Some hotels do. YOu'll pay a LOT for it. You can go to a cafe and get "some" of that--bread, eggs, bacon, etc. --American breakfast.
Some hotel breakfast rooms will have yogurt.
Interestingly the hotel we have stayed at that did have that was the Ibis.
I suggest you eat again at 10--or buy some things to supplement your breakfast. You can go get a cheese and ham baguette at the local traiteur. Get some Laughing Cow cheese to keep you going.
Has this been "diagnosed" or is it "habit"--just interested. DH has a touch of this as a habit.

Many hotels serve what you're looking for, at a price. Your best option is to narrow your hotel search then inquire about the breakfast.

In and around the 6th and 7th cafés charge around 7-9€ for breakfast but this is usually very simple--coffee, juice, croissant and petit pain. The Paul chain does cooked breakfasts.

Or, you could rent an apartment which usually works out less than a hotel and of course saves on meals.

Another idea, some hotels have small fridges in the room where you can keep extra provisions. This time of year, there's always the window sill!

I've stayed in at least two moderately priced hotels in Paris that served an approximation of the items you list.

Or you could go to the restaurant "Breakfast in America." I think there are two in Paris.

We love the breakfasts at Cafe Bonaparte in the 6th across from the Church of St. Germaine des Pres. They serve either a continental breakfast (croissants, juice, cafe) or an English breakfast (ham, eggs, salad, bread and juice). Both are excellent. If you begin to flag at mid morning, stop for a croissant and coffee or pick up a yogurt.

Love Cafe Bonaparte! Not so much the bill, though. If you sit at the tables outside, excellent spot for people-watching.

There are hotels that serve this sort of breakfast and it is included in the price, also. You simply have to find the right hotel.

Oh, and if anybody told you that "all the hotel rooms in Paris are small"...that should have been worded, "I'm too cheap to pay for a hotel that has bigger rooms" and believe me, we've stayed in both sorts.

One reason that I nevertheless like many of the soulless Ibis hotels (and Ibis Styles) is because they have good breakfast buffets. So does Campanile. Independent hotels are extremely hit-or-miss if you eat breakfast there; you can try it the first day and if it is not suitable (too expensive or insubstantial), many cafés in the neighborhood will be happy to get your trade.

i agree that the least risky means of getting what you want is to rent an apartment - you can either then go out for what you want, or buy it in - which is likely to be a lot cheaper. most hotels in France charge extra for breakfast, and the charge gets higher with the cost of the hotel though to be fair, the quality and quantity seems to rise too.

if you are in a hotel, i agree with the trick to try the breakfast on the first day - if it's not what you want, then you know what to do for the rest of your stay.

I completely empathize, as I am the same way. I must have one protein--just cheese will do, but yogurt is better. Having not visited France but countries with similar breakfast habits, your best bet if you want to avoid corporate hotels is to rent an apartment.

The Novotels have a good buffet breakfast, but the best we had was at Le Madison--an up-scale hotel that gets a lot of visitors from other European countries. As a result, the buffet is copious, with eggs (scrambled or in the shell), ham, bacon, assorted cold meats, yogurt, cereals, breads to toast, croissants, pastries, fruit, juice...we sure didn't need lunch.

Thanks for the feedback.

I discovered years ago that my mid-morning slump was resulting from a high GI breakfast (packaged breakfast cereal). This meant I was desperately heading for morning tea and reaching for something high in sugar. All this did was give me a brief high followed by an even deeper slump. Then I became desperate for lunch! It's just the way my metabolism functions.

Oats (which releases energy slowly, low GI) and some protein proved to be the answer for me. It was my doctor who suggested "have some protein for breakfast". I'm not a bacon and eggs person but do fare well with some protein for breakfast. This sort of breakfast keeps me going until mid-afternoon if necessary.

I prefer hotels which are not chain hotels which I find can be sterile. Especially those that look exactly the same as the ones in the country you live in! I like character and local flavour in my accommodation.

I will need to try to find a French hotel with a breakfast that suits, or one nearby, or as a last resort do something like Ibis. Or a fridge in the hotel room, find some raw muesli, ham, cheese etc. Shan't do the apartment idea since am travelling alone and it's nice to have some support nearby.

