skyllo

I've been planning my very first trip to Paris for the end of September, traveling from MN. I haven't gotten the ticket yet, I keep going back and forth between buying a ticket separately (I just found a good deal for about 670), or doing a package deal from a site like travelocity (hotel and air around 1100), Is is better to just book the two separate to have more control over where you stay?? Help, I need to just decide soon. I'm still not even sure if I'll be going alone or with a friend.
Sarah

jody

670.00 is a good deal for the airfare.

I'd be very careful about booking an $1100. package..check very carefully where the hotel would be located especially for a first trip. You don't want to be staying near the airports or La Defense. I had to go up to 1900. on Expedia before the centrally located hotels started to show..flying from MSP.

Whatever you decide , I'd get a move on , late Sept and early Oct can be very busy times in PAris. With fashion and trade shows, the hotels can fill quickly.

I'd try to stay in arrondissements 1-7, so that you'll be close to what you want, as a first-timer.

ira

Hi sky,

$670 is a good price for Sept-Oct.

Look up the hotels you are being offered for $1100 at www.tripadvisor.com.

Also check the location at www.pagesjaune.fr

As Jody recommends the 1-8 Arronds are the most popular for tourists.

Bailey

Skyllo,
It's sounds as if you are weighing all of the options...that's good.
I've done both...package vs seperate.
Some years the package is a better deal & other years seperate.
There is one distinct advantage over a package...if you buy the airline ticket seperately you may choose your flight vs the tour company choosing....and sometimes adding an "extra" stop.
The more I travel the more I appreciate a non-stop ticket!!

Viajero2

I go to Europe a miminum twice a year and always, always research packaged deals. To this date I have only found one package (Nov 93) that was a better deal that planning it myself. The single supplement is definitely omething to consider. Companies worth looking at are go-today.com and evacations.com.

rkkwan

Package prices are almost always for double occupancy. Extra if for one person. If your friend can't decide yet, you'll have to pay a lot more for single occupany in your room.

rex

While it sounds like ("I've been planning...&quot you are planning this as solo travel, you indicate that you might be traveling as a twosome; most package deals are NOT "$1100" - - but rather $2200 for two people - - and a different price if you are seeking a single room.

Without clarification on this point (specifically, what "single supplement" they would charge, if any, or forego, if you have already included that in what you cited here), I would find it very difficult to analyze the merits of one plan versus another.

I agree that $670 is a good fare for MSP-PAR "in September" (unless by chance you mean leaving after Sep 28, and returning after October 15-ish - - in which case, it is "pretty good&quot.

Best wishes,

Rex

Gretchen

Rex has brought up the bugaboo of packages. Single supplement. If your friend goes, you are still paying double for your room rate. I'm not sure that even the $670 isn't a pretty good fare--it is what we had to pay last year in October from various sites in the US. Book the fare and get the hotel on your own in the part of the city you really want to be.

Gretchen

Oh, wait, are you saying that that $1100 was for 10 days? REALLY check where that puppy will be. That would be really cheap per night even allowing for a cheaper air fare on a package.

rkkwan

$1,100 - $670 = $430. Times two, that's $860 for the room. If it's for 10 <b>nights</b>, then it's a pretty decent deal, US$86/night, but of course, depends on waht hotel exactly she gets.

If the whole trip is 10 days, then that's 8 nights of hotel. It can still be decent, depending on the hotel.

The other question is whether one wants to spend the whole time in Paris only. That's enough time to go down to the Loire Valley for 2-3 days, for example.

suze

I think my concerns have already been mentioned by others:
1) where is this hotel in relation to central Paris?
2) if your friend does not go what single supplement are you going to get hit with on the room rate?

I always book air separate because I am picky about my hotel (not that it needs to be fancy but I strongly like and dislike certain things). The type of hotels offered on package deals are never what I have in mind.

rex

The ten nights in one hotel is indeed part of the &quot;bargain/not really&quot;. If I were a innkeeper of a second tier (or lower) property - - then naturally I would jump at the chance of selling to a &quot;tour operator&quot; (in this case, really just a broker, since the package presumably provides NO other on-ground services to you) a block of 10 rooms for ten nights each at (or well under) $860 each - - since I know darn well that ordinarily, I am lucky to get stays of more than three or four nights out of most of my guests.

