LisaE

We are planning to take our 12 year-old granddaughter to Paris in April, 2013. We'd like to rent an apartment as opposed to two small hotel rooms. I am getting a headache searching the forums and trying to follow the links (VRBO, etc.) Can anyone suggest an apartment they've actually rented suitable for two adults and a twelve year-old? We are thinking of a one-bedroom with a pull-out couch for our granddaughter. Would love to find one with a king bed if possible as we are tall. We are flexible as to location but would like to be near grocery, patisserie, metro stops, etc. I know the knowledgeable Fodorites can help me solve this dilemma!

john183

You may have already come across my reports about taking our 12 and 13 year old granddaughters to Paris but here are the links to my reports:

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...nddaughter.cfm

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...-june-2004.cfm

We opted for a two bedroom mainly for the extra space and because my wife and I usually stayed up a lttle later and/or were up earlier than our granddaughters and we could enjoy the living area without waking them up. We used Paris Perfect the second time (the apartment we had the first time is no longer availabel to rent) and were very happy with our apartment and the location in the 7th. They have lots of 1 and 2 bedroom choices - they are expensive but worth it in our opinion.

We really had a great time on both trips - there is nothing better than showing Paris to your granddaughter!!

grandmere

I stayed in www.vrbo.com/58971 with my daughter and granddaughter, and it was perfect for the three of us. Read the reviews; they are accurate.

Have fun!

LisaE

Thank you both for your replies.
Grandmere: The apartment looks great but the bed appears to be a double. Is that correct?
john183: I did see your trip reports. Loved the Paris Perfect apartment you rented but it's a bit more than we wanted to spend. I'll peruse their website to see if I can find something more affordable.

Judy

This apartment is great but looks booked for April.

http://www.parisvacationapartments.c...1st-floor.html

Are you dates at all flexible. We've stayed here and in several of the others this agency has and highly recommend them.

grandmere

Well, I think there was an option to have the bed made up as two separate beds, and therefore it must have been a queen and not just a double. I slept on the pull out bed in the living room, and it was very, very comfortable (I was expecting it to be like other pull-outs I have slept on and was pleasantly surprised--think it had a memory foam mattress) and was at least a queen.

You could email the owners and ask for dimensions.

LisaE

Judy: Our dates are limited to our granddaughter's April school vacation. Can you tell me what other apartments you've stayed in from this agency?
Grand mere: Will email the owners. thanks.

Judy

We stayed in one of their London apartments, and in Paris one of the 3 bedroom apartments and the Ile St Louis 2 bedroom apartment. We have the charming St Germain booked for December this year and a 3 bedroom for July next year.
We like the agency because they offer king beds, wifi, AC and other amenities.

Good luck in your search!

grandmere

I've also stayed in vrbo#90955 with grandchildren; 2 separate bedrooms here. Another great location.

PRLCH

We (Mom and 2 teenage daughters) stayed in a great apartment last December.

This is what I wrote when we got back:
PARIS APARTMENT– We stayed in a lovely apartment in Paris near Place des Vosges (http://www.vrbo.com/79965 ). Once again, a great find, and we would definitely stay there again!! The apartment sleeps 4 – a master bedroom with a queen bed and two beds in the living room. It is equipped with lovely linen, has plenty of kitchen utensils, free WiFi and a “welcome pack” of fruit, chocolate, biscuits and soft drinks. One day Madame Jagou very kindly dropped off some French pastries for us too - yum! There is a bakery and a supermarket close by, the apartment is very quiet as it faces onto a courtyard, and it is well located to the metro – Chemin Vert is very close, although we often used to walk a couple of blocks further (still close by) to Bastille as it was a better connect line. There is also a bus stop almost out the front.

rosemaryoz

My local travel agent here in Australia (extremely reliable and professional, I've been using her service for ages) has started this year to offer an apartment owned by her brother in Paris, which looks superb. Friends stayed in it recently and said it was perfectly located, spotlessly clean and quite roomy, which was good for two adult couples. It may be worth investigating, but I do not know about availability or prices. The link is:
www.emmawhitingtravel.com.au/baudelaire

nytraveler

King size beds are very rare in europe. In fact, often what they call a king is really what we would call a Queen.

If that is a deal breaker I would contact some of the rental agents you will see listed in posts here and ask what they have available. (And just so you know, king beds are rare in hotels too - except for the true luxury ones).

Kandace_York

Take a look at Hotel Excelsior Latin -- it maybe below your price range but it's right by Jardin du Luxembourg. We have twin teens and that's one of the places we looked at.

Separate rooms (I'm guessing the 12yo would *really* like to have her own space, more than a pull-out couch offers), convenient location, recently updated and fairly affordable. I don't think it's anything fancy, but after all it's just a place to sleep.

Kandace

tracilee

My husband and I stayed in this apartment last month with our two nieces:

http://www.myparisvisit.com/rental-t...paris-111.html

We loved the apartment - both the location and the two bedrooms/two bathrooms. The beds were not king, but I agree with the post above that king beds are not very common. We really enjoyed the terraces and used them daily. Not sure you would get as much use out of them in April, but you never know!

We have used My Paris Visit twice and have been very happy with both apartments and the customer service. Their website is easy to use and the pictures have proven to be very accurate.

Carlux

Regarding beds, I don't find the terms 'double' 'queen' etc. very useful. What you need to know are the sizes of beds:

Mainly in France, you have, for two people:
140 cm x 190. Small for tall people
160 x 200 . Probably the equivalent of a 'queen'
180 x 200 - often two beds at 90 cm. put together. I assume the equivalent of a North American 'king'

You will have to translate into inches yourself.

The 180 x 200 is not common in France, and I would suspect very difficult to find in Paris, where bedrooms/apartments are quite small. The 160 x 200 is more common, but again perhaps not in Paris.

But at least it gives you a guideline when checking apartments, and when asking about bed sizes.

nytraveler

No - actually in North America a regular king is 76 X 80 (1.93 X 2.03) while a california king is longer - 84". In europe they don;t really seem to have true king beds at all.

dunia123

We've used Vacation in Paris a couple times now and have been happy with their service. (You pay in $$ and get the keys and all instructions before you leave for France.) We stayed with our teenage daughter in this appartment - http://www.vacationinparis.com/apts/id_55.htm a couple years ago. Decent location, convenient to local shopping street.

LisaE

Again, many, many thanks for all the help. I appreciate the info re bedding measurements. We rented an apartment in Florence and the owner described the bed as an Italian "matrimonial bed". It was larger than a queen but smaller than a king and suited us very well. Wish I had measured it!

skz5

A wonderful apartment with two bedrooms in a perfect location is VRBO 19619. Unfortunately, it's only a double. And it looks like only one week in April is available, may not be the week that works for you. I have stayed at the apartment and absolutely loved it.

skz5

Whoops that was VRBO 196919!