It seems even some of the French are beginning to see some deficiency in their breakfast. I found this on the net.

"Since most dietary experts regard a French breakfast as petit and imbalanced, the French have strived to remedy the situation by adding servings of fruit alongside the bread staples. Sometimes, French people eat freshly sliced fruits. In winter, the French prefer to eat preserved fruits for the extra sugar that they need. Fruits are not wholly consumed. In fact, 3-4 slices of peaches are enough for every single serving of a traditional French breakfast.

Yoghurt

Another recent addition to the traditional French breakfast is yoghurt. Worried about the dietary deficiencies of the traditional French breakfast, families are now serving yoghurt to help rectify this lack. A cup of liquid yoghurt or a bowl of creamy, solid yoghurt can be served plain or with fruit flavors. Ice creams are also served but only during the summer."

I cannot imagine ice-cream for breakfast! That would wreck me/

"an English breakfast (ham, eggs, salad, bread and juice"

The French idea of an English breakfast, I presume. Really, salad for breakfast?

I agree completely with Kerouac. A hotel that serves an international business clientele will have the kind of breakfast that many of us need. Need, not want. Sincee I can't afford the George V, I look for a Mercure or Ibis hotel if we are not, for some reason, renting an apartment.

Most cafes will make you a ham or ham and cheese sandwich on a baguette at any hour but it still has a lot of carbs.

The advice to stop for a croissant and coffee at around ten is well-meant but terrible. I and perhaps the OP and yorkshire are among the many who do not handle carbohydrates well. Whether or not one is diabetic, carbohydrates cause the bodies of some people to release insulin in a rush, which leads to a huge crash as the starches are absorbed, and croissants and other pastries simply prolong this cycle. This Science, not New Age woo.

The best breakfast I have ever had near Paris was in an ultimate soulless business hotel at CDG. The buffet had four lobes: Anglo-American (US and UK bacon!); German-Dutch-Scandinavian (cheeses, smoked fish, sausages, boiled eggs); Asian-Japanese (rice, egg, pickle, tofu, fish, meat); and French (pastries, breads, butter, fruit). Some of each, thank you.

<Underhill -
"The Novotels have a good buffet breakfast, but the best we had was at Le Madison--an up-scale hotel that gets a lot of visitors from other European countries. As a result, the buffet is copious, with eggs (scrambled or in the shell), ham, bacon, assorted cold meats, yogurt, cereals, breads to toast, croissants, pastries, fruit, juice...we sure didn't need lunch">

Perfect!

I stayed at hotels with these breakfasts during 7 weeks travel in Italy and Switzerland. These were not upscale but were smaller hotels with real local character. Not 5 star, not even 4 star.

I wonder if I can import a packet of raw muesli in my luggage? This would get me through the first morning whilst I scout the neighborhood.

I always believe in doing as the locals do, but need a suitable breakfast so I can do what they are doing!

Another recent addition to the traditional French breakfast is yoghurt.

This assumes that "recent" covers the last 40 years. The French have always consumed massive amounts of yogurt.

This is NOT a typical French breakfast and most smaller hotels will not serve anything like this - although you can typically get tea versus coffee and many now serve a small glass of juice.

This type of buffet is often available at larger and/or business type hotels - at a very high price.

I'm sure there are some places outside of hotels where you can get most of these things (although don't know where since the French breakfast is fine with us). Again, I would expect to pay a significant amount. (The last time I stayed in a hotel in Paris that did this it was the Hilton and I think the breakfast was about US $28 per person - and that was at least 10 years ago.)

Ackislander, I'm with you. A little cheese, a little rice and fish, and perhaps a combination of sausage and pickles, tomatoes and hard boiled eggs, and I'm set until lunch, if I need lunch at all! That is one of the main reasons we prefer to rent apartments when we travel, even when we travel alone. A coffee and a croissant would hold us only until we could find the next cafe, so being able to have "real food" items at the ready in the refrigerator makes our sightseeing day all the better.

