http://www.parisattitude.com/apartme...mProduit=3531#

This seems like a really nice apartment. I can't find any reviews but what about the neighborhood? The map looks like it on R. St. Nicholas right off R Faubourg St Antoine. How's the location for safety an convenience?

Thanks for all the help. It's such a hard decision. So many pros an cons to all our possibilities. It really helps to hear other people's thoughts even though I know that only we can decide and we have to decide soon as places are already booking for next May, when we're going.

Right now, we're deciding between this one above, one in Le Marais
http://www.vrbo.com/133080
and this one in the 15th http://vacationinparis.com/apts/id_154.htm

We're also considering returning to Hotel Jeanne d'Arc, where we spent 10 nights this past May and were pretty happy there. The location can't be beat and the price is about the same as all these apartments except we'd be paying an extra 10E every day to go out for coffee in the morning.

Hi plafield

Well, I don't seem to get excited by the looks of the first apartment, and it isn't a neighborhood I would be dying to stay in, but the price is right. I wish I knew the streets well enough to tell you more, but I don't.

However, I do like the looks of the other two apartments. And that view from the 15th; Oh la la!

Picking a Paris apartment is fun, is it not? I'm thinking about taking a January or February jaunt to Paris, but that might be crazy talk. We'll see...

Hi Plafield

I spent a lot of time dealing with Paris Attitude and ended up very disappointed - not in the apartment itself as that fell through.

This was my experience:

We were looking for an apt for our party who will be in Paris from Dec 19th to 28th. As there will be 10 or 11 of us, it was a bit of an effort finding a suitable apartment. We had found one through Paris Attitude - I must say they do have an attitude!

I originally started making enquiries last year (2007). PA had a great apartment in the 10th. They emailed me all the documentation with the 2008 dates in the contracts in September. After I had agreed to the terms, suddenly, they emailed back saying that they were under the impression that we wanted it in December 2007 (remember the documentation had 2008 dates). I immediately phoned PA who said the owner wasn't prepared to rent that far out and to try again in January.

When I called in January, I was assured the apartment was available. Deja vu - Next day I received an email again owner wasn't prepared to rent that far out.

At this point I gave up on PA. They take a 33% commission, after you pay them the commission all further communication is with the owner, they do not even show up to give you the keys, you have to clean the place yourself. There wasn't even an option to pay to have a cleaner come in.

I then went back to an apartment I had enquired about through an agency that specialises in gay rentals, but are happy to rent to gay friendly heteros. They have been very co-operative and while the apartment is smaller, it is much better value and I only deal with them.

Yes, Ooh-la-la the view of that apartment in the 15th, but it is directly across from the Montparnasse train station and the webpage says there is a long term construction project nearby that may be noisy. I don't love that area and would hate to find we are really disturbed by constant noise. But it's hard to pass up that view!

And then that sweet little place in Le Marais...the only windows in the place are the doors out to the little patio. No way to get air inside the apartment without leaving those doors open. When we were in Paris this past May it was in the 80's and sunny every day and we would have been miserable in a place with no windows we could leave open at night if it wasn't air conditioned.

Sarvowinner: Thanks for the input on Paris Attitude. That helps with decisions. I would prefer not to have a middleman who disappears after making his cut. Will you share the website of the folks you ended up renting from?

Any and all feedback, suggestions, opinions welcome please!

Hi Plafield

We haven't rented yet so I'm only going off my communications with these guys, but they have been very accommodating. They handle all the bookings and keys etc.

http://absoluliving.com/Paris/index.en.asp

Correction, we have rented - for Xmas 2008 so we haven't stayed there yet. Hope that's clear?

We stayed in the VIP apartment last year. We never heard any noise from the train station, nor could we tell that we were that close to a train station unless we looked at a map.

I am not sure about the construction noise--there was some construction going on when we were there at the shopping center nearby with the Franprix, but it was never enough to bother us.

