

I was expecting a large hotel that was vertical like something you would see in the middle of Times Square (only smaller of course). Instead the hotel is almost like a small square with a few courtyards in the middle.

The hotel is the Best Western Le Patio Saint Antoine located about 25-30 minutes away from the Eiffel Tower on the Metro. I am thankful that we aren’t staying in a very touristy part of Paris because staying here forces me to explore not only the tourist attractions, but also to explore the lesser explored areas of Paris. The hotel is about a 10 minute walk from one of the larger Metro stops which is very convenient because, unless you want to walk the whole length of Paris, the Metro is the way to go!

Unfortunately, our rooms weren’t ready to be occupied when we arrived at the hotel, but it was nice to do a little exploring before checking in. Once I got into the room the noticeable difference between this hotel and hotels that I have been to in the past was the size.

Personally, I’m used to American hotels where everything is very spacious and there is a dresser and a nice-sized closet, etc., but here that is not the case. The room didn’t have a dresser, but it did have a table and a kitchen which was stocked with cooking supplies and utensils, which was a change from most of the other hotels.

Needless to say, I am learning to love the quaint room that I have and it reminds me that I have a whole city to explore and I shouldn’t be in my room the whole time!