Hello - My husband and I are booking this apartment http://www.parisaddress.com/details/...LOT54&l=en
has anyone stayed there or know the area who can give me tips about shopping, cafes, right outside of my door? I am sure we will be out and about most days, but alwways nice to have a local restaurant name and such. Thanks!

Hi there,
Actually I ran across this post recently. May be helpful to you...

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...amp;dirtyBit=1

sorry for the long url

Ooops. Let me try that link again:

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34817317

hope it works this time...

That thread does not tell me much more than I know, unfortunately. I wonder if the person who stayed there might be out there???!!

Hi Janster, there are no comments posted on PA's blog about your apartment.

However, you'll just have to go by what has been written in the thread that ChicagoDallasGirl kindly posted about the district.

Honestly you will not be lacking for shopping and cafes outside your door.

Janster:

I couldn't find any rates on that website. Did you by any chance get a price list?

I have stayed at the Hotel Américain at the top of rue Charlot. It's a street of mixed small businesses and offices (according to Pages Jaunes, No. 54 contains an advertising agency, two nurseries and a clothing firm - at No. 57 there is a "sexologue" but it's a very respectable street, honestly).

There are a few clothes boutiques and neighbourhood cafés and restaurants on rue Charlot and the streets off it, but I wouldn't call it a shopping area in itself. However, number 54 is a few steps from rue de Bretagne, which is a main road with a fair number of cafés and restaurants (and a cheap CD shop right by the junction), as I recall). Within 10 minutes' strolling, you'd be in the Marais at one end (plenty of everything there) or at the placede la République at the top end, where there are plenty of cafés and restaurants. I'm no gourmet, but I enjoyed a dinner at Chez Jenny, on rue du Temple, which is, I believe, a bit of an institution.

The photos of the street on www.pagesjaunes.fr are a bit cloudy and dull, unfortunately. But it's a pleasant area to stay.

I like that area quite a bit. Rue de Bretagne has a stretch of daily markets including a very good boulangerie and fromagerie + fish monger, and the standard fruit and veg stalls. There is also a supermarche. There is a rose shop on the block that is also a perfumerie, if you are into that sort of thing.

The apartment is on the same block as Julien Caviste (50 Rue Charlot). Julien Caviste is a great little wine shop that only sells small french vintner's wines--these are wines that are not on wide distribution due to the small lots. He is very helpful, and for the most part, wines hover in the 7-14 euro range. He does not ship. You are also near Les Enfant Rouges, a wine bar/restaurant just south of Rue de Bretagne on Rue de Beauce. The bus on Rue de Bretagne will take you in one direction to the left bank/latin quarter-St. Germaine area and in the other direction to Belleville. The metro is really close (3 blocks) and will get you anywhere with a x-fer.

There are a lot of cafes in the area, in the immediate vicinity, I prefer Cafe Charlot on the corner.

We stayed on Rue Charlot two years ago and loved it. It's a charming small street. You're right down the street from the Marché des Enfants Rouges. Plus, just steps away on rue de Bretagne you have a great cheese shop, butchers, bakeries, two small supermarches (one in each direction that my DH began calling the mean supermarket (the clerks were more surly there) and the nice supermarket), a fruit/veggie store, take-out places and two pharmacies (which we needed while we were there!), as well as at least two ATMs. It's also just down the street from all the Marais boutiques and about a 20 min walk to the Seine. (And that 20 mins actually goes very fast given all the bustle around you; I was surprised every time I timed it that it took so long.)

Thanks to all, I do think the area sounds great.

However, I am thinking we are not going to move forward with booking the apartment and are going to look for a hotel in the area instead as the agent for the flat has been really slow in answering emails. I am a pretty laid back person who understands people have things to do, but I am a professional who has loads of emails every day and meetings, reports, etc to do in between and still manage to answer emails! It just makes me hesitant about the service and then also about the quality of care given the property.....

So, any hotel suggestions in the area?!?!?

Paris Address in my experience has always replied timely, and I have always received a reply within 24 hours at the latest.

They are reputable and some people have posted favorably both here and at another popular travel site. I had to cancel and they refunded my credit card the day after I notified them-on a weekend too.

You can always try phoning them.

I wouldn't write them off for being slow on the initial email--I've found it common.

Thanks for the feedback. I have read that people really like the company, but it has just been a lot slower communicating with them (it has been a few emails, not just the one) than any other company from whom I have rented. We will see when I hear back...

I stayed with www.parisaddress.com in October 2006 and am staying with them again this autumn.

How many questions have you sent to them? I have never had any problem with their responses but I am ready to wait a day for a reply and I see your first post was only 4 June.

There is a good coverage of the rue Charlot area on www.parismarais.com