We loved the apartment

I'm looking at apt. rentals now and found a lot of good ones on Parisattitude, so I am interested in this feedback. I haven't picked one yet to pursue, but did notice this was simply a website of owners, so I suppose it's like VRBO -- one experience has nothing to do with another. NYHabitat has that exact same system, they just have a website, take a very large fee and then wash their hands of you after FAXing the contracts, etc. Also, they don't do anything if you have problems, can't get your deposit back, etc.

I liked that VIP one when I saw it, but I also would not be crazy about being that close to the train station.

That location is safe, most areas in Paris are. I am not personally crazy about that area, but that is personal preference. A lot of people like the part of the 11th/12th just East of Basille and around Ledru Rollin. I just don't. It isn't really an issue of safety or convenience, as I think it has both. I just don't like the vibe and appearance and some of the things in the area (businesses). For example, I stayed not too far away which is why I know it, and the cafe at the end of my street wasn't open past 9 pm or something. Also, some of the popular ones right around rue de Lappe and Bastille place (esp on east side) are full of really young people.

oh, if you are really young, you might like that. I'm not, so I didn't enjoy cafes with mostly 20 somethings, and a lot of tourists are in the ones right in the place. I also don't expect neighborhood cafes to close up at 9 pm.

I'm one of those people that like the area around rue du fbg St Antoine, but then, I was staying free in a home exchange by the next metro station along. There's a Monoprix and the Marché Aligre close by; but the local shops are nothing like the chic and chi-chi you would have seen near the Jeanne d'Arc - definitely small neighbourhood businesses selling daily necessities, and still some relics of the furniture business that used to dominate this area. You can check out the street in pictures at www.pagesjaunes.fr

This particular apartment looks - frankly - a bit student-y for my taste: it's small, front door opening straight into the main room, not much furniture in the bedroom (is there any sort of frame under that mattress, or is the bed on the floor?).

On the other hand, it looks as though it opens into the building courtyard and may therefore be protected from much street noise.

Thanks everyone. Le Marias is our favorite area to stay in. We loved the look and feel of the whole area and found it very convenient, especially where the Hotel Jeanne d'Arc is located, but I can't seem to find an apartment in our price range (under 95E a night)that feels really great in Le Marais. We looked at this one on R. Chapon:
http://rentparis.com/appart-en-1.html
but really don't love the spiral staircase and something about it seems really small and cramped.

It's great to hear from someone who actually stayed in the one in the 15th with the great view and to hear that noise wasn't a problem. We don't love that area but we love the look of the apartment and that view!

Lovntrvl, was there a good bakery close by to run out to for the morning croissants?

Christina, we're not that young (50s) and really not interested in nightlife. Our evening entertainment is dinner, which we usually go out to at 8:30 or 9:00. We walk at least part of the way home if the weather permits and then go to bed!

Another question for Lovntrvl: What time of year where you there when you stayed in that apartment in the 15th? Did you sleep with windows open at all?

That's my age, also, but I don't go in that early -- in any case, I don't expect a cafe to close by 9 pm. It was an issue because I do like to have coffee or a glass of wine in a cafe until late, but because I often travel alone, I want to do that in a cafe near my hotel. The closest cafe to the hotel I was staying at (just off place de la Bastille, actually) closed up shop about 9 pm. They might have stayed open later on weekends, I forget.

In any case, I haven't been searching in the Marais so I don't have a lot of tips, but less than 100 euro is a challenge for something decent. I did actually find a couple for myself, but I like to stay in the 5th and 13th through 15th arrondisements on the Left Bank, and things are cheaper in those areas (I stay in the bottom of the 5th, not near the Seine). Even there, it is rare to find something at that rate, even studios. The Marais is expensive, at least bottom of it.

I did find someone else who used Parisattitude and thought they were great (someone on Fodors), so I'm mixed on that one. I think it was Lucy someone....


