TRAVEL: Sacre bleu! Paris at just $50 a night ...

A glass of champagne  in a Paris cafe for Valentine’s Day has never been this cheap.  As the Euro plunges to record lows, Australian women who only dreamed about The Louvre  before can do it – on a good airline,  with a fifty-buck, charming, one-star hotel.

Australians, who  have long been kept from Paris by high fares and expensive hotels, stand to gain as the Euro dives to record lows against the Autralian dollar and our kangaroo coins are suddenly buying more hotel nights, and sale-priced Chanel shoes, than ever before.

Sydney to London fares are now seriously under $2000 return in February on major airlines. Add  on chic, comfortable Eurostar London-Paris return train fares for around AUD$150 and you’ll be there in time for breakfast.

Staying on in Europe? The European Credit Crunch isn’t ending any time soon. But then, the Louvre isn’t going anywhere either.

Not ready to go just yet? Then  book months ahead (as far as you can) on European hotels and airlines who want your dollars now. And don’t forget seriously cheap Irish airlines which can take you to Dublin, then onto Paris a day or two later.

But back to those one-star Paris hotels. Have the flea police on Trip Advisor and other crowd-sourced hotel review sites terrified you? Well, don’t be scared of the fifty-buck double bed.

Here’s a good one: Hotel Lafayette, a short walk from the Eurostar terminal, Paris Nord. It’s so far under AUD$50 a night, that you can buy dinner too.

Okay, so the shared shower is basic. But it’s the art that’s the thing in Paris.

The Hotel Lafayette is a few steps from Louis Blanc train station, taking you in a direct line to The Louvre, where the Mona Lisa is waiting.

Fear not the one-star experience. In Paris,  it will typically offer all the charm you expect from the French  A classic one-star Paris hotel has bar soap, scratchy towels, a sink within the room, a  pretty wardrobe, big mirror, plush-looking bed and  sweet retro chair. No breakfast. You’ll use the same loo and bathroom as everyone else on the same floor, but if you go off-peak (February is definitely off-peak) then you may get lucky and find you have the floor to yourself.

Holiday Goddess readers have all kinds of tricks up their sleeves to make the public-shower arrangement work. Some of them travel in pairs or more, and ask for adjacent rooms, so the common facilities will at shared exclusively by the family or the group… Others just wear cotton leggings and a T-shirt to bed (an old backpacker tip). We also like to throw our Australian lavender oil into the shower before we get in.

Note – there are always variations on the one-star Paris hotel theme. When you research your options at other hotels, check if there’s a TV, or communal breakfast downstairs. There may be. Ask about the heating  too, if you’re going in winter!

If you are in Paris to go out, though (and stay out) you’ll be pleased you saved a fortune on a chic, cheap one-star hotel.

The area around The Lafayette Hotel is pure shabby chic. Beautiful old shop signs and stunning architecture surround you. The traffic noise is obvious, though, so  if you are a light sleeper, then pack earplugs (or do as the French do, and buy them at local chemists – the best ones are in neon orange, pink and green, and would block out AC/DC.

Going out for breakfast? It’s steps away from Hotel Lafayette, and you are spoiled for choice. The hotel is close to a clutch of old-school French cafes near Paris Nord (also called Gare du Nord) train station, and the omelettes, croissants and coffee are great.
If the difference between you going to Paris (or not) is the high price of hotels, then just do it. Are you here to experience The Louvre or to walk around your hotel room admiring the mini-bar? Hotel Lafayette has sugar-pink walls and lovely help at the front-desk. There is no plastic card to swipe (and go wrong, or forget). Just an old-fashioned key, and two bolts which work from the inside. That  remarkable price again – at the Hotel Lafayette, one room with a double-bed starts from well under AUD $50 a night.

Watch the video of Hotel Lafayette  and source cheap airfares and hotels at  holidaygoddess.com