Au Royal Mad

Guests will need to look out for the hotel’s entrance -- it’s an easy-to-miss narrow Parisian doorway between two clothes shops on a back street; more like the door to a friend’s apartment building than a hotel entrance. It’s best to look up, as the hotel is housed in an attractive Haussmann-style building. Unfortunately, there’s no case of ‘it’s what's inside that counts’ here; there’s nothing attractive about the tiny reception area, bare-bones breakfast room, or spartan rooms. The hotel has an international vibe, attracting couples and solo travelers from all over the world who are on a budget but who value a private room and a location that’s not too far from Paris’ top sights. 

Au Royal Mad sits in a small back street, a 10-minute walk from the Place de la Bastille. Its immediate setting is a little odd, on a road full of clothes shops that’s often bustling with workmen. There are some trendy bars, great restaurants, bakeries, and fast-food chains close by, and the nightlife along Rue de Lappe is a 10-minute walk away. There’s also a supermarket down the street, handy for stocking up the in-room fridge with microwave dinners. The eastern fringes of the trendy Marais are a 15-minute walk away, but most other major sights require the metro or a cab. The Voltaire Metro station is just a two-minute walk away from the hotel, for journeys to the Louvre (25 minutes) and the Eiffel Tower (45 minutes). Charles de Gaulle Airport can be reached in a half-hour drive, and both Orly Airport and CDG are about an hour away by train.

Rooms resemble student accommodation, prioritizing in-room fridges and microwaves over private bathrooms. They're all private, as Au Royal Mad doesn’t have dorms, though noise from throughout the hotel may make them feel less so. The highlights are the mini-fridges, large windows, flat-screen TVs, and free Wi-Fi. Other features include a desk and space to hang clothes. There are no kettles and none have air-conditioning. Many rooms share a bathroom, but have their own sink. There are shared toilets on every floor but travelers should note that there are only shower rooms on the first, fourth, and fifth floors. In the rooms that have a private bathroom, there are small stall showers. There’s no elevator in the hotel and the winding staircases are narrow, so guests with heavy luggage may want to request a lower floor. According to previous guests, cleanliness can be hit or miss.

Living up to its budget status, this hotel offers almost zero features. The breakfast room is as basic as it gets, with a small kitchen, fridges, a TV, sofa and a few functional tables, plus an honor bar for soft drinks. A simple breakfast -- toast, croissant, juice, and a hot drink -- is available for a fee, though most guests eat elsewhere. There’s 24-hour reception and free Wi-Fi throughout the property.