Of course, nothing says that you can't skip out for a night or two (or more than once) for overnight side trips to Normandy, elsewhere in the Ile de France, Centre or wherever.

It <i>could</i> be a satisfactory value... or you could match it on your own. A lot does depend on whether you will be content never to leave Paris (I would not be, but plenty of others here would be).

You cabn certainly find cheaper than $86 per night dbl, outside of France (but close to cheap public transportation will make such places harder to find).

suze

3) what kind of routing is the flight? Is it a non-stop? If there are connections, what kind of lay-over? i.e., beware the 8 hour stuck in an airport transfer sometimes found on charters and packages or the insufficient 30 min connection between 2 different carriers.

Gretchen

I helped friends plan a trip to Paris a couple of years ago. We just could not find a good air fare at all and the hotel being offered was Hotel des Grandes Ecoles. In that case it was a good deal. You just have to do the math--and find out what the hotel is and where.

rex

I wonder what, if any, decision came out of this advice.

skyllo

Hi, thanks everyone for the advice, I decided to go with just the airline tickets and deal with the hotels or hostels later, so my next question is, where to stay? My friend and I are both 27 year old females, I'd like to be near the monuments, etc. but want to stay on a budget. I've heard the latin quarter is a good location? Also, what are some recommended 2-3 day trips? I'd love to go to Southern France to some wineries or castles, as well as up to Brussels.
Thanks in advance, merci,
Sarah

wtggirl

Hi Sarah! You did get a good price on your air. I am heading to Paris first week of Nov. I want to add that sometimes it is good to compare a travel agent quote to what you see on Travelocity as a &quot;package&quot;. They have more options for packages that include &quot;bulk&quot; air rates on major airlines. Sometimes it is cheaper. I found my air nonstop on Delta with DER which has bulk air and sold only through agents. DER is part of Avanti travel (tour operator) and I paid $596 per ticket with tax mid week and it is $20 more per direction for weekend travel.

Anyway, regarding your hotel. I am staying in the Latin Quarter myself and I really went through a lot of research to find a good hotel. I have a couple posts here regarding my search. I ended up booking Hotel St. Jacques which is on Rue de Ecoles in an excellent location in the 5th. It has a lot of personal charm and I did get a lot of good response here on this hotel under a separate thread. Only thing, they do not have air conditioning. But, I don't think you will need it by end of Sept. RAtes run from 90E for double on top floor (lift only goes to 5th) to 118E for twin (two bedded rooms). I did see great reviews on the following hotels as well: College De France (basic rooms, great location in 5th at about 100E), Abbatail St. Germain, and Hotel Residence Monge. There are many more, but the College de france and Hotel Monge seemed to have the best reviews overall. Check out tripadvisor.com. Hotel St. Jacques rated #42 in Paris. The others rated high as well. Good luck!

uhoh_busted

With ten days, you may want to stay two places in Paris with a side trip to, perhaps, Provence in between.
You could stay 3 nights in the Latin Quarter, take the train to Avignon, rent a car (set up your car rental before you leave the US), base yourselves in St Remy or a similar sized town for 3 nights and do daytrips all over the area Pont Du Gard, Arles, Les Baux, Rousillon, etc. then train back to Paris for your last nights in the Marais or Montmartre. You will have a fantastic trip.

ira

Hi sarah,

What's your hotel budget?

Areala

I agree. Most rates quoted are based on double occupancy. A single occupancy would up those prices considerably. If that is the case, book the airfare for the 670 seperately then book rooms. When you check rates on the internet put in for a single and you will get the correct rate. Figure out how much you want to pay on your own per night and go from there. Making sure you check location. I did a cheap trip to Paris with friends and we were stuck way out. We had to take buses to the train and the train into city center. Somedays we spent 1 1/2 hours just getting into the city center. What a waste of precious sight seeing time. Also getting back out was a burden because we had to catch last buses that were earlier than we wanted to return. A few nights we missed them and had to take cabs. That made the cheap hotels moot...we may as well have paid a higher price and stayed in the city. So be careful where those hotels are.