paris apartment opinion airbnb

Old Sep 18th, 2014, 04:47 AM
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paris apartment opinion airbnb

Hello

Looking for an apartment in Paris for family of four (2 children 11 and 8) for june next year. Wondering if anyone has stayed in the one below or has an opinion on this one and its location. Have never rented an apartment before so not sure about airbnb - have read a few threads on the forums which is how i got the name. Want an apartment in a central location within walking distance of many Paris attractions such as Louvre, Notre Dame, and easy to get to Eiffel Tower and Eurostar.

https://www.airbnb.com.au/rooms/904689

thanks
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Old Sep 18th, 2014, 05:20 AM
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This apt looks awfully small - there is a tiny cafe table with 2 chairs and 2 tiny benches (which look too large for the table). They say 2nd floor (which is 3rd floor US - no elevator) and there is no AC.

It looks awfully small for 4 people.

I would ask the owner for more photos of the apt - including the bedroom divided into 2 (can you still walk around the bed). And there is no photo of the bath.
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Old Sep 18th, 2014, 05:47 AM
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No photo of the kitchen either. And only a washing machine, no dryer? Unless it's a combo washer-dryer.

The location is good for your needs. Though a bit busy for my taste. What time of year will you be in Paris? How long will you be staying there?
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Old Sep 18th, 2014, 06:10 AM
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You may want to make sure what you rent is a legal rental. Or you may not care who you do business with.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-0...-is-legal.html
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Old Sep 18th, 2014, 08:23 AM
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Nowhere is within reasonable walking distance of all the attractions. You are bound to use public transport at some point, so you might as well embrace it and look further afield. This sounds like it's in a business-oriented area, which wouldn't be my choice.
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Old Sep 18th, 2014, 08:23 AM
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I think it is obviously small, but so is the price. So that's what you can get in Paris for such a low price, doesn't surprise me. The location is good, I think it's fine for that rate, but of course it's not large.

Many many Paris apts only have washers and not dryers, actually. They aren't good for much but underwear, etc., stuff you can hang to dry. Depends how long you will be there as to whether that matters. You don't even say how long you will be there, if less than a week, I wouldn't think you'd need to be washing tons of clothes, anyway. I never wash any in a week except stuff by hand.
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Old Sep 18th, 2014, 08:36 AM
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Yes it is small but it is certainly larger than the same money would get in a hotel. The location could not be more central. Not my favorite area but for a first timer it would be in the middle of things. And the owner seems very responsive (see all the comments re the reviews and he lives nearby)

Lots of reviews so it is obviously legit.

I do wish there were more photos - especially of the bathroom (you can see a glimpse of the shower stall in the bedroom photo)

You could certainly do worse. As long as you don't expect spacious and climbing two flights of stairs isn't a problem, it looks fine to me.
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Old Sep 18th, 2014, 08:57 AM
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Reviews don't establish whether an apartment is "legit" in Paris. The laws of Paris determine that and whether or not those laws are enforced. Airbnb apartmetns are a major target of a crackdown against short term rentals in Paris. The landlord should be able to supply you with written proof this apartment (or any Airbnb apartment or short term rental is not in violation of the law.

The issue is not really whether you are willing to rent illegally. The issue is whether between now and the time you get on a plane the apartment you believed you had rented is suddenly yanked off the market under threat of legal action by authorities. For some of the larger rental agencies that manage many properties in Paris there is often a back up of them being able to offer you a substitute vacant apartment. (But even there you should get written guarantees and proof of a legal rental.) But Airbnb "hosts" usually can't offer you anything except your money back.

The law is being challenged and may be changed. But you need to know exactly what it is and why AirBnb for Paris is a questionable way to secure lodgings for your family vacation.
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Old Sep 18th, 2014, 09:43 AM
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I didn't mean legal 'legit', I meant it really exists and is as depicted.
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Old Sep 18th, 2014, 10:02 AM
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I think it looks fine. And I like the location.
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Old Sep 18th, 2014, 10:43 AM
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The OP should follow sandra's advice - especially for an apartment booked that far in advance. I wouldn't touch anything being rented through AirBnB in Paris. If you do, you'd better have a backup plan for another place to stay - you might well need it.

Anybody travelling with children or the elderly should realize that these apartments are not regulated, so are not required to meet basic sanitation or safety codes - most of them don't even come close, especially with wiring and plumbing. There's probably a reason there's no photo of the toilet - it could be one of those annoying "sanibroyeurs". No smoke detectors, no fire exits...chances are good that you wouldn't stay in a similar place in your hometown.

You might look at hotels with kitchenettes and laundry facilities - but as someone mentioned, washers and dryers in Paris leave a lot to be desired, and are not the convenience you are used to. I would have another look at your budget, adjust where you can, and look for a hotel.

As far as budget goes, if you will be taking public transportation anyway, you should be looking for hotels in the less-popular arrondissements. They are just as safe, often more interesting, and always less expensive - you could get a much better deal, in return for 10 mins or so extra time spent on the Metro.
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Old Sep 18th, 2014, 10:10 PM
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Well there is no air conditioning.. so you will likely want to leave the windows oopen at night.. but guess what.. there is a "late night" ( by ads own words) pizza place below it.. could be a noise issue.

