Hotel Muguet

Since it opened in 1967, Hotel Muguet has been run by three generations of the same family. Today, the granddaughter of the original owner oversees nearly every aspect of the hotel. Hotel Muguet closed for two and a half months in 2016 to renovate the guest bathrooms and the lobby, where it replaced marble tiling, wood paneling, and dark leather easy chairs with wood-finished floors, light walls, and jewel-tone seating, like chartreuse and teal chairs and a burgundy, high-back love seat. Past the lobby is a glassed-in sitting room that looks out onto a small, lovely back patio filled with plants; the garden does not have sitting areas, but the combination of light and vegetation are welcome additions. Guests, primarily from North and South America, often come by word of mouth. The hotel has a real reputation for its high quality, reasonable rates, solid service, and quiet location on a side street near major attractions. Most new guests quickly become loyalists and cannot wait to return.

The hotel is situated in a very quiet residential (read: non-touristy) neighborhood on the Left Bank. The hotel is around the corner from Invalides and within a 15- to 20-minute walk of the Eiffel Tower, the Quai Branly Museum, and the Rodin Museum. The Musee d'Orsay is just a little further -- about 22 minutes by foot. The pedestrian-friendly market street Rue Cler, three blocks away, is lined with food shops, cafes, and cocktail bars. The neighborhood is extremely quiet in the month of August, when much of the city empties out; at this time of year, the nearby Montparnasse neighborhood will have more dining options. Ecole Militaire, the nearest Metro stop, is two blocks from the hotel.

Illuminated, flower-etched wood walls and deep purple carpeting with peacock feathers or swirling patterns immediately catch the eye in Muguet's 40 rooms. Gray velour drapes and bedding -- accented with either dark purple or bright fuchsia -- add to the look. The decor is a little on the dark side, but French windows provide natural light. With the exception of the one-person Single Rooms, all rooms are a decent size for Paris. All come with air-conditioning, safes, LED flat-screen TVs, and free Wi-Fi. There are no minibars or mini-fridges, and food is not allowed in the rooms. The hotel does not currently offer coffee and tea in the rooms.All rooms have stand-in showers in the bathrooms; there are no tubs. Bathrooms, which were renovated in 2016, also have heated towel racks, hairdryers, and Damana bath products.Rooms either face the street or the garden; the most coveted units have views of the Eiffel Tower or Invalides. One very special room, one of the three in the Romantic category, has a little balcony overlooking the Eiffel Tower. (The other two have views of Invalides, and no balcony or terrace.) Two rooms are accessible for wheelchairs. Rooms are available for one to three people, and connecting rooms are available.

In keeping with most Parisian boutique hotels, Hotel Muguet has few common features to speak of. The main amenity is the bright breakfast room, which gets lots of natural light from its glass ceiling. For a fee, guests can get unlimited access to the breakfast buffet, which includes eggs, bacon, sausage, ham, yogurt, cheese, meats, pastries, and more. Note that no other meals are available on-site and there are no mini-fridges in the rooms. Guests can store leftovers in a communal hotel fridge. There is a computer and a printer available for guests in the lobby. Wi-Fi is free throughout the hotel.