Paris Apartment Rental ? - reviews
May 6th, 2015, 09:33 AM
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Paris Apartment Rental ? - reviews
I am looking at apartments for a trip next year with a group of friends and was interested in looking at the Parisvacationapartments.com Palais Royal apartments. The problem I'm having is that I can find no review past 2013 for these apartments. Is there something I'm missing, or has this group had problems? I really like several apartments, but it is a NO GO for DW without a more recent review than 2013. Especially since our trip will be in 2016.
Also tried searching here and TA, and either I'm too specific or too vague in my query, as I can get reviews of Vacation in Paris Apartments, but none for PVA.
Any thoughts?
Also tried searching here and TA, and either I'm too specific or too vague in my query, as I can get reviews of Vacation in Paris Apartments, but none for PVA.
Any thoughts?
May 6th, 2015, 09:43 AM
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May 6th, 2015, 11:44 AM
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I'm looking at all the two and three bedrooms. There are a total of 25 apartments, and the most recent rental was July of 2014. Only 6 showed rentals in 2014. The rest either have no reviews or are dated 2013 or earlier.
I guess DW is concerned that a lot could change in both the apartment or the company in over a year.
I guess DW is concerned that a lot could change in both the apartment or the company in over a year.
May 6th, 2015, 11:53 AM
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We stayed at a Paris Vacation Apartments - the one below this one in Palais Royal. We also used them for an apartment in London. I have nothing but good things to say about them.
here were my comments from my trip report (2011, so older, but no reason to doubt they are still valid. I share them since it is the same agency)
We had chosen to stay at an apartment at Palais Royal. We stayed there 3 years ago and loved the area and found another, larger apartment that could accommodate all of us (since we were now 5 instead of 4). We loved this apartment as well as the agency and would stay there again! I called the contact from the train station and they were waiting for us in the apartment. We rang from outside and they met us at the elevator.
We were met with fresh croissants and flowers in the apartment and had a quick orientation how things worked. I was impressed that she had noticed a few lightbulbs that were burned out and wanted me to know that she asked their maintenance man to replace them. We were thrilled both with the location, the size, and the appointments in the apartment! After allowing the kids to explore and decided who was sleeping where, we decided to head out for a walk and find some lunch.
Our apartment. As mentioned, we wanted to stay at Palais Royal and were somewhat limited since we had 5 people. We were thrilled with our apartment and recommend it. One of the reasons that we wanted to stay here was that our kids loved jumping on the black and white columns (Buren’s columns). We stopped there at least on the way home each day, but also on the way out some days to run, jump, and burn some steam off. It was a fun way to feel like we were “home” to play there. One fun thing about this apartment was that there was a door that entered into the actual Palais Royal. While you couldn’t enter from that door, you could exit the apartment into Palais Royal.
http://www.parisvacationapartments.c...id=179&lang=en
This is a 2 bedroom apartment that with couches that also fold out. Honestly, I can’t imagine using this for 8 people, but for our family, it was ideal. The kids moved around each night with who slept where, but the couches were big and deep enough that we just put the kid on the couch without unfolding it. It was also nice to have 2 bathrooms – certainly not needed, but a nice convenience. The kitchen was great with a table in the middle. The fresh flowers lasted almost the entire week! Another thing we particularly enjoyed about this apartment was that there was space to put “stuff”. When traveling, we have a backpack and I don’t like to unpack suitcases (I left things behind in a drawer once and never again!), so having ‘floor space’ to put stuff was great (without tripping over it). There is also a little entryway, so there was a place to put our shoes, daypack, etc. I also appreciated the little supplies that were left behind – the detergent (laundry and dish), etc. We would stay here again and would probably be disappointed if we couldn’t.
here were my comments from my trip report (2011, so older, but no reason to doubt they are still valid. I share them since it is the same agency)
We had chosen to stay at an apartment at Palais Royal. We stayed there 3 years ago and loved the area and found another, larger apartment that could accommodate all of us (since we were now 5 instead of 4). We loved this apartment as well as the agency and would stay there again! I called the contact from the train station and they were waiting for us in the apartment. We rang from outside and they met us at the elevator.
We were met with fresh croissants and flowers in the apartment and had a quick orientation how things worked. I was impressed that she had noticed a few lightbulbs that were burned out and wanted me to know that she asked their maintenance man to replace them. We were thrilled both with the location, the size, and the appointments in the apartment! After allowing the kids to explore and decided who was sleeping where, we decided to head out for a walk and find some lunch.
