p.s. he said it is a 5 minute walk to the market in Greenwich. I guess I took that to mean Greenwich area. again, overexcited.

i'm just talking an old-fashioned fold-out paper map of city streets! that's all I use for initial planning & then I take it with me on the trip. I prefer that type because I just add/write locations on it with a pen.

i guess Google maps, iphones, GPS and all are good too, just I've never used them.

KayDoll~ these are all newbie mistakes caused by your enthusiasm. nothing too terrible so far i don't think. but YES in the future, slow down, don't pay money until you see the location on a map, (better yet post it on this forum and give people a chance to answer) and always check cancellation policies before sending funds.

KayDoll, don't beat yourself up. Everyone goofs up, especially on their first self-planned trip! I know I have!

Fingers crossed you get your deposit back!

How much is the deposit?

suze:: hehe i was trying to get fancy by getting all hi-tech. that just goes to show you that technogology is not always reliable and sometimes the simplest things are the best.

Sam86:: thanks for the encouragement. i hope so too.

franco:: 140 pounds so $223. it was a very nice apartment and only 420 pounds for the week.

below my budget so I thought i got lucky again and made a rash decision. lesson learned. moved on. now back to square one on the apartment search.

Such a high deposit should be partly refundable at least. Good luck.

then i'm practically a dinosaur. i always travel with a paper city map, a 3x5" spiral notebook with my notes of things to see & do I've gathered, and a pen. sometimes i have one guidebook, but more often wait and pick up tourist information after arrival and plans my days either the evening before or even just that morning.
the idea of writing actually ON the map has served me well many trips now. i add my hotel, and any restaurants or shops i want to be able to find my way back to, they usually already include all the major monuments, parks, and tourist sights. (one of my better travel ideas if I do say so myself!)

kaydoll~ hang in there... you've got a great attitude and you're doing just fine.

What map do you suggest? I've been looking at a few (RS/Fodors) but they aren't that detailed. should i get a michelin? and thanks again suze. I usually run into a lot of bad luck so I've found that you just have to keep on truckin' =D

We stayed at this apt. this summer for two weeks. Great for 2 persons. See: Nadine Studio 30 sqm Paris 9e near Montmartre/Opera E-mail : [email protected] Website : http://locationparis9.canalblog.com

I usually use free maps I get for each city upon arrival, just for free in the hotel lobby, at a tourist information kiosk, or sometime sponsored by a department store or something. Or copied out of a guidebook (you could go to the library and do this). Can't you search the internet and find some detailed city maps you could print out, at least to get started?
It really doesn't matter what exact map you use, only that you actually HAVE one in front of you -haha!

well the maps i had didn't tell me the little streets that the hotels/apartments/restaurants were on. they only had major streets so i found it harder to plan with. i've actually started using my GPS and plugging in addresses with that and basing everything from the Eiffel tour. it seems to be working fine. a client of mine actually has michelin maps from last year of specific areas that i'll be traveling to so i'll be picking that up from her tomorrow =D reduce, reuse, and recycle i guess.

i'm now actually having the b/f deal with all things location/directional wise now since he's so much better with navigating and can actually read a map. (sad, i know) =P

Off Topic:: can anyone help with my situation in this thread about my london apartment debaucle???

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...ent-rental.cfm

KayDoll, I guess I'm an old-timer. This was 1970 and I was just out of college. One husband ago as well. You can do the math.

Staying in Greenwich sounds great, I'll keep that in mind for a future trip. We haven't spent time in London for a long time, and so much has changed!

All this planning would be a LOT easier if you went with budget hotels instead of trying to rent apartments. Is there a reason you don't want to do that?

Hotels you can see their websites, read reviews from past guests, they aren't likely to disappear in the night, when you're there you have a front desk staff to assist you.

I just don't get the fascination with renting apartments. Give me a solid 2-star in a good location anyday. As far as 'meals' if a kitchen is why you are going this route, I do just fine with picnic style, getting things to go, and eating them (neatly and cleaning up after myself) in a hotel.

WWanderer: hehe I didn't mean to give u a hard time =P I think it's fascinating that you traveled in the 70's as I'm sure it was so much harder too! now, to some, it's become a fad to go to europe and I've beenn told by many that it's lost a little of its charm.

suze: I thought it would be cheaper to go with an apartment for the longer stays of my trip and do hotels for the shorter ones. I just figured it would be more budget friendly. are there any hotels you recommend? so far I've only booked the one in Rome and getting ready to book the Paris apartment depending on how the location pans out with everyone. any suggestions would be very appreciated. Thanks so much!

Location of Paris apartment.
30 rue Lepic Paris 75018
near montmarte

No sorry I don't have any particular hotels to recommend. More just suggesting it as a viable option for your situation.

Were I in your shoes right now, that's the route I'd be going. I'd get out the map (as I've already mentioned to death -haha) circle the neighborhood I want to stay in, and start online research for hotels in my set price range with addresses in that area. I'd narrow it down to a dozen or so. Then I'd read reviews. And when I had a few finalists post here for comment.

There is no rule says apartments are necessarily cheaper than hotels, simply not the case. Depends WHAT hotel and WHAT apartment. I also believe in "you get what you pay for" in many situations.

Why I prefer hotels is I think they are *easier* to deal with, and you are more likely to get what you are expecting. Less surprises. Plus if there is a problem you call the front desk. In apartment it may or may not be easy to get ahold of your landlord say the plumbing or heating or something is busted or whatever.

Now IF I was staying in the same city for 2+ weeks, then I would feel differently and would probably go the aparment route.

i definitely understand where you are coming from. you'll be proud as i've just picked up some maps today =0) i'll be keeping you in my thoughts as i try to read it =/ haha

will be keeping everyone updated with the ongoing planning process. and in the end after i've planned to death if some things aren't "finished" it won't matter because WE'LL STILL BE IN EUROPE ! ! ! ! =D

Maps!?!?!?!? What a concept ;-)
Seriously, that's excellent, you're a quick learner.

I guess I don't understand the difficulty in "reading" a map. It's just a map. You look at where things are in relation to each other. Especially easy on most tourist maps where they have the major sights clearly marked with an icon (Eiffle Tower Arc de Triomphe, etc.). Perhaps a bit trickier in trying to track down a specific apartment or hotel if it's on a side street, then you just have to trust when they say 5 mins. from Luxembourg Gardens or whatever.

>>Perhaps a bit trickier in trying to track down a specific apartment or hotel if it's on a side street, then you just have to trust when they say 5 mins. from Luxembourg Gardens or whatever.<<

If you have the address and plug it into Google maps or Michelin maps online, it will tell you exactly how long and you don't have to worry about that trust issue (unless you don't trust the websites). I see paper maps as merely back-up or for use on-the-ground after the more detailed mapping research has been done online.

well thats what i mean. trying to find a specific street along another so on and so forth. i once tried navigating in NY with some friends and we ended wayy wayy outside of town. needless to say it didn't happen again. lol.

i did plug some coordinates into google map but i don't think i saved it or whatever and it cleared my entire address thing. and the other day it was saying that the address from the london apartment wouldn't register. should have recognized it as my first read flag.

anyhoo..no matter what the final result is from the London debaucle i am prepared to eat the deposit if it doesn't pan out well. it can sit on his conscience and i refuse to let it ruin my trip. onward ! !

We like apartments, so I understand your thoughts on that. There are pros and cons each way, but usually a little more room to spread out, a kitchen and a washer/dryer are great conveniences.