Even at home I've brought a container with cheese and vegetables, and maybe some ham or smoked fish to the office for my morning meal. I enjoy it while I watch those who came strolling in at 7:00 with their coffee and croissant go strolling back out at 10:00 to find something real to eat.

Nice to hear there's plenty of yoghurt about.

Here's a further paragraph from that website.
"Difference Between English and French Traditional Breakfasts

A traditional English breakfast is the common bacon/ham and eggs served with toast, jam, and coffee. English breakfasts are a lot heavier. In fact, some dietary experts regard this breakfast as "too much to take when your body has just woken up". French breakfasts are a lot lighter and are never served with meat. However, you cannot say that none of these breakfast types are good because one is over-nutritious and the other is under-nutritious. The difference may easily be attributed to tradition, differences in climate, and the needs of the people according to their energy consumption. It always depends on a person’s preferences and customs. Whatever you choose, don’t forget to enjoy your hearty breakfast!"

I'm Australian, not English. A buffet style breakfast generally supplies all that I need - kind of a balance between heavy and light.

Another benefit of this satisfying breakfast was that while everyone else (eg bus tours) was having lunch I found shorter queues and less crowds at attractions in Italy and Switzerland.

The breakfast you describe is typically German, Swiss, or Northern Italian, but decidedly not French. If you need a breakfast like that, as others have said you'll likely need to book at a chain hotel, book at a very upscale hotel that caters to an international business clientele, book an apartment, or shop ahead of time for the supplemental items you need. I highly doubt you'll find some little moderately priced "hôtel de charme" serving anything but the usual French breakfast fare. You will pay a lot for a breakfast like the one you've described, whether it be in a hotel or in a café...but if it will tide you over through lunch, and if you can get by with something insubstantial for lunch, the costs may even out. Seems to me the easiest thing to do would be to stop at a Monoprix or alimentaire or supermarket and pick up some ham and cheese and yoghurt (yes, France has a few thousand brands of yoghurt and has for decades) and just eat them along with the normal French breakfast.

"Another recent addition to the traditional French breakfast is yoghurt."

My first experience of yogurt was in France 50 years ago almost to the day. At breakfast - in a working class house in a remote village in the days when Intervilles was the most exotic thing most people had seen since the Boche ran away.

Is it not strange that we say we travel to experience the differences between countries, but then expect to find the same foods that we like at home. Eventually we tire of thde fact that abroad is the same as home, and start looking for somewhere more exotic.

And so the cycle repeats.

<StCirq>
Thanks. You are exactly reflecting my conclusions on this.

Obviously I would prefer moderately priced "hôtel de charme". It would be more convenient for me if they had a mini-fridge in the room but I doubt that will be the case. Perhaps you could confirm this for me?

Are there Monoprix, alimentaire or supermarkets well distributed throughout Paris? If there are some close enough to "hôtel de charme" I could always pick up the next mornings breakfast the evening before on the way "home". After my "in room breakfast" head out for that croissant, coffee and people watch!

chartley, I think that is overstating it a bit. Wanting to have some protein with your breakfast so as to not be famished within an hour is not the same as wanting to go to malls or McDonalds, or whatever. The foods are there--cheese, yogurt, etc.--they are just not commonly served at breakfast. I cannot go for very long on a piece of bread and a coffee, but that does not indicate a lack of culinary curiosity.

Every hotel I've stayed at in Paris had a mini-fridge, and if I were to stay in one that didn't, I'd ask if the desk could keep things cold for me overnight. And I don't stay at high-end places; most of them would fall into the "hôtel de charme" category.

You can't swing a cat in Paris without finding someplace to pick up food. Seriously.

I guess it's what you're used to.

A traditional NY breakfast is coffee and a bagel with a schmear.

And that's plenty for us (as long as some juice is added). We can't eat a lot of heavy food in the am - esp heavy and greasy food. We eat the "traditional breakfast" only as a brunch - at noon or 1 pm - followed by a LONG walk to use up all the calories.

ime, the small hotels often serve cheese, yoghurt and ham slices.