Our apartment. As mentioned, we wanted to stay at Palais Royal and were somewhat limited since we had 5 people. We were thrilled with our apartment and recommend it. One of the reasons that we wanted to stay here was that our kids loved jumping on the black and white columns (Buren’s columns). We stopped there at least on the way home each day, but also on the way out some days to run, jump, and burn some steam off. It was a fun way to feel like we were “home” to play there. One fun thing about this apartment was that there was a door that entered into the actual Palais Royal. While you couldn’t enter from that door, you could exit the apartment into Palais Royal.
http://www.parisvacationapartments.c...id=179&lang=en
This is a 2 bedroom apartment that with couches that also fold out. Honestly, I can’t imagine using this for 8 people, but for our family, it was ideal. The kids moved around each night with who slept where, but the couches were big and deep enough that we just put the kid on the couch without unfolding it. It was also nice to have 2 bathrooms – certainly not needed, but a nice convenience. The kitchen was great with a table in the middle. The fresh flowers lasted almost the entire week! Another thing we particularly enjoyed about this apartment was that there was space to put “stuff”. When traveling, we have a backpack and I don’t like to unpack suitcases (I left things behind in a drawer once and never again!), so having ‘floor space’ to put stuff was great (without tripping over it). There is also a little entryway, so there was a place to put our shoes, daypack, etc. I also appreciated the little supplies that were left behind – the detergent (laundry and dish), etc. We would stay here again and would probably be disappointed if we couldn’t.
May 6th, 2015, 12:07 PM
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does seem odd. I checked Tripadvisor and slowtrav.com and they don't have any past 2012 (slowtrav even older). And on Fodors, there is a thread about them from 2012, also, maybe you saw.
I wouldn't trust a review on their own website myself, and if they have one, they are still in business, obviously, so that doesn't mean a lot. They have a fancy Facebook page, also.
It's curious. Could just be on boards like this and Tripadvisor, it's just random as to how many people rent vacation apts in Paris, and then from this particular company. I don't know if a company can ask Tripadvisor to omit them from their website or not. But I"ll admit, it is a small cell as to renting from that company (let alone that apt) AND deciding to post a review on Tripadvisor. I've never done that myself.
okay, they also appear on Flipkey and Homeaway. I did find the 2 BR Luxury one on Flipkey, which links to Tripadvisor and there is a review from 2014
https://www.flipkey.com/paris-condo-rentals/p121885/
I wouldn't trust a review on their own website myself, and if they have one, they are still in business, obviously, so that doesn't mean a lot. They have a fancy Facebook page, also.
It's curious. Could just be on boards like this and Tripadvisor, it's just random as to how many people rent vacation apts in Paris, and then from this particular company. I don't know if a company can ask Tripadvisor to omit them from their website or not. But I"ll admit, it is a small cell as to renting from that company (let alone that apt) AND deciding to post a review on Tripadvisor. I've never done that myself.
okay, they also appear on Flipkey and Homeaway. I did find the 2 BR Luxury one on Flipkey, which links to Tripadvisor and there is a review from 2014
https://www.flipkey.com/paris-condo-rentals/p121885/
May 6th, 2015, 12:19 PM
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If you are not aware, you should at least know that most of the apartments listed on sites such as this are indeed rented illegally. There is currently a big push here to force owners to comply with laws limiting rental of any duration shorter than 12 months.
You may not want to rent anything too far in advance as many vacation apartments are being sold by their owners and some owners are being forced to withdraw their units from the vacation rental markets by the mayors task force.
I would approach vacation rentals in Paris with caution.
You may not want to rent anything too far in advance as many vacation apartments are being sold by their owners and some owners are being forced to withdraw their units from the vacation rental markets by the mayors task force.
I would approach vacation rentals in Paris with caution.
May 6th, 2015, 10:49 PM
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Just as an alternative suggestion:
We rented an apartment in Barcelona last year through likelivingthere.com They also are agents for Paris rentals.
The one we stayed in was in a building where all apartments were for holiday rental, with an on-site manager. I don't know if all the apartments that LLT offer are of the same set up, but Ron was most helpful and reliable throughout the whole process. He is based in the US, I believe.
