Victoria Palace Hotel - Paris, France Review

The Victoria Palace could easily be unremarkable, just another four-star hotel in a city jam-packed with upscale accommodations. There are so many reasons why it's more than that. First off and mostly, it's just the little things. It seems that in every way possible, this hotel has found unique ways to make its guests feel special.

You don't just get turndown service, but you also get a card with the next day's weather left in your room and in your own language. They don't just have business services, but you can get a fax machine in your room.

The staff doesn't simply answer your questions, but they go above and beyond to help guests. Instead of simply telling us to take the bus when we wanted to go to another neighborhood, the front desk staff pulled out information on the bus routes and schedule. We knew precisely where to go, which bus number to watch for, and when to expect it.

Many hotels offer room service, but at the Victoria Palace you can actually have an incredible meal without leaving your room. This is especially useful if you are staying with kids and want a nice meal without the fuss of going out.

On that note, there are several reasons why this is a wonderful hotel for those traveling with kids. The rooms are roomy. This might not sound that amazing, but in Paris that is a rarity. We stayed in a junior suite, just a little more expensive than a standard room, and it was downright spacious. They provided a nice crib for our daughter (again, something that sounds simple but is actually hard to come by).

They also now have a great program for their younger guests called the Junior Frenchman's Welcome Kit. Guests between age 4 and 12 will receive cornets surprise, large paper cornucopias filled with inexpensive toys and sweets. They will also get their choice of three French books, including two which contain pictures and popular French vocabulary terms.

The hotel also is situated in the underrated and often overlooked Montparnasse neighborhood (what I like to call the Other M in Paris, since everyone heads for Le Marais or Montmartre). With a rich literary and artistic history, this was the real neighborhood for chic people like Picasso and Hemingway when Montmartre became a little too cool.

So if you, too, like to discover the fabulous but undiscovered, I highly recommend both this hotel and this neighborhood.