Patrick, that apartment looks wonderful - has style, and a great location - besides great value!

We have split our time between two different hotels when we were travelling somewhere else in between. Otherwise I don't think the hassle of moving is worth it.

I'd go with the apartment for 9 days over any kind of a hotel/motel and changing midway, myself.

IMHO, it's not only the area, but also the ambience of apartment living that makes the biggest difference. You are not surrounded as often with visitors as much as native dwellers. Every time I have rented a house or an apartment I have had a much closer approximation of the native experience, myself.

I think with 9 days all in Paris that is a great idea. I haven't tried it, but a co-worker recently did and enjoyed very much seeing the two different neighborhoods of the city up close.

I love changing hotels! In Buenos Aires we stayed in all the different neighbourhoods and at Xmas I'm going to NY for a week and staying at Gansevoort and Soho Grand just for the fun of trying out two different hotels. Would definitely do it in Paris!

Ekscrunchy,

Would love to hear about where you dined. I'm always looking for new places to try, as well as hearing that some of my favorites are still doing well. I'll keep an eye out for your trip report too.

Patrick, thanks for the apartment web site. I might have to look through that. Going solo, I'm thinking I should stay in a hotel so that if I have any problems or emergencies, there is staff to help right away. Or, is there easy access to the owner of the apartment? My cousin and I rented an apartment when we were in Montepulciano and loved it! We had a nice kitchen where we enjoyed our breakfasts and cooked dinner one night. If I were to get an apartment in Paris, I could see myself having breakfast there and making sandwiches and other goodies for lunch. Will definitely look further into an aparment.

Leely, I have selected Hotel du College and for the Right bank, I'm considering Hotel Andrea Rivoli.

Monica ((F))

PS: Are there apartment web sites I can research in addition to the one that Patrick provided?

Thanks!

Monica ((F))

Monica: I am in the process of (slowly) writing a trip report. I am just about to enter the Dordogne in my report. Perhaps I will arrive later today, but to help you along with your planning, here is a list of the places I dined during 6 days in Paris. I have marked my favorites with a *:

Le Reminet
Le Petit Pamphlet
Allard
*Atelier de Joel Robuchon
*Chez Denise/La Tour
*Chez L'Ami Jean
*Ze Kitchen Galerie
Le Procope
Laduree
Les Philosphes

I will elaborate when I get to the Paris section but will be happy to respond to any questions about these places here.

To answer the original question... Yes! This past summer we split our week in Paris between 2 hotels, and it was the best thing I could have done.

5 of us stayed at Hotel Claude-Bernard near the Pantheon for 5 nights. We had a special Internet rate, CHEAP price with breakfast included and the 5th night free. A wonderful stay, nice staff and rooms, incredible breakfast (compared to the normal croissant and baguette we've normally seen in Paris hotels). We loved the hotel.

However, once DH and one son left, I took my other 2 kids and we spent out last 2 nights at Hotel Duquesne Eiffel, where I could lay in bed and see the perfect view of the Eiffel Tower sparkling away. I had always wanted to do that and was in heaven. A splurge was not in the cards for an entire week, but what a beautiful hotel and view for 2 nights. Definitely worth the 15 minute cab ride in the rain!

Would people here have recommended doing this? Probably not. Was it the perfect thing for me? Absolutely! I say if there is a good reason to switch hotels and it would make you even half as happy as it made me, go for it!

ekscrunchy,

what kind of price range do your list of restaurants fall into?

Monica ((F))

I found a studio in the Marais area on the VRBO web site: http://www.vrbo.com/26337 I also did a mappy.com to check the location (rue Vieille du Temple). Is this a good location? Also, is it a pretty safe for a solo traveler? I emailed the company and am waiting to see what price they have for my trip.

Thanks!

Monica ((F))

Monica, I would estimate about 50-60 Euro per person for dinner with one bottle of inexpensive wine. With only a glass of wine prices would be less. This is just an estimate..I will dig out the actual bills when I write the section on Paris in my ongoing report. The exceptions to this would be Atelier JR which was more expensive. And Laduree was much less becaue I ate breakfast there. Les Philosphes was less than 20 for a three course lunch but the food was not great. At Le Procope I had oysters and wine only so the total was less than the figure above.

I have split hotels a lot in many cities around the world, but haven't found it necessary in Paris. I've been vacationing there almost annually since the mid-70s and don't remember ever splitting hotels. I don't find it necessary. I can easily hop on the metro or bus to go to other areas to get a different experience. Happy Travels!

Well, I changed my plans! I booked a small apartment in the Marais from rentparis.com for my 9 nights. No moving around and it has a cute little kitchen, washer, etc. I think I'll stick with an apartment for future travels if I'll be in a particular town for more than a week.

Monica ((F))