Perhaps this agency might be worth looking at, particularly with the crack down on illegal rentals mentioned above. Di
We rented an apartment in Barcelona last year through likelivingthere.com They also are agents for Paris rentals.
The one we stayed in was in a building where all apartments were for holiday rental, with an on-site manager. I don't know if all the apartments that LLT offer are of the same set up, but Ron was most helpful and reliable throughout the whole process. He is based in the US, I believe.
Perhaps this agency might be worth looking at, particularly with the crack down on illegal rentals mentioned above. Di
May 7th, 2015, 08:44 AM
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Actually, in Paris, ones that are solely for holiday rental are most likely the ones that are illegal. I don't know the laws in Barcelona but I believe in Barcelona, the city is more transparent and regulates them and gives them an approval number, so you know. IN Paris, it is illegal usually, but they don't seem to award IDs so a client can tell.
That's a good idea perhaps for others, but in Paris, they don't have anything but very small apartments and only one in that area which is less than 40 m2.
That's a good idea perhaps for others, but in Paris, they don't have anything but very small apartments and only one in that area which is less than 40 m2.
May 7th, 2015, 11:46 AM
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The enhanced laws in reference to short term apartment rentals are relatively new in Paris but the mayor´s office has a task for of approximately 20 people who are following through with fines to owners and with forcing owners to remove short term rentals from the market. Virtually the only legal rentals are those through companies such as Adagio or Citidine or renting from a full time resident who may offer his primary residence for a period not to exceed 4 months per year. Even the renting of vacation or secondary apartments is considered illegal.
The situation is slowing changing but changing it is which is why I would be cautious about renting anything too far into the future.
The situation is slowing changing but changing it is which is why I would be cautious about renting anything too far into the future.
May 7th, 2015, 07:53 PM
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We stayed in the three bedroom Palais Royal (on the top floor) in 2006, and it was magnificent. I emailed them last month to ask about the other three bedroom which shows no openings, and they said it’s a long term rental. We’re thinking of going again in a few years with the whole family, so I was hoping to get both of them.
Our tour guide in Paris, Michael Osman, picks up clients there all the time. Karina at PVA answered my emails right away, so I don’t think they’re having any trouble with the business. Why there are no recent reviews is puzzling. I know others on this board have rented over the years and also liked it.
When we were there in 2006, I met Alex and talked to him about the apartments. His family bought the entire townhouse - all six floors - after WWII. So it’s not a matter of someone renting their home out temporarily; this is a legitimate business venture. On their website under “Rental Terms” it lists the Legal Notice with a million Euro policy.
Our tour guide in Paris, Michael Osman, picks up clients there all the time. Karina at PVA answered my emails right away, so I don’t think they’re having any trouble with the business. Why there are no recent reviews is puzzling. I know others on this board have rented over the years and also liked it.
When we were there in 2006, I met Alex and talked to him about the apartments. His family bought the entire townhouse - all six floors - after WWII. So it’s not a matter of someone renting their home out temporarily; this is a legitimate business venture. On their website under “Rental Terms” it lists the Legal Notice with a million Euro policy.
May 8th, 2015, 08:58 AM
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I wrote to them and got this reply:
"We haven't changed management, same old team! and we still own the apartments. We are legit with the city of Paris, it has been a long process bur we are fine now “.
I don’t know why there aren’t more recent reviews. Someone was renting the Concorde apartments in February but I haven’t seen a trip report on here since then.
"We haven't changed management, same old team! and we still own the apartments. We are legit with the city of Paris, it has been a long process bur we are fine now “.
I don’t know why there aren’t more recent reviews. Someone was renting the Concorde apartments in February but I haven’t seen a trip report on here since then.
May 8th, 2015, 10:49 AM
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I understand they are a pretty niche market on the high end of the spectrum price-wise, and maybe that is why there aren't that many reviews. But they all look so beautiful and well appointed. The actual location of the Palais Royal apartments is really ideal for the area of Paris we enjoy staying in the most. We've stayed in apartments in the 1st, 2nd and 7th arrondissements, and we've pretty much locked in to the 1st/2nd area around Montorgueil. Our last one was at the corner of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd in late March to Easter this year. I'm just trying to figure out how, without reviews, I can convince DW that we should stay here.
Thanks for all your replies.
Thanks for all your replies.
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