Think you can't afford a stylish, elegant stay in the City of Light?  Think again.  Uber-designer Philippe Starck – the man behind the ubiquitous Ghost Chair -- has teamed up with the founders of Club Med to create a hotel that busts the stereotype of Paris as overpriced and under-friendly wide open.  The 172-room, boutique hotel is called Mama Shelter, and it really does provide all the comforts of home.  Just opened this September, the hotel's modern, Starck-designed rooms boast Apple technology, free WiFi, Kiehl's cosmetics, cotton satin sheets, Starck's amazing furniture pieces and even a kitchenette, all for rates starting at only 79 euros a night for a single.

Outside the hotel rooms, Mama Shelter's public spaces include a yoga room and cold cabinets with meals available 24 hours a day.  The hotel is located a little off the beaten path from "touristy Paris," in the up-and-coming arts district of Village Saint Blaise.  However, culture-loving guests are in good company – the hotel is located near the cemetery that serves as a final resting place to Oscar Wilde, Edith Piaf and Federic Chopin.  And when it's time to take in the rest of the city, rent electric scooters and motorbikes that are available for rent.   It all adds up to a delightfully un-snooty way to visit Paris.