Hello all,
I am in the process of planning my honeymoon in Europe for next May. I have reserved a room at the Hotel Lancaster based on the website and recommenations from trip advisor but for some reason can never find this hotel in any of the guide books i%26#39;ve searched. Is this a good hotel for honeymoon (centrally located and nice ambiance)? Also I%26#39;ve been holding off buying plane ticket, the best quote i%26#39;m getting for Toronto to Paris (May 2) and then Rome to Toronto (May 15) is about $1300 cad (795eur) but people keep telling me I should be able to get this closer to $1000. Finally, need to leave Paris on the 6th for Venice ... should I take a flight or train? Any comments or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
thx vaz
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The price for the Hotel Lancaster seemed high. It is located right off the Champs-Elysees. The hotels are expensive in that area.
I stayed at a wonderful quiet hotel called Hotel de Banville.
www.hotelbanville.fr/chambres2.php?lang=en
Sincerely,
Diana
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The HOTEL LANCASTER (4-star) 7 rue de Beri, 75008, Metro: George V-- http://www.hotel-lancaster.fr/index2.htm is a perfectly fine 4-star hotel. The reviews you%26#39;ve probably seen here at TripAdvisor, are perhaps the most comprehensive you will find. But in a city with well over 2,500 registered guest accommodations it%26#39;s certainly possible that some fine hotels will be overlooked by guidebooks--though the Lancaster is certainly mention enough.
As for airfares from Toronto-to-Paris, you%26#39;re probably still a littel too far out for any %26#39;specials%26#39; thay may come up. Keep searching %26#39;..the usual suspects..%26#39; until you find a lower fare that you are more comfortable with. It would also seem that you are trying to book and %26#39;open-jawed%26#39; round-trip itinerary--Toronto/Paris--Rome/Toronto which will stretch your available time but increase the cost of the airfare.
Your primary choices for travel to Venice will be via air or train. There is a direct (no train changes en route) night train from Paris--Gare de Bercy at 10:28 PM to Venice, at 08:43 AM that might fit your plans and save you the cost of a hotel room for one night and allow you to stretch your time by traveling at night. There are also day trains. There are various accommodations available aboard this train but I think you might have to book it as 1st Class to get a private compartment/ overnight cabin for only two passengers.---rather than %26#39;couchettes%26#39; or T-3 cabins(this is a honeymoon right?) In any event, you can %26#39;tinker%26#39; with the French National Railways--SNCF--web site to get some idea of cost, fares, accommodations at: www.voyages-sncf.com/dynamic/_SvHomePage…
With the SNCF site you can only get information and reservations no more than 60 days out, so this is where the %26#39;tinkering%26#39; comes in for research/planning purposes.
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It is usually cheaper to fly than go by rail.
Check out Ryan Air, I found a direct flight in May for 19 euros.
Even Air France is cheaper and you get that extra time in one of the most beautiful cities on earth. (Venice or Paris, either way)
Happy Marriage
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fiasco,
Congratulations. I did a quick search and found that if you are flexible by just a couple of days, you can save $200 per person on airfare right now. USAir has a 818 US$ RT using the Wednesdays (4th and 18th)...The same flights on your dates are $1,014...It%26#39;s really amazing how one or two days can change the airfare...
Paris is such a wonderful place; most of it has an ambiance of romance. The light in May is sublime, and the northern latitude means sunset approaching 10:00 pm...a ride on the Seine at this hour is magic....I prefer the Vedettes du Pont Neuf over the Bateaux Mouche...
While the Champs and the 8th has some nice aspects, I find it a touch gaudy...For me, the tiny Rue Jacob in the 5th may be the most romantic street in all of Paris...the shops are truly unique...Pierre Boules little stone and fossil store is one of the coolest shops anywhere...
Paris IS Romance...it%26#39;s hard not to feel it...
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Thanks GoodtoGo I checked ryanair and found the flight. Was able to book flight for both of us for 80euro all in.
Prankster ... thanks for you suggestion ... not really flexible on dates since I first booked hotels and now looking for flights. I wanted to book a discount flight and now have more money to spend at the restaurants in Venice and Florence. Also will definately take your recommendation for things to do in Paris. I have travelled a fair bit but never been to Europe and my fiancee has never travelled at all. Whilst in Africa and Asia I too prefered the more local and unique culture found out of the tourist area but since this is hopefully our first of many trips to Paris would like to get a lot of the more touristy stuff out of the way.
KDKSail ... thanks for your info I believe read in another post info about Beauvais airport. How far is this from the city and what is the best way to get out there?
IrishSaphire ... the prices listed on the website are nuts ... actually ending up getting the room for $450 us a night ... hopefully this is my first and last honeymoon so worth a little extra cash
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How was the Lancaster? I am going this summer.
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Paris to Venice.
Check on the European discount airlines...Easyjet, Ryanair, Germania, German Air, etc.
Easyjet%26#39;s got a nice direct from Paris to Nice. If you catch the train from there to Venice, you might find time for some really interesting and unforgettable stops...Monaco, Portofino, Cinqueterre...
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2nd thought...
Have you looked into flying Air France to Venice?
You%26#39;ll have to change planes in Paris anyway. If the ticket/fare allows you a stopover, you%26#39;re set.
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Fiasco,
Great question that I feel I can provide a reliable answer to, as I%26#39;ve been to Paris many times, and I love the Hotel Lancaster. It%26#39;s my favorite hotel in Paris overall, and I too stayed there on my honeymoon, just last October. Great location, on the Rue de Berri, just off the center of the Champs Elysees. I%26#39;d call it a 5 star boutique/townhouse hotel. The hotel oozes character, enough so that you might expect to find it on the Left Bank instead, but is still very luxurious and classy. The staff is wonderfully helpful. The restaurant is helmed by Michelin-starred chef Michel Troisgros, and although he doesn%26#39;t personally do the cooking there, it%26#39;s one of the hottest new dining spots in the press in Paris. The hotel is designed, managed, and owned by design trend-setter Grace Leo-Andrieu. She has the uncanny ability to meld classic French traditional design with charming and homey with chic and hip. It%26#39;s a perfect place for your honeymoon. Just to give you a price reference, we%26#39;ve paid anywhere from 350 Euro to 600 Euro per night for a room. On our recent honeymoon trip, we paid 470 Euro, as I recall, for a superior room on a higher floor. It came with the added bonus of a lovely balcony overlooking the Rue de Berri, a spacious and great place to sit and enjoy the complimentary bottle of champagne from the hotel with my new wife on a gorgeous Parisian evening. If you negotiate with the hotel directly via e-mail, they usually can provide a special rate of some sort. For the season we were there, I got the superior room at the standard room rate, plus I received breakfast for two included (may not seem like much, but it was, at 25 Euro per person for room service breakfast each morning). Great honeymoon choice, I can%26#39;t rave about it more. As a point of comparison, I enjoy the Lancaster, especially for our honeymoon, more than the Four Seasons George V, the Ritz, the Crillon, the Meurice, or the Bristol, at all which I have been a guest in the past, for overall experience (although some of the others are more luxurious, they aren%26#39;t as romantic or cosy). When we were last at the Lancaster, Oscar-winner Geoffrey Rush was staying there and seemed very much to be enjoying his stay as well (although maybe he was acting, since that%26#39;s what he does?).
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