Hotel Minerve

A family-run option with a touch of old-world style on the rue des Ecoles, the Hotel Minerve provides three-star rooms, many with frescoes of Medieval Paris.

The three-star Hotel Minerve, located in the Latin Quarter just a ten-minute walk from Notre Dame, is a stylish and charming pick run by the same couple that owns the Familia Hotel next door.

Like its sister hotel, the Minerve is furnished with wooden beds and doors handcrafted in Brittany and, in this case, bearing the hotel's "HM" insignia. (They're really into this detail: We counted 13 HMs carved into one room alone!)

Floors are parquet wood, as well as attractive tiling in the bathrooms and fresh carpets throughout. The 54 rooms have flat-screen TVs and marble-lined bathrooms are equipped with new fixtures.

In a nod to things medieval, a dozen rooms at the Minerve feature frescoes of famous French castles—painted right there on your wall (some might find this too much), while others are hung with historical tapestries. The most expensive rooms feature balconies overlooking the rue des Ecoles, while slightly cheaper (and very quiet) rooms face the back courtyard.

Breakfast is an additional charge of €17.

In all, we’re fans of the family-run atmosphere at the Minerve and Familia, even if the rates fluctuate out of our budget sometimes. In the peak travel season, we found rates averaging around €235 per night for a double.