The Clément, du Panthéon, Hotel St Louis en l'isle and Dauphine come to mind, but the Dauphine is no longer moderately priced.

Don't get too excited, the cheese is often Laughing Cow or similar.

The other solution is to take the breakfast that is offered and to buy a snack in a boulangerie-patisserie when necessary.

Every hotel I've stayed at in Paris had a mini-fridge, and if I were to stay in one that didn't, I'd ask if the desk could keep things cold for me overnight. >>

my one complaint about the last hotel we stayed at in Paris was that they forbad guests from using the mini-bar to store their own food - and this trend seems to be catching on.

another reason why IMO an apartment if preferable, but i agree that when you are a sole traveller, that may not be so desirable.

I grew up in the US with a "continental breakfast" with no problem, and to this day, the thought of bacon and/or eggs for breakfast nauseates me. I could easily eat those for "brunch" but since I am normally up before 7am even on the weekend, there's no way I'm going to wait from "brunch time"!

And yet, when I go to Asia and stay in totally non-Western accomodations, I have no problem at all having shrimp soup or curry for breakfast, as long as it is served with coffee or tee. I think the whole subject is more psychological than nutritional.

I can't believe that I misspelled accommodations!

And tea! What is wrong with me tonight?

kerouac - partly I think that it is what we are brought up with/are used to, but also, i do feel that some of us simply have different metabolisms.

I know that if I am working I function better if I have some protein in the morning - an egg or even yogurt with some fruit. at the weekend it doesn't seem so important and then i am very happy to have a croissant or baguette with jam.

i did try the curry for breakfast in Sri Lanka but somehow it didn't appeal as much as the bacon and eggs!

Obviously the body adjusts to what is available -- otherwise there would have been even more deaths in POW camps around the world.

Of course most tourists do not have time to adjust, nor should they, since the missing products are available everywhere. But visitors must also realize that the hotels are providing the breakfasts that the majority of visitors want -- and the majority of visitors are not the ones who eat American/British breakfasts; they are other Europeans. That's why you will find some sliced cold cuts and cheese in most buffets but not eggs and bacon unless you are going for the $20 breakfast. It will be much more likely in the future to find items that appeal to the new flood of Chinese tourists, because they will soon be the majority. Already the hotels are providing thermos bottles of hot water in the rooms of the Chinese visitors so that they can have tea at all hours.

A sandwich of ham and cheese on a baguette DOES have "carbs", but it is not the unrefined sugar rush and crash you get with eating a donut for example. It would NOT cause a problem. You have gotten more than enough ideas to stave off your problematic low--buy some things at the Franprix that don't require refrigeration.

Already the hotels are providing thermos bottles of hot water in the rooms of the Chinese visitors so that they can have tea at all hours.>>

I haven't seen that, kerouac. but I have seen kettles with tea and coffee.

i meant to add - "presumably for the UK market".

Nonconformist - It is the Bonaparte, not I, who characterized the ham, egg and salad breakfast as an English breakfast. I, of course, know that is not entirely accurate. There are no baked beans included.

<<I haven't seen that, kerouac.>>

Are you a Chinese visitor? They don't leave such items out for non-Chinese guests. Risk of theft and all...

They don't leave such items out for non-Chinese guests. Risk of theft and all...>>

???? - do you mean that they put kettles in the brits' rooms, vacuum flasks in the chinese ones, etc. etc? seems a bit far-fetched to me.

anyway, assuming that you too aren't chinese, kerouac, how would YOU know about this?

Ham is hardly a health food, anyway, let's be realistic. Processed meats are not good for you, nor is too much salt or meat or fat.

I think there are plenty of hotels in Paris that do not have minibars/frigs. I think I've stayed in some, you just have to look, many do, of course. A lot of 3* hotels will have them. In fact, I don't stay in higher-end big hotels, but in the US, those are the ones that often do NOT have minibars in the room as they want you to pay for food from the hotel.

If I had to eat a lot of food in the morning, and food like meat and cheese, I'd stay in a hotel with a cheap/included buffet breakfast, likely one with lots of Germans (Austrians, Czechs, etc.) guests or business travelers.

