FeelParis.com - any feedback?
 

Hi there,

DH and I are planning our first trip to Paris next September (2010), and have been combing the internet like crazy trying to find a nice apartment. We will be bringing two of our three kids with us (aged 7 and 10 at that time) and DH seems to have located a great apartment in St. Germain des Pres.

http://www.feelparis.com/en/paris-ap...in-quarter.php

Now, I just did a search here for Feelparis.com and only came back with one hit...and it turns out the OP didn't book with them afterall. Just wondering if anyone has any experiences with them?

We are basically looking for a 2 bedroom apartment, somewhere near the Seine, either int the Marais or St. Germain. DH wants to be near the action and close to everything. We are willing to spend up to about $1300 E for the week...though if we can find something spectacular for less then that...that's always a bonus! :D

Any help???

Well, I guess I can provide my own feedback on this company. :P

I have emailed them twice asking for pictures of the sleeping area (because it looks a bit tight), and just heard back from them noting they can't process my apartment booking request until Jan/February.

Uh...I didn't ask that! :P I just want pictures! *sigh*

Anyways....off to find another company to deal with I think.

Anyone have a company they would recommend for a 2 bed in central Paris??

That will definitely be near the action, although the owner doesn't seem to know what they are talking about when they say it is between bd St Michel and St Severin church. It is not, it is to the west of bd St Michel, which is actually a better area (St Severin is to the east). The map is correct, though.

I suppose you noticed that was a 5th floor walkup and they don't show any real photos of the bed area which is just a floor put into a regular apt which they call a mezzanine. I bet the ceiling is very low in that area, they don't show it. I do think they did a pretty good job of that compared to some places who do that, though, with a better stairway than many. Also, there is no clothes dryer, only a washer.

I think it is okay for 200 euro a night, that is an expensive area, if you don't care about the dryer and don't mind walking up and down 6 flights a lot. The company is Spanish, I believe and not in Paris, so maybe that's why they don't know where St Severin is. It doesn't look like there is any local office in Paris, either, which might bother me in case of problems.

oh, just saw your post -- they are probably not fluent in English, being Spanish, so there may be some communication problems. There are some threads on here with agencies some people like, you can probably find that by searching for paris and apartment or something.

There are so many vacational rental resources and so many apartments, it's best to select an apartment with reviews or at least a website/agency with glowing reviews. You can find a lot of information on the TripAdvisor Paris Forum with a search.

Generally speaking, avoid paying a lot of attention to overembellished descriptions. There should be a complete set of photos. If not, move on.

One resource that receives consistently favorable reviews, especially for transparency and ease of rental process, is www.vacationinparis.com

Camelback,

You can check the Paris Apartment thread for agencies: http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...ent-thread.cfm

We had an excellent stay with www.parisvacationapartments.com. They do have some two-bedrooms at the Palais Royal and in the 6th. We stayed at the Palais Royal (3-bdrm) and found it very central and we walked most places. Being on the garden would be convenient with the children too.

Good luck!

Thanks everyone! Agree that agencies should post pictures of all areas of their units (because then people like me wonder what they are hiding!!). Usually I move on if I can't see everything...but the DH is hung up on this apartment. Hopefully I can find something equally nice (which I am SURE I will be able to do) in an equally nice area...from an agency that actually answers questions! :D

Thanks for the link cw...I'll definitely check it out. I haven't ventured on to Tripadvisor yet..since I am a hardcore Fodorite...but will check it out too.

cw....ooooohhhh I've checked out this site before, and just came across this one again..

http://www.parisvacationapartments.c...oomduplex.html

LOVE the idea of a garden for the kids! Definitely will pass this one by DH!

Be Careful With Feel Paris / Local Nomad!

Camelback's post dates from 2009, but in case anyone is looking for information on Feel Paris / Local Nomad, here is a summary of the disaster that nearly tanked our Paris vacation:

> I found FeelParis.com with a Google search, and their site looked sharp with lots of listings, good photos etc. I found an apartment in the 6th and tried to reserve it.

> The FeelParis / Local Nomad site rejected my AMEX card. That was puzzling, so I tried a MasterCard -- which did not work. So I contacted Local Nomad. They replied quickly and asked me to send the large deposit (291 euros = $387) via PayPal. I should have noticed this red flag, but went ahead and transferred $387 via PayPal.

> I though our reservation was booked. I contacted the owner a couple of weeks before our trip to see how we should pay the remainder of the rental. Surprise! She said she had not received a reservation from Feel Paris / Local Nomad, had not received one euro of our large deposit, and her apartment was already booked! We had to scramble to find a hotel at the last minute, which cost significantly more.

> When I contacted Feel Paris / Local Nomad, they said it was my fault -- I "failed to contact the owner within 48 hours." What?!! After we paid that big deposit? I dug into their website and read the "Terms and Conditions" page carefully. Wow, what an eye-opener. Your entire "deposit" is actually a "fee" kept by Local Nomad. Not one dime goes to the owner of the apartment. Their only responsibility: send a "confirmation" email to you, with a copy to the owner. Confirmation of what? The owner did not receive a penny, so what 'reservation' actually exists? See this page: www.feelparis.com/en/s/faq/conditions.html Note the poor translation and fuzzy terms.

> Today I received a followup email from Ivan Lopez in Local Nomad's Customer Service group. Ivan apologized for the problem we encountered and said, "...we have taken steps to ensure that this will never happen again by improving our booking system and specifications for customers."

Despite acknowledging problems with their booking process, Local Nomad still REFUSED to refund a penny of the 291 euro deposit we paid. Instead, Ivan offered a 200 euro "discount" for a new reservation with Travel Nomad. Of course! Book another 'reservation' with this crew?!!

> The problem with Feel Paris / Local Nomad cost us over $1,000 in total. Our summer vacation in France nearly collapsed.

> Key things to remember:

1: If any Web vendor rejects your credit cards and asks you to send a big payment via PayPal or wire, think again! Your payment will be gone, period. No recourse.

2: Check the vendor's "terms and conditions" carefully, and look for issues posted by other customers. Will they really deliver what you expect?

In short, caveat emptor. The good news: there are reputable websites for apartment and home rentals -- with clear terms and standard business practices.

I hope this is helpful.

Mark