I understand your point Millie, but it's rather nice that in Europe one can rent a room for a single which is something hotels in the US don't do except for full double rate. So it's a double-edged sword.
But I certainly understand the OP's predicament.

TR14,
Some inexpensive (for Paris and Rome), well located, 2 BR apts.

Paris:
http://www.vrbo.com/15502
http://www.rentalfrance.com/

Rome:
http://www.sleepinitaly.com/files/apt_vicolocinque.html
http://residenzagiubbonari.com/home.html (the RED apt)

YOu might try CITADINES. They have apartment style hotel rooms in Paris - some two bedrooms.

http://www.citadines.com/serviced_ap...otel_paris.htm

One point that people were trying to make that seemed to get missed, was that two rooms (a double plus a triple) are sometimes priced more economoical that a single room for 5 people.

When our family of four traveled to Europe, I did not find that two rooms would be less expensive than one quad room. I hoped it would be the case, but I never found it.
We liked the Hotel de la Bourdonnais in Paris, for their relatively good-sized quad 'family' room. You could see if they have an even larger suite. It was good-priced, well-located in the seventh, with a view of the Eiffel Tower from our room (503). Very clean, and nice older building. A market next door was very convenient with the kids, also close to Rue Cler for fresh fruit, etc.

Nothing odd about this request at all - especially when one considers the ages of the children, and 2 rooms would probably end up actually costing more than a family room or apt.

I think Beatchick might have started a thread about family rooms? I know she put together a great one about triple rooms in Paris. If I can find it I'll post the link here

Try this http://www.arts-residence-paris.com , have not stayed here, but they have family apartments, summer specials and is in great area.

BTW, this thread title is really funny, I appreciate the OP's effort to entertain.

It sounds like the answer is, Yes, size *does* matter.

I like the homelidays.com website for apartment rental because it allows you to sarch by date as well as by arrondissement for available apartments.

This one looks good for a family of five, for instance - it's in a great area and it has availability for the time period you're looking at.

http://www.homelidays.com/EN-Holiday...ROMSEARCH=TRUE

I can't give you a recommendation based on personal knowledge because I stayed in a small studio.

Lots of choices though. Good luck

Fishee I agree - the OP has a good sense of humor (i.e. the thread title) and is probably a traveler who really enjoys the whole experience and can roll with the punches. I like that.

You don't give your exact dates, but here are some apartments available in Paris during August from Vacation in Paris:
http://www.vacationinparis.com/infop/specials.htm

We have rented from them for our family of four, and were very pleased. They do not require a full week. You might give them a call (it's a U.S. company based on the east coast).

I don't think an apt. or two rooms would likely be cheaper than a room for five, in theory. I don't think two doubles would be cheaper than a quad, either, and that's easier to find. There are economies of scale for hotels, and it is cheaper to have one big room than separate ones, most of the time.

It isn't true that most hotels in Europe have rooms with two single beds to be set up for single travelers. I don't know why Millie thinks that most European hotels only have single beds in the rooms. Besides, single travelers don't want a room with two single beds in it -- they would want a room with a double bed. I travel solo a lot and wouldn't ever want a room with twin beds as it takes up more room space and isn't needed. If I pay the rate of a double room (which I usually do) or even just slightly less than a couple would in a double, which is often the case of single rooms, I want a nice comfortable bed and that means a double.

However, while I think a single room for 5 should be cheaper than two rooms, the problem is that there just aren't very many hotel rooms for five people, at least not in Paris. So you are going after something that barely exists, and are limited to only a couple rates because of that. You could probably find two cheaper rooms in a cheaper hotel.

Maybe you can find a cheap apt. for a cheaper rate (very unlikely, I think -- even apts for five are not common, but for only three nights, there are very limited places that will rent to you), but Citadines isn't very cheap, so I'm not sure that will work in terms of budget. They will rent for only 3 days, so that's an asset. They also aren't usually set up for groups of 5, although they have some. For example, their Bastille Nation location, which is not one of their top properties, charges 260 euro a night for their 6-person apt in off-season. YOu can obviously get two hotel rooms cheaper than that.

The two hotels I know in Paris with rooms for five are the Hotel Marignan in the Latin Qtr, and the Hotel des Grandes Ecoles. I know the Marignan has them, they are listed on their website with rates -- 140 euro midseason with WC and shower. IF you are willing to get a room only with WC, it is only 115 euro for the five-person room. There is no elevator, and it's basic, but should be adequate, and they have a laundry, I think. www.hotel-marignan.com

The other is Hotel des Grandes Ecoles www hotel-grandes-ecoles.com I have no personal knowledge of that and their website doesn't mention it at all--it says maybe a quad if you are lucky (would be over 150 euro, I'd say from the other rates-- but there was a post on Fodors by someone who claimed he stayed in it and that it had two double beds and one twin.

YOu can find some prior threads on this topic by a search including the word Marignan which is the easiest way to narrow it down. put in "paris and hotel and marginan" in the search box, without quotes. There is a very expensive Hotel Marignan in Paris on the Right Bank, but the above URL is the cheap one. That is an excellent location, anyway.

When travelling with our [2] kids in France, we were looked at sideways because we wanted 2 separate rooms, albeit adjoining if possible, rather than a large family room.
I think that your main problem is likely to be shortness of time to book rather than lack of suitable options.
So stop reading and get booking!
and have a great time.

The Hôtel Mansart in Paris, just off the Place Vendôme, as adjoining rooms. In August the prices should drop, although you do need to get a reservation ASAP. You could try
lastminute.com.

annhig, Underhill - They need Connecting rooms, not adjoining rooms. Adjoining rooms could be next door, or down the hall, or across the hall, and don't necessarily have a door between the rooms. Connecting rooms are next door to each other with a door between. Can be a huge difference between the two.

Sorry--I think of adjoining and connecting as being the same thing. Adjacent would be next door.

Adjoin and connect are synonyms.

I do get the part about the two rooms sharing a door.

I work with the same numbers (two adults plus 14-16-24), and unless we can stay one place for a week or so, apartments are scarce as hens' teeth.

So we go with whatever value we can find on two rooms, and don't worry about their proximity. In Rotterdam, Mme. R and I were by the RR station and the boys were at the city center, a mile away.

OK, splitting hairs here, but I think the only difference between adjoining and connecting is that adjoining does not necessarily have a door between them. But by definition adjoining means they "adjoin" or "touch" each other, having a common wall. California and Nevada are adjoining states. California and Utah are not. Two rooms separated by a corridor or other rooms would not be "adjoining".
Robespierre, I like your idea -- ship the kids off to another part of town -- but kind of hard to do with 6 to 12 year olds!

Neopolitan - we both realize the actual definition of adjoining, but apparently many hotels don't, because unless you specify connecting, your rooms may in fact be down the hall from each other.