The problem is for a buffet breakfast, you need a hotel with a large room they can use for that purposes. A lot of the smaller, local hotels may have just a few tables (sometimes even off to the side off the lobby) and not a cooking area or an area for a steam table or anything, for the breakfast room. Some hotels only serve it in your room because they don't have a breakfast room (and then it wont' be the full buffet breakfast). Swedish hotels tend to have the kind of stuff you want, I've found. And some will have a buffet breakfast but charge around 15-18 euro for it (around 10-12 for the continental type).

The HI St Germain has a buffet breakfast. I think the big business hotel chains Concorde and Pullman do that, also, as well as other 4* hotels over in the 8th arrondisement with a lot of business travel. The Hotel Aubusson in St Germain has what you want (a big buffet breakfast), but it's not cheap, same for the Hotel de Buci (have one, not cheap).

The more modest Hotel Andre Latin in the 5th has a buffet breakfast, that could be a good choice for you, but it won't be as grand as the nicer hotels. http://www.andre-latin-paris-hotel.com/
You can see a photo of the buffet breakfast in part of that slide show, it's a cold buffet.

Here's a cheaper hotel in the 11th that has what you want, another good possibility if you want a cheaper hotel. http://www.cosmos-hotel-paris.com/ They call it continental, but says it includes yogurt, cereal and cheese.

The Terminus Hotel (maybe Timhotel) across from teh gare du Nord had a huge breakfast buffet.

Annhig, I read Le Quotidien du Tourisme. I'm sure that many people would be surprised by a lot of the information contained in it. No, there are no provisions made for British tourists such as those made for the Chinese tourists. The British have a stiff upper lip.

The reason I am travelling is to see, experience and appreciated the differences. I agree the world would be a very boring place if everywhere and everybody was the same. Believe me, apart from my breakfast NEED, I do go for the differences. I really feel for my stepdaughter who is coeliac. She says she starves in Asia!

You are all giving me valuable insights to hotels and options. Yoghurt, cereals and cheese would get me started. I shall have a look at hotels now that I know what I can/cannot expect and therefore the questions to be asking them.

Are the supermarkets etc underground - perhaps some are at Metro stations? Also is there longlife milk available? ie not requiring refrigeration. A packet of raw muesli, some long life milk, spoon and bowl and I'm halfway there.

Can pack that bowl I used to bush camp across the top of Australia for 6 months.

We should not inquire too closely into what Kerouac's doing in those hotel rooms.

<<Are the supermarkets etc underground>>

No, I've never seen an underground supermarket in Paris, though the larger métro stations often have shops, including bakeries and small food shops. Just like most other places, markets and food stores tend to be above ground.

Yes, you can easily buy milk that doesn't need to be refrigerated. It comes in cartons and just like here, can be whole milk, semi-whole milk, or skim.

OK so supermarkets are not underground. It took me a few days in Rome to realise that there was a Carefour underground just down the street from my hotel.

Does this mean supermarkets are likely to be some distance from the hotels that are in convenient locations? ie real estate pressure has pushed them somewhat away from the centre?

2012, this is becoming rather obsessive. First off, you don't need a supermarket for the items you've been talking about buying. You can get them at any Monoprix, Franprix, alimentaire, or elsewhere.

There aren't even that many "supermarkets" in Paris to begin with. I have no idea what you mean by "hotels that are in convenient locations." Convenient for what? Hotels don't usually survive if clients don't find them convenient. Are there many supermarkets near the Louvre or the Tour Eiffel or Notre Dame, etc.? No, why would there be?

Relax. It's Paris. You'll be tripping over food at every turn.

I shall desist. For your information I have a disability. I had decided I could manage the food situation and was now focused on where to access supplies.
Thanks for advice you had given.

OMG,now you have disability in addition to nutrition.
C'mon. Supermarkets are everywhere. You WILL survive.