I think I have several suggestions of apts in the Marais for less than 100 euro a day, and I found four of them that I like better than the ones you had. They have windwos, one ha a terrace, some have beams, they look okay to me. Just go to www.parisaddress.com and search in the Marais area. They have about a dozen and list them by price.

These are the ones less than 700 euro a week that I think are good locations and pretty nice (studios or 2 BRs):

SEV16
BEAU14
GRAV35
DEBE33

I am pretty sure that price is the full fee, no commission is added and they've gotten some good comments from those who have used them on Fodors.


BEAU14

oh, this is the URL with the Marais findings

http://preview.tinyurl.com/6ncrx6

click on the spyglass or whatever at the left column to get the photos and info.

The Paris Attitude property is in a safe and pleasant enough - but did you notice that it is a three flight walk up to the apartment?

The VRBO is my favorite of the lot, though I understand the window concern. The one in the 15th is OK, not as well located.
We had good luck with http://tinyurl.com/2ojwu

just to mix things up a bit, we rented from Paris Attitude and had a great experience.


Here's my trip report or at least the beginning:
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34795271

and here's a thread on Paris Attitude:
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34924533

granted, those are from a year and a half ago, so a lot can have changed chez Paris Atitude

Thanks Christin for looking up those apartments. My husband and I didn't really like any of the ones in our price range. If we decide to stay in the Marais, it probably makes the most sense to just return to Hotel Jeanne d'Arc, which is 89E a night. We stayed there this past May and had a really great room that was pretty spacious by Paris hotel standards. The bathroom was huge! Big enough to store 2 pieces of luggage and not get in our way!

We're leaning toward the one in the 15th, even though the location isn't fabulous. The apartment itself looks great, the view is amazing and it's so easy to just jump on the metro and get anywhere else.

What a tough decision!

If you want to check another rental agency that's well-regarded it is Paris Address. I've booked with them although unfortunately I had to cancel. They are very easy to deal with and have very reasonable terms and conditions. Like I said I had to cancel (within the required time) and I got a full refund less a small admin. fee. They do have many properties located in choice areas.

www.parisaddress.com

Plafield: Sorry to take awhile to get back to you.

There was a boulangerie (sp?) down the street and around the corner, on the way to the Fagliuere (sp?) Metro station. It was maybe a two to three minute walk from the apartment. But I must confess...we never stopped there. We were trying to cut costs on food, so we did all of our shopping at the Franprix, including bakery items (which were still good, by the way).

I would check with Vacation in Paris on what, exactly, is the construction they're referring to. I'm not sure if the same project we encountered a year ago is the same one they're referring to now. But, if it is...it didn't bother us. But then we were gone most of the day seeing, you know, Paris. And again, we did not find the train station to be an issue at all.

We were there the last week in August, 2007. We never slept with the windows open--it wasn't obnoxiously hot in Paris when we were there even though it was the last week in August, so the fact that there was no A/C wasn't an issue for us. There was a large fan in the apartment which we did use, and that was quite sufficient for the weather. We also kept the windows open whenever we were in the apartment during the day, and there was oftentimes a nice breeze. We were never uncomfortable.

The memories of being able to lie in bed at night and watch the Eiffel Tower twinkle will stay with me for a lifetime.

hate to interrupt your thread, but Momliz, I was wondering about some terms that Paris Attitude has. It seems like they are the go-between but you deal with the owner. However, the website says the security deposit is equal to the rent?? Is that what you paid? That's a very hefty security deposit if you rent a week or more. Then ones I'm looking at are 75-130 euro a day, and I'm thinking of almost two weeks, so that would be a $2000 security deposit or something like that. I don't really see what the security deposit has to do with your entire rent, either. The terms I read say 50 pct upon booking, paid to owner, and the balance of rent and security deposit is due the owner maybe on arrival, not sure when. But it says the security dep is equal to the rent.

I really don't want to lay out $2000 for a sec deposit to a private person, not an agency, for a modest apt.

thanks.