Whoops! He looks to be booked over most of the summer.

avalon,
Thanks for the info on the vacationinparis property. I have emailed them asking about availability. They seem easy to deal with as an American company. I posted another thread on parisattitude's requirements being quite extensive - ie deposits, passport copies, etc, and my concern about that rental company.

I would also strongly suggest a two bedroom apt. In Sept we rented a one bedroom for four of us. My husband and I took the bedroom and our son and wife took the sofa bed. http://www.vacationinparis.com/apts/id_203.htm. The sofa bed was very uncomfortable for our son and daughter-in-law and they are pretty used to sleeping just about anywhere since they are in their late 20's. As luck would have it the owners were having a new sofa delivered to their home so they asked if they could bring a different sofa to the apt. We jumped at the offer and thank goodness it was a much better mattress. Bottom line is that you won't know until you get there if it a poor quality and much used mattress. Spend a little more and make sure all is comfortable. The kids were great about it because they got a free trip to Paris for a week. They got to enjoy the new bed for half of the trip.

rbnwdlr, The vacationinparis apt looks lovely but is on the fourth floor with NO elevator. Just a FYI in case you missed that.

Hello,

Have you looked with Lodjee ? ( http://www.lodjee.com ) I went with them because couldnt find any vacancies with Paris apartment, prices are good aswell !

Good luck on your search

www.vactioninparis.com #210 has plenty of space. And then there would be an extra room to store all of the luggage and other stuff. The area is great. I had #122 with them that's less than a 5-minute walk away from#210. Happy Travels!

Have you tried looking at Rentals in Paris (www.rentals-paris.com). We have been renting with them for years, and they are excellent. The American owner of the company, Glen Cooper, lives in Paris and personally manages everything. This makes all the difference compared to companies like Paris Attitude which are simply booking agencies with nobody on call ever. We have heard terrible stories from friends who rented with them. I couldn't imagine renting an apartment without the owner being present in Paris in case we needed something while there.

Admittedly, I did not look at all of them, but I love the last one - on Ile St. Louis. Important criteria that I look for:
+ washer/dryer ... check
+ elevator.... check
+ 2 bedrooms ... check.

bonuses:
+ half bath
+ open floor plan to kitchen. While this can get loud with the washing machine, it is nice for 2 couples to have one 'putzing' in the kitchen while the other is planning the day/reading/relaxing.

Ile St. Louis is a really charming place - I would love to stay there.

Take advantage of the kitchen... eat breakfast in, and do happy hour... also makes dinners cheaper since you are less hungry! Stop at a patisserie and have dessert at home.

For the record, one bedroom with 2 couples, no matter if relatives or not is not fun. It feels less like a vacation and more like 'dealing'. What happens if one has time change issues and wakes up early or sleeps late ? It makes it funny to dance around the person sleeping in the living room. The people in the bedroom feel 'exiled' there and the people in the pull-out feel 'on display'. Plus no where to put stuff. I'd be willing to make other trade-offs for an extra bedroom (ie. eating in, etc.)

good luck!

http://www.homeaway.com/vacation-rental/p143450

I really don't know if this is in the OP's price range (although it compares favorably with ParisPerfect flats which were mentioned), but this is a great apartment for two couples. Both have private bedrooms and bathrooms, with plenty of "meet in the middle" room. It's also a very good location for first time visitors, as you can walk/bus/metro very easily. We were 5 adults and very comfortable in this apartment. Good luck, EJ

"Have you tried looking at Rentals in Paris ... We have been renting with them for years, and they are excellent."

Gee, you certainly are a loyal customer! This is your seventh post and the seventh in which you have recommended this company. But I suggest you get your story straight—back in October you said you first rented from them two years ago.

Have you looked at Paris 4 Rent? We used them in 2006 and had good luck...

OP here. We rented a two bedroom apt through homeaway.com. It is in the 7th, and it looks amazing. I will let you know. Now if only I could find airfare under 1K, we would be all set. Prices seem to actually be going up! We may be eating lots of meals in if we have to pay over a thousand dollars per person for airfare.

I'm going out on a limb here. But, are you planning to do everything together? If not, how about 2 studios near each other. You would still meet your budget and have some privacy. Just a thought. Besides you could each find your favorite places and share.