please tell me what to do

i am trying to plan a trip to paris for just me and my daughter over spring break.

i have posted a couple questions in the last few weeks and have taken the advise of those who responded.

now, one more question before i actually book my trip.

we have enough marriott points to stay for 2 free nights. do i stay the whole trip at marriott rive gauche ?(where it sounds like we will have to take the metro to everything) or do we spend 2 free nights at the marriott champs elysees and then switch hotels. (too expensive to pay for 5 nights there) we would either switch back to rive gauche, or i%26#39;ve heard good things about k%26amp;k hotel cayre.

oh, one more thing, do i book this myself or use a travel agent?

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Take your two free nights and then move on somewhere that suits you.

Definitely book it yourself, why pay commission to an agent. 99% of Paris hotels will speak to you in English, just start off %26quot;Bonjour monsieur/madame, parlez vous Anglais%26quot; and you should be away. Unless of course your French is better than that and then they will be all over you.

Most hotels have an internet site and you can book through that.

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I guess even from Marriott Champs Elysées you would still have to take the métro to several places, depending how far you can walk.

The Marriot Rive Gauche is not in a lively area, quite dead at night but it is still a nice and safe area, and you are not far from the city center. I think it is a hassle to switch hotels, unless you take a cab to your new destination...

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I agree with Raphy. Stay in one hotel so you do not waste the best part of the middle of one day checking out of one and into another. There is so much to see in Paris that the hotel will just be a base.

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I agree with the last two posts - stay in one hotel and don%26#39;t waste valuable time in packing and unpacking - I was also reading a report on the Champs Elysees which made it soud fairly unpleasant in the early morning as the clubs turn out their customers (but that%26#39;s unfortunately true of many towns and cities accross the world!).

Book direct with Marriott.

Have a nice trip.

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ok, if i don%26#39;t switch hotels, then i would have to stay at the rive gauche.....and i have read through searches on this wonderful website, that it is close to metro 6. it said metro 6 isn%26#39;t always convenient, what does that mean?

the reason i was booking with a travel agent is because they would handle the transfers to and from airport to hotel. i am going to be so lost, i need all the help i can get. my daughter is 3rd year high school french, thats all the french knowledge we will have. (in other words, not much)

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Look at a Paris metro map

www.parisnotes.com/free/metropocket.pdf

Line 6 goes basically, West-East... so you could go to the Eiffel or Arc de T on it. To reach other areas, you%26#39;d need to change to another line. So what- this is true for virtually any location where you might stay.

I think you should book your first 3 nights at a more central hotel, see some sights, learn the metro and bus, then move to Marriott Rive Gauche, where you will then be more comfortable using the transportation to get around.

How long does it take to repack? An hour? and check out, get a cab, next hotel to check in - ok, another 45 minutes. So leave one place by 9am and be in the other place by 10am, plenty of time left in a day to go sightseeing.

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Hannymom,

In reading your last post it sounds as if you%26#39;re hyperventilating as you%26#39;rer typing. Relax. Paris is an easy city to get around in. I%26#39;m sure you will have no problems. Insofar as language, your daughters three years of high school French is more than most people have. Almost everyone you come in contact with as a tourist will speak some English.

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One other consideration. I know many people who have tried to use their Marriott points at the CE Marriott and can%26#39;t. It%26#39;s a very expensive property and I don%26#39;t believe they allot many (any?) rooms for free stays. Another reason to stay at one hotel...there are too many fabulous things to do in Paris than waste valuable time switching hotels. Have fun!

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%26quot;it said metro 6 isn%26#39;t always convenient, what does that mean?%26quot;

Line 6 is one of my favourite métro line as it is not underground, but aerial on the greatest part of the trip. One of the best view on the Tour Eiffel is on line 6 just after station Passy (coming from Charles de Gaulle), when the métro cross the Seine. This is the métro you can see in the movie %26quot;Le dernier métro à Paris%26quot; with Marlon Brando.

You%26#39;ll have direct access to Montparnasse, Musée Rodin, Tour Eiffel, Invalides and Arc de Triomphe, on one side, Bercy on the other side, all on that terrific line.

But as it is an east/west line, you will have to take an other south/north métro line each time you will need to go north.

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hemlock127,

you have read me very well. i am hyperventilating over this trip.

that is why i am looking for help here. i need someone to tell me what to do that has %26#39;been there/done that%26#39;. i can tell you anything you want to know about vegas or disney, but paris is scaring the heck out of me.

my daughter wants to eat in cafes and shop.......she makes it sound so easy. i%26#39;m the one that has to figure out how to get there, whats the best way to pay for everything (credit card, dollars, euros?) but i will save those questions until i have booked the trip!

thanks to all who have responded. as you can tell, i need all of your help and advise.