thomo7

Hi, finally I'm getting down to some details about our up coming October trip.
We will have 3 nights in Paris at the beginning of the trip, just to get a feel for it (never having been there before!) and at the end of the trip, about the 14th to 20th December we will have more time planned there before we fly out.
I've found this apartment - still hoping they will let us have another child stay as it says sleeps 3 but what do you think?
http://www.homeaway.com/vacation-rental/p306478i#photos
I have been looking mainly in the 5th and 6th because a friend who travels to Paris frequently, recommended it and we'd love to walk where we can rather than using buses & trains.
I guess what I've been hunting is apartments that are under 120 euro per night, in the 5th or 6th and sleep 4. Other preferences are that it's not really noisy, has a washing machine, has some heating if possible and no higher than 3 floors without a lift!! I've also been reading reviews where I can. Any other suggestions!!
Thanks for you help, once again,
JT

avalon

Excellent location. And while you say you want to walk, there will be times when you will want the metro or a bus. Metro St Michel is quite close and buses run along the quai. I find getting a bus saves a lot of time to do the things I want, but then I've been to Paris numerous times. There are numerous restaurants and bistros nearby, though the Fregate pictured in the ad is not that close being near the D'Orsay, further along the quai.

avalon

I never bother with the washing machines in the apts I've rented. They take forever and if a combo with the dryer never get the clothes completely dry. There is a laundromat off rue St Andre des Arts near Place St Michel that will get your clothes done in a jiffy. ANd there is an even better one on Rue de Seine.I most often use the rue de Seine one as I can put the clothes in and go across the street to Paul for breakfast or a cafe creme and do some shopping along the rue de Buci

progol

It appears that they are showing 2 separate rental studios, not a 1-bedroom apartment. If you want a 1 bedroom apartment, you'll need to look elsewhere.

I agree about the washing machine - we rented an apartment with a washing machine, and it worked, but it was small and slow.

avalon

You might check out Vacation in Paris website . They have several really nice apts. in the 5th and 6th that fill your needs. They do rent for less than a week, you get your keys and info before you leave home, and you can pay by CC in US dollars!

thomo7

avalon, tks for the info about the buses, and the location, that part sounds great, also the washing advice. breakfast while the washing's done is a great idea, love it!
I'll check out the Vacation in Paris site too, only thing is that I'm in Australia not the US, but I guess they would cater for that. thanks for your help.

progol, I did wonder about that, there is a reference to studios but it didn't seem very clear to me, thanks for the washing machine info too, I guess I won't worry too much about the washing machine. I'd better get back to research for a while!
Thankyou both, JT

denisea

looks pretty nice and in a good location

we are renting from Paris Perfect if you want to give them a look

good luck

hazel1

Paris Perfect would be way out of the OP's budget. They are very nice apartments, but very pricey.

sassy_cat

I think the apartment would be too small for 4 as the fold out sofa is just a twin (for one child).
If your kids are older than 4 then it would definitely be very cramped.

With 2 children I'd look for somewhere larger. Be careful about fold out sofas! We've squeezed into a one bed apartment for 4 and the kids shared a queen sized sofa bed ... when it was unfolded there was zero space to walk around and we could barely get from our bedroom to the bathroom as the sofa partly blocked the doorway.

thomo7

denisea, I thought the location looked good, 'tis a new day here so I'll have to check it out again and wait for the reply about how many it sleeps. i'll look at Paris Perfect too although as hazel1 says, 'tis probably out of our budget. They seem to vary enormously from site to site.

sassy_cat, thanks for the warning! I've found another one that's not too pricey. A little bit more than I'd hoped but not too bad. It's the extra charges that add up.

For anyone who has time to take a look, I'd appreciate the feedback or other suggestions. It's getting closer all the time.
http://www.vacationinparis.com/apts/id_248.htm
and for a more detailed map of where it is... http://maps.google.com.au/maps?hl=en&tab=wl
the quote is 581usd plus the key deposit and cleaning (although I haven't asked how much that it yet)
Any thoughts?
Thanks, JT

csmart01

We used Paris Autrement and while we had some minor glitches overall they were great and made everything right. Very helpful and their website is well designed to give you a real sense of the place you will be renting... ours was better than we even imagined.

http://www.parisautrement.com

Here is my video trip report and if you sit through the first minute or so you'll see our apartment:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DjAWJVIyrM4

grandmere

www.vrbo.com/58971 is just a tad above your budget, and it would be a great little apt. for a family with 2 kids. It's a one bedroom, but the sofa bed in the living area is large (at least at double, maybe a queen) and is one of the most comfortable beds I ever slept on in France--for sure the most comfortable sofa bed anywhere--it has a memory foam mattress. It's in the 6th, and the location is perfect. Ground floor, no steps. Secure, clean, owners live in same bldg. Bus outside the door, metro 2 min. walk, cafes, patisseries, ATMs, etc. right there.

