Review of Villathena, by John Borthwick

In Paris, as elsewhere, the closer you move towards the epicentre of fun the more you find a painful inverse ratio between the price of your hotel room and its size. That is, book a room near an outer metro station and you pay half as much for twice the floor area of a petite but pricey cubicle near the heart of the action. How then to juggle these needs for space, convenience and economy?

Enter Villathena in the ninth arrondissement. This stylish, three-star, 43-room retreat, minutes stroll from Saint Lazare station and just a few paces off Rue De Amsterdam, hits a median point in room size and price, and in a great location.

Taking its name from its street location, Rue d'Athenes, this friendly hotel drops tidbits of classical Athenian wit and wisdom in its information, such as Socrates' reflection that "Happiness is pleasure without remorse." One pleasure here is the hotel's generous and tasty hot breakfast buffet (EUR 17). Feed up on it before hitting the sights. While Villathena has a 20-seat breakfast restaurant, it does not prepare other meals; these may be ordered as room service and will arrive promptly from a restaurant close by. Alternatively, the surrounding Budapest Square area has many cafes, bars and restaurants.

There is plenty of visual pleasure in the hotel, too, with its midnight blue hallways offset by post-box red guestroom doors. And if you don't use the elevator there is the hidden pleasure of descending a fine, spiral staircase with lush red walls.

Villathena's rooms come in three configurations, Classique, Deluxe and Executive. All have a large, comfortable bed to sink into - with tons of pillows - while you recharge, plus a television and DVD player. The bath-tubs are deliciously deep and brand name toiletries are standard. The room décor is restful and subtle - plenty of whites, browns and wood-style panelling. The décor is maintained throughout the different grades of room, with the variable being floor area.

The upper level Executive Suites have room to swing several cats, plus good Paris rooftop views and plenty of storage space. The smaller Classique rooms still have a queen-sized bed although, understandably, with much less perimeter space - room sufficient to swing a kitten. Speaking of pets, Villathena's information states "nice dogs accepted" - so pack the poodle, not the pit bull terrier.

On a final note, while Villathena Paris is officially billed as three-star, this rating seems on the conservative side for such an excellent and well-appointed little hotel.