Affordable Paris: 17 Secret Hotels Under $200

MONTPARNASSE

Hôtel Le Ste.-Beuve Location is one advantage of the Hôtel Le Ste.-Beuve: Walk north, and in three minutes you're in the Luxembourg Gardens; head one block south for the immortal literary cafés on Boulevard Montparnasse. But the hotel has attractions all its own, including a wood-burning fireplace, wide couches in the lobby, and rich breakfasts of fruit-packed jams and fresh pastries from St.-Germain's famous Gérard Mulot bakery. And there's nothing cookie-cutter about the 22 rooms, mostly large and all impeccably decorated by David Hicks, who has given the hotel a surprising freshness by combining paisleys and stripes. 9 Rue Ste.-Beuve, Sixth Arr.; 33-1/45-48-20-07, fax 33-1/45-48-67-52; www.paris-hotel-charme.com; doubles from $107.

PLACE D'ITALIE

Hôtel La Manufacture In a gracious 19th-century Haussmann building on a tiny street near the Place d'Italie, this little treasure is near the famous Gobelins tapestry workshops (worth a tour) and a short hop from the Latin Quarter. The 57 rooms are done up in pastels and printed fabrics, with satellite TV's and Internet ports (book room No. 74, for its view of the Eiffel Tower). Spacious bathrooms are tiled in spotless white and some have thoughtful extras—like a scale that allows you to monitor the effects of all that fromage. But the Manufacture's best asset has to be its warm staff, who think of everything, like varying the breakfast pastries each morning—chausson aux pommes one day, pain au chocolat the next—so that guests don't get bored. 8 Rue Philippe-de-Champagne, 13th Arr.; 33-1/45-35-45-25, fax 33-1/45-35-45-40; www.hotel-la-manufacture.com; doubles from $112.

INVALIDES

Hôtel Bourgogne et Montana French prime minister Lionel Jospin and fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld live nearby, so you know the location is very grand indeed: right next to the aristocratic Place du Palais-Bourbon, and a short stroll from the Musée d'Orsay and Boulevard St.-Germain. As befits the neighborhood, this refined hotel has 32 recently renovated rooms furnished in the Louis XV and XVI È styles (including a top-floor suite with a drop-dead view of Place de la Concorde). Delicious bonus: Rollet Pradier, one of Paris's best pâtisseries, is across the street. 3 Rue de Bourgogne, Seventh Arr.; 33-1/45-51-20-22, fax 33-1/45-56-11-98; www.bourgogne-montana.com; doubles from $131, including breakfast.

Hôtel Le Tourville Just behind the dome of Les Invalides, near the Musée Rodin and the Eiffel Tower, the Tourville has long been one of the best-guarded secrets among the residents of the Seventh Arrondissement, who keep it filled with visiting family and friends. And though the Neoclassical façade dates from the end of the 19th century, the 30 bright rooms are anything but stuffy, all done in pale hues, with lovely marble bathrooms and a tasteful mix of contemporary furnishings and antiques, some from the Marché aux Puces de Clignancourt. 16 Ave. de Tourville, Seventh Arr.; 33-1/47-05-62-62, fax 33-1/47-05-43-90; www.hoteltourville.com; doubles from $127.

Contributors: Maggie Alderson, Richard Alleman, Victor Barcimanto, Laura Begley, Elizabeth Garnsey, Kristin Hohenadel, Shane Mitchell, Christopher Petkanas, and Hannah Wallace.