2012, I was just in Paris in September with a broken foot, on crutches, staying in an apartment, so I needed food supplies. The absolute LAST thing I was worried about was finding food. There were at least 20 places to buy every kind of food imaginable within 3 blocks of my apartment - probably more that I didn't even notice. NONE of them was a supermarket, yet I could have bought anything from a cup of yoghurt to 20 kinds of bread to every possible kind of cheese and charcuterie to half a cow within those three blocks. And I wasn't staying in what most people would call a "convenient" neighborhood. I was in Ménilmontant.

Gretchen - Before you comment further on 2012moving's disability, I suggest you read her trip reports, Tales of a Falling Woman, and Tales of a Falling Woman in Switzerland.

I stayed at the Novotel on Rue Vaugirard in the 15th and it had a breakfast buffet that was one of the most extensive I have seen, and provided for every type of food you've mentioned and much, much more.
About 150 feet from the hotel entrance and still on Rue Vaugirard, there is a mini Carrefour where you can get anything else you might want. Just across the street from this and even closer to the hotel is the entrance to Vaugirard Metro station on line 12, which will take you to the centre of Paris in 20 minutes or less. Bakeries, florists, greengrocers and restaurants are in abundance all around.
You cannot beat this hotel for convenience if you are still undecided on a hotel, though there are many others like it all over Paris.
See here : http://www.novotel.com/gb/hotel-1978-novotel-paris-vaugirard-montparnasse/index.shtml

This is a business hotel and as was mentioned above, you can count on wider breakfast options at almost all hotels catering to a business crowd. Check for others in the Accor Hotel chain to which Novotel and Ibis (and Mercure and Pullman and others) belong. http://www.accorhotels.com/gb/canada/index.shtml

Oh gosh! I didn't relate these questions to the wonderful trip reports about Falling Woman - excuse me! I didn't put two and two together. But still, I think everything I've posted is true and honest and realistic. In Paris you can find food anywhere and everywhere, even with a disability. I know I'm an old Paris hand and speak the language and can get around just fine on my own, but I still think finding food in Paris is a no-brainer. I hobbled around "my neighborhood" in some pain and discomfort for 3 days in September (as well as hobbled around lots of other parts of France for 3 weeks) and did just fine. I don't have dietary issues in that I'm fine with a croissant and a café for breakfast, but no matter what I might have needed, I could have found it. You will too.

A couple of years ago, I stayed at a small 2 star hotel just off Rue Monge that offered coffee or tea or hot chocolate, croissants, baguette, rolled up slices of ham, juice, boiled eggs, and lots of little foil wrapped squares of cheese. Quite a subtantial breakfast for 7 Euros. The web page photos showed only baguette and coffee, so I was pleasantly surprised to have the additional choices. There were rather small supplies of each, and the staff went out for more of the bread items as the breakfast service continued.

As an aside regarding "underground" supermarkets, the extensive Monoprix food market on rue de Rennes in the 6th is in fact on the sous sol/underground level. If you were to glance in the front door expecting to find groceries you might turn and leave. Take the escalator down and shop for food to your heart's content.

As I recall the grocery section of the Monoprix on blvd de Sebastopol is upstairs. If you see Monoprix, investigate. There's food there.

> There aren't even that many "supermarkets" in Paris to begin with.

I'm puzzeld by above. Unless St.Cirq's definition of "supermarkets" is different from mine, Monoprix that's all over central Paris have usually "supermarket - food " floor. Or her definition of "many" is different from mine. Perhaps she will come back and clarify.

And shellio wrote above :
> the extensive Monoprix food market on rue de Rennes in the 6th is in fact on the sous sol/underground level.

Is it the same one as the one next to Montparnasse Train station? If not, that makes 2 of them. The one at Montparnasse station is also quite large (for Paris central anyway - never as large as "hypermaqrché" ) and the food floor is underground where you can reach on escalator. Come to think of it, food floor at Monopix in Lyon is also underground so this may not be a rarething.

Also there are chain supermarkets everywhere in central Paris, many are of smaller sizes so you might prefer calling them "convenience stores", I call them just small super markets. There are Franprix, ED, and other chain supermaket names I cannot remember but there are many of them.

Thr Hotel de Seine is half a short block from a good street market (Buci) and a mid-sized supermarket, Carrefour.

The Clément is literally across a small side street from the covered Marché St. Germain.

