Last year after a trip to Sark and Brittany, my mom and I stayed in an airport hotel by CDG before an early morning flight to the U.S. It was easier to take the train directly from Rennes to the airport and bypass the city center. And at $46.68 for the night, the price was easily 1/3 of even the cheapest run-down Paris hotel.
Photo of the Sheraton taken from their website
Our hotel (Première Classe Roissy Charles De Gaulle Paris Nord, 309 Rue de la Belle Etoile, Roissy-en-France, Val-d’Oise, 95945 France, Tel: 33 (1) 48630601) was pretty bleak but at least it was clean. The real problem was that the “hotel shuttle” was actually a shuttle with horrible driver that went to about 15 different hotels and by the time we reached ours, we might as well have gone all the way into central Paris. It was also very confusing where we were supposed to get off the shuttle, in part because there are several hotels with almost the same name. I would not rule out the possibility of staying at this or another super cheap airport hotel again, but I would definitely take taxis to and from the airport next time.
The Sheraton is the only hotel that is actually right in the airport, at Terminal 2. But even if you’re flying from Terminal 1, it’s a quick (and free) hop over there on the CDGVal airport metro, as the Sheraton is right over the train station at the airport. My dad booked the Sheraton before his early morning flight back to the U.S. last week, and I asked him to write up his impressions. Below is his review of the Sheraton.
***
My wife and I just completed a week-long tour of Scotland followed by a 4-day trip to Brittany to visit my daughter Abby. Faced with a Monday 8:00 AM flight home from Paris to Boston, we decided to take the train from Vannes in Brittany directly to CDG (bypassing Paris) and book a room at the airport Sheraton for Sunday night. This turned out to be a very good choice. We were able to regroup, organize, rest and even reflect a bit on our trip before the flight home.
The Sheraton is a luxury hotel located just 2 floors above the train station at CDG and easily accessible to all airport terminals either by walking (5 minutes to Terminal 2 check-in) or taking the free airport shuttle (Terminals 1 and 3). Our room was sleek and modern featuring a very comfortable king sized bed, HDTV, beautifully appointed bathroom, view of an airport taxiway, very effective soundproofing and all the amenities one associates with an upscale hotel. We did not have the energy to use the fitness center but we did enjoy the complementary croissants and coffee at checkout. The hotel charged 19 euros for in-room internet but there was free wifi along with computer stations and printers in the lobby. Staff was uniformly friendly and English speaking.
We found few dining options in the airport complex. The Sheraton itself operates two restaurants, but we found the prices exorbitant, even in the ‘casual’ restaurant called Restaurant Les Saisons where a hamburger sold for 28 euros. We did however find a bargain of sorts at the Galaxie Bar which ran a special that included a glass of wine and an appetizer for 17 euros. Between the bar and a sandwich and dessert at Paul bakery, just outside the hotel door in the terminal, we were able to eat well without breaking the bank.
The Sheraton is all about luxury and convenience. Those so inclined can take a train directly from the terminal to Paris and be there in about 30 minutes** so we could have spent our last night in the city. None of this comes cheap and we paid about 260 euros for the privilege of staying there, but in our case it was money well spent and a really nice way to end our trip.
[**Abby’s note: The Sheraton’s literature claims it’s 30 minutes into the city center, but I’d count on 45 minutes minimum.]