macdogmom

Wow, the parisautrement apt is beautiful. We just returned from one of their apartments in the Marais. We have stayed there two years because of location and it is set back on a courtyard, so very quiet.

http://parisautrement.com/en/apartme...netre-sur-cour

If I was staying In Paris with small children, I would probably look for something close to Luxembourg Gardens in the 6th.

eastmeetwest

Recently i had troubled looking for apartments that could accommodate for 4 persons (with 2 kids) and so I sent out possible bookings to places that said could accommodate 3. A few actually replied and said that 4 wasn't a problem if we didn't mind squeezing.
So, you could try this too if you have trouble looking for places that could sleeps four.

avalon

The VIP apt. is in a great area.We frequently stay at a hotel on rue des Ecolesjustaround the corner. There are several metro stops nearby and there is also a market on Rue Monge. Several bus lines run along rue des Ecoles. There is also a small park near the Jussieu metro station. Lots of shops and a laundramat nearby.

You do get your key deposit back quickly from VIP> As soon as they recieve the key your account is credited. I usually , well always pay them with Paypal, and they send the money back to me thru Paypal , where I can transfer it to my checking account.
Another reason I really like them is you do not have to put up a security deposit and wait for that to be returned in full. YOu buy a renter's insurance policy for around 25 US dollars to cover any damages. Beats having someone hold 500 dollars or so!

farrermog

Yeah, St Severin is a great location and the apartment looks nicely set up, but personally I would still be concerned about noise from the restaurants and very busy pedestrian street (laneway) below, even with the windows closed in December. In March I stayed very close by - directly across rue St Jacques - in a very nice Paris Bestlodge property on the near end of the much less busy rue Galande and can confirm what a convenient area it is for a walking base (more so with your children I'd imagine). On the adjacent rue St Julien le Pauvre there is a nice little park, Square Rene Viviani, which would be on your way to the bridge to the very front of Notre Dame.

However, VIP 248 also looks good and if you are considering going up the 'hill' you might also see what the very helpful Thierry at Paris Bestlodge might have for your December stay (the Luxembourg Gardens apartment perhaps).

Overall though, I would be inclined to stay as close to the river as your budget and noise tolerance permits (perhaps you will be all zonked out by your walking anyway and won't notice!).

thomo7

csmart01, thankyou for the link, your apartment looks lovely & your video was great too (did you get this done after your trip or during?), I'm getting more excited by the minute!

grandmere, thankyou also, I have had a look at your link and sent an enquiry!!! Let you know how it goes...

macdogmom, i've just checked out your link, the apartment looks amazing but I think I will stick to the 5th & 6th since I've done most of my 'homework' on this area and love the look! Thankyou for your suggestions.

eastmeetwest, Thanks, I've had a little bit of feedback from the few requests I've made and that does seem to be the go and we don't mind squeezing in for the 3 night stay but for the 6 night stay in December we'll probably be looking for a little more room!

avalon, thank you, good to know about the quick deposit return and also the insurance fee. One quote I received said they wanted 650euro for the deposit for a 3 night stay costing about 450 in total! and i've heard that some take over a month to return the deposit. Out of the two I've mentioned would one be better than the other in terms of location ? (if you have the time to compare) I think space-wise anything involves a bit if guess work, also do you know of any pros or cons regarding homeaway.com?
Thanks again everyone! JT

thomo7

farrermog, thankyou, we live in the country here in Australia, we're really only a few minutes drive from town but it is VERY quiet here at night so maybe the noise should be a serious consideration. Will check out Paris Bestlodge and see what comes up. I'll be back shortly. Thanks for the input, Oh, re your "close to the river as your budget and noise tolerance permits" do you mean that it is quieter closer to the river?
And I'm sure we will be zonked out but I don't really want to rely on that!!
Thanks & cheers, JT

sassy_cat

This is the apartment we stayed in http://www.vacationinparis.com/apts/id_182.htm

It has been sold and refurnished since we stayed there so the sofa bed does not block the bedroom anymore but you can see how tiny the space is in the extra pictures.

It was a great location and I'd stay there again with 3 people or smaller kids.

The reason I've mentioned it is it's about the same size as the apartment you're considering but it does have a separate bedroom.
It was quiet as it's set back on a busy street (small courtyard at the entry) and just around the corner from the Odeon metro.

Good luck!

thomo7

Sassy_cat, thanks again, sound good, just checking it out now. Have also found this one, it has cheaper rates and looks to be a good location but the agency fees with this company are 100 euro +18% of the total and they have a fairly hefty deposit as well. http://www.mykeystoparis.com/294-fur...ge-studio.html
back soon, JT