Both hotels have lifts. The Clément has some rooms with shower stalls, some with showers over the bath and the bath itself is quite high to step into, so you need to specify. I've commented before on the Clement's breakfast; it has what you want plus cooked options.

Both hotels are about a block (bit more for the Seine) off Blvd St Germain with its many bus routes, many, many cafés and restaurants. There are taxi stands on St Germain but all hotels will phone for taxis. Note: taxis ordered for a pick up drop the meter when they accept the booking so there's usually 6-8 euros already on the meter when they arrive. Standard practice.

Supermarkets rare? Well yes, I will admit that there is not a supermarket next door to Notre Dame. But Franprix has practically doubled the number of their supermarkets over the past 3 years and Monoprix is still everywhere. Within 200 meters of my apartment, there are 2 Franprix supermarkets, 2 Dia supermarkets, a G20 and a Monoprix (yes, supermarket in the basement). If I wanted to go 400 meters, I could add 3 more Franprix stores, 4 more Dias, a Spar and a Carrefour Market -- and I'm not counting the 15-20 Arab and Chinese grocery stores also within that radius.

As for longlife milk, that is what 95% of the French buy.

Oh yes, G20, Carrefour Market and Spar. Walk in Paris, you will see any of them all the time.

The Monoprix on Rue Rennes, just a short distance from Blvd St. Germaine is indeed on the lower level as St Cirq says. There are escalators and, I believe, an elevator.

kappa/kerouac, I think we have different definitions of "supermarket." To me, it's like a LeClerc or Intermarché, a huge space with aisle after aisle of offerings (the LeClerc in Sarlat, e.g., is so big the employees are on rollerskates). I don't think of Monoprix or Franprix in Paris as "supermarkets." They have everything one could need, but all the ones I've been in have been small, cramped, and jammed with goods, which makes sense given the architecture they have to fit into. At any rate, they're everywhere.

StCirq, surely you have spent enough time in France to know the difference between a supermarche and a hypermarche?

Americans always confuse me with their use of the word "market". For me, a market is a large space occupied by separate stalls, individually owned. For some Americans, it appears to be a shortened version of supermarket.

Yes, of course I know the difference, and while the LeClerc I mentioned would probably be called an hypermarché by most people in the surrounding areas, the Intermarché is universally referred to as a supermarché, so I still think of a supermarché as a fairly big place, not like a Franprix.

Almost all of the Monoprix supermarkets in Paris are fairly large, not small and cramped. The only Monoprix I've been in that was small, cramped, etc. was the one near Gobelins metro (and it doesn't have a grocery, consequently). Some Monoprix grocery store sections are absolutely huge.

Most of the Franprix I've been in (in Paris) have been much smaller than Monoprix, although they do vary a bit in size.

In France, the official definition of a supermarket is a store that devotes at least 67% of its space to food and has a surface of between 400m² and 2500m².

By this definition, a Monoprix is not even a supermarket, because most of the store is not for food -- but they have a large food section anyway.

Additional trivia:
Germany: 400m² to 1000m²
Belgium, Denmark, Spain, Italy, Luxembourg: 400m² to 2500m² (same as France)
Greece, Portugal: size starts at 200m²
Ireland, Great Britain: size up to 2323m²
Netherlands: average size 300m²

To continue, that's why there are things like "Carrefour Market" (a supermarket), which is not the same as "Carrefour City" (a superette). As for Monop as opposed to Monoprix, most of them are indeed superettes rather than supermarkets, but the main distinction is that Monop only sells supermarket items whereas Monoprix is a variety store. (And that is also why the vast majority of Monoprix stores cannot open on Sunday mornings as opposed to the supermarkets, because only food stores are supposed to be open on Sunday. Some Monoprix stores are lucky because they have the food and the other stuff in different buildings -- rue d'Alésia and rue de Lévis come to mind -- but very few can open on Sunday. Monoprix Beaugrenelle used to be open on Sunday because its food section is bigger than the rest of the store, but I think it finally got measured, and it did not manage the 67% rule.

