My wife and I would like to go to Paris at Christmas with our 4 grown and married children and three spouses. Nine people total. Does anyone have any suggestions about where a group this large can stay in Pairs. We think we will need quarters with a kitchen so we can eat some meals in and try and keep the cost down. Has anyone rented an apartment, a house, etc.? Does anyone know the cost or who you could find such a place through? Any help, suggestions, ideas etc will be greatly appreciated.

Check out the Slow Travel website for rental and agency recommendations.

Althought it was only for 2 people, the agency with whom I booked tended to own buildings with several appartment rentals in the same building or an adjacent building. I had a very happy experience with them, and if it fits your budget, you might find renting two or even 3 apartments right next to each other is even better than one rental. You can check our their offerings here:

http://www.guestapartment.fr/

If you click on your screen name you will see your earlier post with this question. There are several answers to the previous post that will help.

remmos probably didn't think of his other thread since it was posted in <b>Aug, 2005</b>

remmos: even though the suggestions on your previous thread are a year old they are still valid . . . . . .

We did this with ours 2 years ago. I found an inexpensive hotel that was really not that acceptable but we made do for the week we were there. I'm not sure, but I think one apartment for that number might be an unusual happening in Paris.
I HIGHLY recommend that you hire Michael Osman to be your guide for a day or two. Our kids absolutely LOVED it, and all had been to Paris at least cursorily previously.

With a group of nine you would need at least three hotel rooms (three triple or two quads plus one more) and more likley four or five, so an apartment is likely to be the more economical option, even moreso if you spring for the (usually mediocre and overpriced) hotel breakfast. Apartment rates do sometimes go up at Christmas, but so do hotel rates - it is just a busy season.
The one advantage of having multiple hotel rooms would be that each could have a bathroom - and with nine adults multiple bathrooms is pretty much a necessity.
Suggest you try a place like www.vrbo.com where you can sort by number of bathrooms. Though multiple bathrooms are not exactly common in Paris, they do exist. For example, VRBO # 41014, 87454 look like possibilities. The other thing to consider is booking more than one apartment in the same general area.
You can also just google &quot;paris vacation rentals&quot; and find lots of agencies - do comparison shop, though, as you will often see the same property listed on different sites with varying prices owing to agency fees.

If you want luxury and space(5bedrooms&amp;4 bathrooms) and are willing to pay for it, try: http://www.parisperfect.com/gigondas...nt-rental.html

Remmos, we a trip of 10 people at Christmas coming up on 3 years now. It was fantastic. We did 3 rooms in a budget hotel and shared some rooms. Kids in one (20 and up) and adults in 2 others. It was a blast. email me if you need any info on christmas activities.

When there are children involved, doubling up is okay. When married adults are in Paris, private bedrooms are perhaps more in order. We had 8 adults, 3 married, one son and after we left, his fiance, so we had 5 rooms. What is your budget and how long are you staying? You can spend 80E/night for X number of rooms, for example.

You are going to need either a VERY large apartment with several bathrooms(hard to find in Paris) or perhaps two or three smaller apartments. Most Paris apts have only one bathroom (some do have two) but with 9 people two would still not be enough. Also, there would be an almost total lack of privacy regarding bedrooms ... frankly to me it would make for a very crowded (and maybe even unpleasant) vacation. I am quite familiar with the sizes of Paris apartments, we have family in Paris and I've visited many relatives in various apartments ... none are particularly large. What was 3 bedrooms with 1 bath really was quite tiny by our standards and had virtually no closet space (it did have a killer view of the Eiffel Tower tho ).

Having a kitchen is a good idea, again most kitchens are fairly small and I rather doubt if there are tables for 9 in most apartments (or even plates/silverware). That is something you would need to check on with the owner/manager. Also, be aware that daily maid service is not included with apartments, usually it's once a week. Do you and your family want to be picking up after one another ? It is something to consider. Not everyone enjoys the &quot;do it yourself&quot; aspect of an apartment.

I am not telling you this to discourage you, but you need to be aware that with so many people one apartment is just not going to be comfortable so if I were you I'd look for a couple of apartments and split the family up--or else get hotel rooms where everyone has their own bathroom and privacy.

The parisperfect.com apartment above does look spectacular, and has 4 baths. But I think it might be better for privacy sake to book a few studio suites or apartments in the same building, just so you can get away from each other once in awhile! Or, if you don't want a kitchen, then stay in different rooms in the same hotel.
How long will you be staying? Because most apartments have strict minimum stay requirements. Have fun-- it sounds like a great idea.

And if you split up into multiple apartments (unless in a thing like Citadines) it will probably be difficult to be even in the same neighborhood.
Cooking breakfast may sound like a money saver (and it can be, of course) but coffee and a roll at a cafe is not a bank breaker.
Tell your family the budget for the day's eating. X for b'fast, X for lunch X for dinner and ask them to order appropriately.

How about one larger apartment that you take, and the others in a hotel nearby? That would give you one communal place to gather, plus privacy and &quot;downtime&quot; possible for everyone.