I would keep looking. Location ( neighborhood) is fine, but the one bed for you and wife/hubby is just two beds pushed together.. ..( ok for me I would not like that )

Also as noted.. 2nd floor is not one level up but two.. so kids may not enjoy lugging suitcases up those stairs.. after a full day of sightseeing.

Personally the fact that she asks people to be polite to her neihbors makes me nervous too.. it means there may have been issues and she is trying to keep the peace. Renting an apartment like this is actually not legal.. but has been tolerated for many years with no enforcement.. but recently they have stepped up enforcement.. and neighbors are the ones ratting out the illegal apartments.. so...
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Old Sep 19th, 2014, 02:08 AM
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Hi everyone and thank you all for your input.

To answer your questions we will be in Paris friday 19th June (lunch time) to tuesday 23rd june late morning. Unfortunately not a long time but thats all we could fit in. I have looked at lots of hotels but accommodation for 4 seems to be an issue and i thought an apartment might be a better option - handy to have a kitchen for the kids. We won't be in the apartment or hotel for long as we would like to make the most of the limited time we have so it probably isn't a deal breaker if the place is small as long as we all have somewhere to sleep and room for luggage.

i didn't realise that some apartments on this website might not be legit - any other suggestions would be appreciated. How long in advance would you recommend booking? In terms of budget I was hoping for $1000 Australian dollars equivalent but from what i have seen we may need to increase this.

I had a look at a previous thread about hotel accommodation for quad share but when i went to the websites many were triples only. Any other suggestions would be most welcome.

Thanks
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Old Sep 19th, 2014, 04:02 AM
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http://www.adagio-city.com/gb/hotel-...wer/room.shtml
They have many different locations and options. I would just be afraid of using airbnb in a large city this far out. I use them but in places that aren't fighting to make them illegal to use. There are many legit places that rent for example:
http://www.vacationinparis.com/search-results
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Old Sep 19th, 2014, 05:12 AM
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Or just Homeaway.com. We used them when we were in Paris and got a great apartment. We were in the 2nd (much less expensive) and from there you can walk just about everywhere.
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Old Sep 19th, 2014, 05:13 AM
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Oh, and you can read our trip report here: http://rovingrichards.com/travel/france-2012/ Our girls were 9 and 11 for that trip.
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Old Sep 19th, 2014, 05:55 AM
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Hi MonicaRichards - just read your trip report. Sounds like you had a fabulous holiday! This is our first trip to Europe so it has been fun planning it all with the help of this forum!
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Old Sep 19th, 2014, 06:37 AM
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http://www.vacationinparis.com/ is a fine outfit. The apartments can be sorted by location, # of bedrooms, # of beds, price, etc. Bonus: they mail you the keys before you leave home so you can move right in upon arrival regardless of time of day/night.
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Old Sep 19th, 2014, 07:17 AM
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emmamarie..lucky you .. you will be in Paris for June 21st when they have the Fete de la Music ... street performers and bands performing all over the city ... it will be a fun evening!
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Old Sep 19th, 2014, 07:32 AM
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Most vacation apartments in Paris are probably not "legit" that are advertised on these type of websites where owners are doing it themself. VRBO is the first/biggest one that people tend to know, but there are plenty of others. Homeaway (which I think is affiliated with VRBO), Airbnb which does the same thing although I think they have a little more financial protection, etc. It is hard to find vacation rentals that will rent for only four nights, to begin with, which is what you want.

I don't know how you can rent out such apts in Paris that are legal, but I think you have to get authority to do so from the government and something about how you have to also have standard rentals of the same size (which rules out people renting one apt they own). I don't know how someone above can say that Vacationinparis is legit or how they know that, perhaps they can explain (if so, that's a good choice). They use apts with private owners just like those on Airbnb, they don't own the places. Maybe they are legit if all their apartments meet all the necessary criteria, but I don't see that their website makes any statements about that.

I don't think AC is a must-have in June, it might be desirable if it is the end of June, rather than the beginning. Two flights up isn't much, I've rented several apts like that (without elevator), and I'm no kid, if people can't walk up and down a few flights of stairs, something is wrong (unless you do have physical disabilitis, of course), including with simple luggage, which is all you should have. There isn't any reason you'd be lugging suitcases up stairs after a day of sightseeing as someone said, you do it once upon arrival.

But the all-night pizza place below would bother me, that's for sure.

Also, you must be aware that when you rent vacation apts, you usually cannot enter until the afternoon. I've had ones where I could enter at noon, but I've also seen many that won't let you in until 2-4 pm in the afternoon.

The problem is your budget is somewhat low for Paris at peak season rates to get a place for four people. 1000 AUD is 700 euro and for 4 nights that only 175 euro a night. That would be fine for a double hotel room, but is low for a quad room in June. But I think you may be able to find something close to that rate in the Adagio aparthotel chain (or www.citadines.com). The advantage of those places is there are no huge nonrefundable payments nor security deposits, like you will have with apartments.

If I had to bet on legality, I think most Parisian vacation apts are not legal but the owner would be fined, not the tenant. The worry is it not being available--I'd probably think the govt cracking down on public agencies like Vacationinparis less likely than the indiviaul owner websites liek Airbnb and VRBO, but I'm guessing.
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