I haven't seen anyone mention peanut butter. Peanut butter-aside from an egg, the perfect protien. I eat it almost every day but only the 'real' kind.

It sounds like you will have many options for a real breakfast anyway. Your next trip could be Sweden. Most places, even hostels, have yogurts, sour milk, musli, cereals, dark breads, hard breads, rolls, cheese, sandwich meats, boiled eggs, tomatoe, peppers and cucumbers on their breakfast buffé.

Yuck -- however you can find it in all of the supermarkets.

kerouac - i have never understood the attraction of peanut butter either.

I'd have to be very hungry to resort to it for breakfast, or any meal for that matter.

Have the croissant and coffee breakfast... maybe a pain au chocolat instead. By 10 o'clock, when your blood sugar starts to sag, stop into a patisserie and have one of their wonderful things you'll find. I'd go for a mille feuille... love them. Or maybe a chausson aux pommes or two. You'll be find till lunch!

We didn't say you had to. It is a very good idea actually.

I always insist of foie gras for my breakfast... and lunch... and dinner to boot.

PalenQ, I don't know about foie gras for breakfast, but we stayed in a hotel in Opatija in Croatia where the breakfast buffet had smoked salmon, caviar, and champagne, as well as all the ordinary things. And there was a wonderful ham to slice oneself, made easy by its elaborate silver holder. I suppose all this is a remnant of Austrian glory, but it made my wife a fan of Croatia for life.

I, too, have to have a decent breakfast....not a coffee and donuts person!

I stayed at a lovely, reasonable hotel, in a perfect location in the 5th in Sept - Hotel Diana, 90E single and 8E for a very substantial breakfast (delicious coffee, fresh fruits and juice, variety of cereals, yogurt, pain au chocolat and breads).

I just wish St Cirq would rattle off a list of these "Every hotel I've stayed at in Paris had a mini-fridge, and ... I don't stay at high-end places; most of them would fall into the "hôtel de charme" category" hotels. I can't bear to go to Paris for just a few days because that's too short a stay for an apt rental. I'm coming to Paris from London for a three night stay and I'd love to find a lower cost hotel room with a fridge. Please give me some names!

It's not too short a time for an apt. rental, but...

Hôtel Duquesne
Hôtel de France (the one on Boul. de la Tour Maubourg)
Au Trocadéro
Hôtel Ségur
Hôtel de Turenne

Others, but they were long enough ago that they may not be inexpensive any longer (or may not have fridges any longer).

<<It's not too short a time for an apt. rental, but...>>

Not normally, but the apts I like to rent won't rent for only 3 nights and a few others I found that I like won't do 3 nights during the holidays. Just easier this trip to do a hotel - but I will desperately miss a frigo and a bouilloire.

Thanks for the list et meilleurs voeux!

Oh, and Hôtel le Tourville also (though they've had plumbing problems in the past).

I can't speak to the bouilloire - never really needed one. Always go out for my morning tea or occasionally coffee.

Beware that many places are now saying that you can't use the mini-bar for your own things; there are ways round this [only putting your own stuff in them after the cleaner's been round and talking it out in the morning before you leave for the day] but it can be a pain.

Our hotel in NYC had a sign stating that sensors in the minibar would know if you had moved any of the items, and by the magic of technology add the inflated price to your final bill.

Our hotel in NYC had a sign stating that sensors in the minibar would know if you had moved any of the items, and by the magic of technology add the inflated price to your final bill.>>

so if I just wanted to look at what was at the back, and had to move something to do so, they'd charge me? Good reason for never using anything from the minibar. [though we did break the rule on our recent trip to Sri Lanka on days when alcohol is banned - about 2x a month - amongst tourists, they were known as "mini-bar days"].

I would avoid hotels that don't let you put your own "stuff" in the mini-bar/fridge. Also ones that won't let you eat anything in the room (which occasionally happens in Paris).

I would avoid hotels that don't let you put your own "stuff" in the mini-bar/fridge. Also ones that won't let you eat anything in the room (which occasionally happens in Paris).>>

just how do you find that out, Sue? It's not the sort of thing that hotels tend to mention on their websites.