Delhy's Hotel

Editor's Note: The Delhy's Hotel is currently closed for renovations. The hotel states on its Web site that they will open with a new name (and classification) in December 2012. That time has come and gone, but we're still hanging in there to see if the new hotel will be budget-friendly. In the meantime, enjoy our original review...

The Delhy's Hotel is a super-central one-star cheapo, offering rooms with and without private showers on the petit Rue l'Hirondelle, a quiet pedestrian street located one block west of Place Saint-Michel.

Pros: Cheap rates. Very central St-Michel location. Old-fashioned charm. Breakfast included.

Cons: Very simple rooms, none with private toilet. No elevator. No online booking.

Hotel

The Delhy’s building is old, dating back to the 16th-century days of King Francois I, when it was known as the "Hotel de la Salamandre." Preservation laws being what they are, the hotel still feels old, with exposed stone and wooden beams downstairs, in the staircase and in some rooms.

Not surprisingly, the hotel doesn’t have an elevator.

Rooms

The Delhy’s double and triple rooms are simply furnished with beds with wooden headboards and small tables. Singles have small beds and some tiny windows.

Rooms are decorated with bright yellow walls, purple curtains, a few paintings and the occasional flower painted on the wall. But again, it's the rooms with exposed stone and wood beams that won us over.

None of the 21 rooms have private toilets, though some rooms are equipped with private showers and all rooms have sinks. (Guests staying in rooms without a shower will have to pay €4 to use the shared showers.) Only three rooms per floor share each bathroom, however, minimizing long waits.

Breakfast is served downstairs and is included in the room rate. A free Wi-Fi connection is accessible in the reception and breakfast area, but does not reach the rooms.

Location

The Delhy’s central location is a major draw. It is steps from the St. Michel fountain, along one of the most beautiful stretches of the Seine. It's also close to Notre Dame, and the winding streets and cafés of the Latin Quarter.

The hotel is a five-minute walk from the RER B stop, “St-Michel Notre-Dame,” which has a direct connection to Charles de Gaulle airport. The nearest Metro stop is "St-Michel", line 4, about one minute from the hotel.