granbury

Anyone familiar with Private Paris rentals (www.private-paris.com), specifically the Rue de Lanneau apartment in the 5th? My daughter, 2 granchildren, and I will be in Paris the first week in November. This is our first trip to Paris and since neither of us speak french will we be at a disadvantage in an apt. vs. a hotel? I prefer the space of an apt. with children, but will we miss having a concierge? Thanks for your help

parisnow

Never used that company. I have used Vacations in Paris (www.vacationinparis.com)on two seperate occassions. In March 2005 we rented two seperate apartments (8 people)in the 7th near Invalides. Loved both apartments and didn't have one complaint about either of them. Rented a one bedroom apartment in May 2005 near Les Halles and wasn't very pleased. Informed the Company when we returned of the problems with it and they responded very positively. One thing I will say about this company is the good customer service. They will not rent an apartment to you if they know there are unfixed problems with it. The first time we tried to rent from this company we wanted a specific apartment and they would not rent it to us because they needed to fix some things.
Now to the point: I use this company because they are based out of New Jersey and you can pay the security deposit with your credit card. They also arrange for you to have the keys before you arrive in Paris. Two major things you need to consider when renting apartments overseas. I hate paying a security deposit in Euros to have them return it to me when I am leaving the country and loose money exchanging it back to US $.

Dbacks

I would also try parisperfect.com. Their prices are also in dollars & they also take the deposit from your charge card in dollars. English speaking people based in London. Great apartments in a wonderful area - most with views of the Eiffel Tower. We rented from them & everything was perfect. In fact we'll never use hotels again when we have the choice.

amwosu

My 14 yr old son and I visited Paris last July. Neither of us speaks French other than a few simple phrases so I had the same concern as you.

We stayed in a hotel the first two nights then in an apartment for a week. I thought that staying in a hotel first would give me a couple of days to ask questions and get concierge help if needed. Honestly, I didn't end up needing help.

I contacted Michael Osman and made arrangements for a private tour on our first day and that was all the help we really needed. He wasn't available so his friend Scott spent the day with us, taking us anywhere we wanted, showing us interesting sites we wouldn't have otherwise dicsovered (bank lobby with stained glass interior for example), and making sure we knew how to use the metro. I will hire one of them for at least three days the next time we go.

I loved staying in an apartment. So much more room and very nice to have a kitchen for breakfast and for afternoon snacks of wine and cheese. We had a much larger bathroom in the apartment than in the hotel room and we liked having a washer and dryer as well.

The apartment where we stayed was in a residential courtyard building so we got a glimpse of the Paris lifestyle each morning as people headed off to work.

You can check out our adventures at www.mrswalkergoestofrance.blogspot.com

amwosu

Duh.... I realized after I posted that the apt. I stayed in IS from www.private-paris.com. Very nice to work with Henri. No problems at all with the reservations.

We stayed in the rue Mouffetard courtyard building. I love, love, love the area and so did my son. He felt safe enough to hop on the metro and head back to the apartment whenever he got tired of shopping. He bought his own crepes and sandwiches at the little shops up and down the street. The area is busy all of the time which made me feel very secure in our surroundings.

Even though it was bustling in the street, the apartment building was very quiet. You open a huge wooden door by using a code (we got a kick out of opening that big door) and step into a cobblestone paved courtyard that feels insulated from the rue Mouffetard. There are two metro stations within a couple of blocks so you look at the metro map to decide which station will get you to your destination the quickest.

Lots of inexpensive food on the rue Mouffetard.

granbury

thanks for the info.

parisnow - I have the vacationinparis.com apartments on my list as my second choice. I like the idea of doing business with someone here in America.

amwosu - does privateparis.com take credit cards?

thanks for all your input

Nikki

It appears from the web site that private-paris.com does take credit cards.

I don't know whether you will miss the services of a concierge. If you are used to traveling independently you will probably be able to figure out the metro system pretty easily. There are lots of restaurants in easy walking distance of that neighborhood.

I stayed in that neighborhood last February with my husband and loved it. You can read my trip report which includes restaurant recommendations(although it is very long) at http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34574921.

parisnow

1. Vacations in Paris rents out apartments that are privately owned for the owners. Therefore before you book with any of these rental agencies, let them know what your needs are and then ask them which apartments get the highest positive feedback. Many of these companies will take your rental payment with a credit card before you leave but will make you pay the security deposit in cash upon arrival to their Paris contact person. Like anything read the fine print before you book.
2. First time in Paris--Go to local bookstore or Web and pick up a copy of Tripbuilder Paris. U.S. News & World Report "Tripbuilder ends the days of fumbling through bulky guides and hard to handle maps. Instead, simply plan out the best route..." Been to Paris zillion times and still carry it with me. Ditched all the guide books I ever bought about Paris except the following: Tripbuilder (with it's fold out map); art/shop/eat PARIS by Black-Norton (discovered A Priori The 35-37 Galerie Vivienne in the Arcades from this book, excellent lunch); Plan de Paris Par Arrondissement (buy pocket size one at a kiosk/tobacco newspaper stand when you get to Paris)this book only cost a few euro and contains detailed maps of each arrondissement with street index, map of the metro and all it's stops. All three books alone or together will fit in an average size purse.
3. If you are going to be in Paris the first Sunday of the month, most of the museums are free.
4. If you are staying in an apartment make sure you lock valuables left in the apartment in your suitcase. Just like you would in a hotel safe.
5. If your grandchildren are young make sure either you or your daughter are alert for pickpockets while the other attends to their needs. There are numerous threads about the woes of Paris/large city pickpockets and those that disagree. Yes there are pickpockets in Paris. My profession requires me to be a HIGHLY trained OBSERVER. I've stopped it from happening to unsuspecting people numerous times on the metro and at the major tourist sites. Myself, I carry a small wallet size pouch with asprin/hand wipes ect in the main compartment of my purse as a fake wallet and put my wallet and passport in an inside zippered compartment of the purse.
6. Now you don't need a concierge!

granbury

Thank you all so much for the detailed information. I traveled independently in Italy last year,without knowing the language, staying in villas and apartments. It's good to hear that I can feasibly do the same in Paris.

And thanks, parisnow, for the concierge services!