Hello all,

Has anyone rented an apartment from http://www.vrbo.com and rentalParis.com.

There is a very reasonably priced small apartment on Rue Xavier Privas that I am interested in. Any information about the company or the location would be most appreciated.

And do you think it will cool down in Paris by the beginning of September? Not that it will stop me from going!

Regards,
Suzanne

With VRBO (vacation rental by owner), you deal directly with the individual owners. I rented one in May, and the owners turned out to be Scots, no language problems when I wrote with questions, and everything was great, just as advertised. But I suppose it kinda depends on the owner. You would probably get a feel for your comfort level during the process of correspondence. (The rates are lower because there is no commission to a middle-man.)

Some people feel you are better off dealing with a rental outfit, so you can fall back on it with complaints, but I have rented gites from owners in Brittany and Provence and have had good luck with them also.

As someone wisely suggested on an earlier thread, you could ask the owner for a reference--if they're unwilling to provide you with one, look elsewhere. There are Paris apartments at frenchconnections.co.uk and holiday-rentals.com, as well.

Are you sure the company is rentalparis.com? That URL is really a firm named guestapartment.fr, it seems, and they have no apt. on that street listed.

I have a friend who rented one on rue Xavier Privas from a different company, and she liked it a lot. That street is right near the Seine, I assume you have a map and know that, around an area very full of tourists, souvenir shops, cheap restaurants catering to tourists, etc. However, she did like it because she could walk to so much in the central area and she said because it had think stone walls, it was cool and not noisy and said the neighborhood shopkeepers were friendly.

My husband and I enjoyed a fabulous trip to Paris in March 2003. We rented a beautiful apartment in the 6th arrondisement through www.halliger.com
Elka, the manager of the apartment rental service, was extrememly helpful both as we planned our trip and upon our arrival. When we return to Paris, we will rent through that service again. Bon chance!

I had found an apartment (in Rome) thru this web site...when I contacted them it was rented by a small agency in Rome, not thru the person who owned it. I did rent it and it worked out perfect! Good Luck

My family rented an apartment in the Marais from rentparis.com. It was terrific and I would do it again. It was $169 per night and slept 4 people. There was a nice kitchen, large bath and washer/dryer. No A/C though but we lucked out and it wasn't that hot.

The only drawback to rentparis.com is that they don't take credit cards so you have to do a wire transfer for your deposit - sort of a hassle. However, they were very professional in all the dealings we had with them.

We rented from parisvacationapartments.com. They didn't take credit cards, but I could mail a check to an address in Massachusetts.

Very nice places, and great service. We were happy campers.

Budman:

Many of their apartments are in the Montmarte district. Is that where you rented? I've never visited that area....always wanted to, but don't know whether I want to stay there.

Can you (or someone) shed some light for me on the pros and cons of staying in Montemarte?

JeanneB, If you have seen the movie, Amelie, it will give you a flavor for the area. We loved the quaintness of the area, all the shops, cafes, markets, neat little restaurants, cheese shops, meat shops, wine shops, bread shops etc. We were there in February, walked all the streets, especially around Rue Abbesses and Rue Lepic.

After the day sightseeing, strolled the market for chicken on the spit, cheese, bread, and wine to take back to the apartment. We stayed in the Rue Cortot Apt. Had fun watching the artists at Place de Tertre -- even had our color charcoal portraits made. Took the funiculaire up and down the mountain. Convenient to metro to get around town.

A lot of people said they thought the area was unsafe and seedy. We found it just the opposite. My wife, who is afraid of her own shadow, on her first time in Paris, loved everything about the Montmartre area.

Indiboo: I checked the the Halliger site. Their apartments look great, but
the site says nothing about the prices.
Do you mind telling us how much was the rental?

Budman: Thank you for the reply. I'll file the info away in my Paris file.

Only one downside I can think of. We loved just striking out in any direction from our hotel every day. I figure we averaged 15 to 20 walking miles daily. I have the impression that one would not walk from Montmarte to central Paris. Pick a destination and metro line, then head for the city. Is that right?

Jeanne, you've got the idea. Staying in Montmarte is fine, but it is a bit remote from center and then there are the hills. San Fran has nothing on Montmarte and when you're walking a lot anyway, it is a hassle. As for seedy factors, this is something else to consider. IF you do not like walking around Montmarte, Pigalle, Abesses and Place de Clichy in the day, you will not like it any better at night.

That about cinches it...no Montmarte apartment. Strolling around the surrounding neighborhood is too high on our list of pleasures. Thank you.

Hello - we rented from rentparis.com 3 weeks ago. A fine studio (with a.c.) in Latin Quarter. Had a good experience with the helpful owner Fabrice and would recommend this company.

Thanks for all the suggestions and thoughts. We are going to rent the apartment on rue Xavier Privas -- yes, in the middle of everything but that's where we want to be. Sending my deposit to Pascal today and hoping all goes well.

I will report back.

At first apprehensive about the prospect of renting an apartment in Paris, I researched extensively and found the PERFECT place for my husband, daughter, and I to spend a week's vacation in May 2003. I discovered the flat on the vrbo website and it proved to be even lovelier than advertised. Wonderfully located in the 7th arrondisement (bordering the 6th), we were in walking distance to so many sites, while really feeling part of a neighborhood. The apartment itself is stunning, filled with deluxe furnishings, linens, appliances, etc. The American owner, who is a delight to deal with, has truly thought of everthing that a traveler might need. This is a fabulous find! You can get more information at www.chezmichelaparis.com. Bon voyage!

I have rented through vrbo.com in the states several times & have always been pleased as well as receiving good deals. For Paris I would also check out parisperfect.com & Panache.com.

We rented an apartment in the Marais area thru www.drawbridgetoeurope.com. It was very quaint and was in an excellent location. I believe we paid $700 or $800 for one week. It was a one bedroom and my son slept on the futon in the living room.

The apt was very close to restaurants, museums and a metro stop. I highly recommend drawbridgetoeurope.