Paris Air Conditioning in July
May 9th, 2006, 07:13 AM
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Paris Air Conditioning in July
We will be spending a week in Paris, mid July.
Everyone is telling us to get an air conditioned place, and my wife can't hack heat...so it was a no brainer, we are booked into an air conditioned hotel.
Our preference would be an apartment rental. But, there aren't many air conditioned apartment rentals available then. So we didn't pursue it.
My question is-
If we are not going to spend much time (if any) in a studio or 1 bedroom apartment during the day, and if you buy a couple of fans, is A/C that important? I know it's a stupid question, but we would rather be in an apartment.
Thank you in advance.
G
As an aside comment - I have been in a lot of A/C hotels, where the air conditioning didn't work well and/or the noise drove me nuts.
Everyone is telling us to get an air conditioned place, and my wife can't hack heat...so it was a no brainer, we are booked into an air conditioned hotel.
Our preference would be an apartment rental. But, there aren't many air conditioned apartment rentals available then. So we didn't pursue it.
My question is-
If we are not going to spend much time (if any) in a studio or 1 bedroom apartment during the day, and if you buy a couple of fans, is A/C that important? I know it's a stupid question, but we would rather be in an apartment.
Thank you in advance.
G
As an aside comment - I have been in a lot of A/C hotels, where the air conditioning didn't work well and/or the noise drove me nuts.
May 9th, 2006, 07:26 AM
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I've never understood why the idea of a fan blowing hot, humid air around is supposed to cool one off, but I suppose it's better than nothing. Air conditioning normally removes humidity as well as cooling the air. I'm also usually not one for leaving the windows open at night unless you happen to be on a very quiet back street with no traffic, no trash pick up, and no loud talkers walking home at 2 in the morning. I haven't found any places like that so far.
Personally, I wouldn't be without air-conditioning in Paris in July, but you might get lucky.
What is your budget for an apartment and where do you prefer it to be or are you open?
It probably is pretty late for booking an air-conditioned apartment for July at this late date.
Personally, I wouldn't be without air-conditioning in Paris in July, but you might get lucky.
What is your budget for an apartment and where do you prefer it to be or are you open?
It probably is pretty late for booking an air-conditioned apartment for July at this late date.
May 9th, 2006, 07:33 AM
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Yes, I think it is important, in July, in a city such as Paris where it is very humid and as Neo has commented, the A/C lowers the humidity as well as cools the air and these are two functions which fans do NOT accomplish.
Would you rent a room or apartment in the Winter that didn't have heat? IMO A/C is just as important as heat (although admittedly heat and humidity are probably easier to deal with bone-numbing cold).
"As an aside comment - I have been in a lot of A/C hotels, where the air conditioning didn't work well and/or the noise drove me nuts."
Then IMO you payed too much to stay in the wrong hotels.
Would you rent a room or apartment in the Winter that didn't have heat? IMO A/C is just as important as heat (although admittedly heat and humidity are probably easier to deal with bone-numbing cold).
"As an aside comment - I have been in a lot of A/C hotels, where the air conditioning didn't work well and/or the noise drove me nuts."
Then IMO you payed too much to stay in the wrong hotels.
May 9th, 2006, 07:36 AM
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I know it's too late to look.
I looked really hard about 3 months ago and found nothing reasonable.
Your place looks great though, and I don't know how I missed it.
At this point, a quiet apartment (maybe facing a courtyard) where you can open windows, and turn on the fans when we get back may work?
Need to be at St Peres/St Germain every day for a conference.
I looked really hard about 3 months ago and found nothing reasonable.
Your place looks great though, and I don't know how I missed it.
At this point, a quiet apartment (maybe facing a courtyard) where you can open windows, and turn on the fans when we get back may work?
Need to be at St Peres/St Germain every day for a conference.
May 9th, 2006, 07:44 AM
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Intrepid-
"then IMO you payed too much to stay in the wrong hotels"
As if you haven't?
Or anyone else who follows this board?
LOL.
I never pay too much.
But I often pick the wrong hotels.
My wife can confirm that!
By the way, it's "paid" not "payed".
"then IMO you payed too much to stay in the wrong hotels"
As if you haven't?
Or anyone else who follows this board?
LOL.
I never pay too much.
But I often pick the wrong hotels.
My wife can confirm that!
By the way, it's "paid" not "payed".
May 9th, 2006, 07:49 AM
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I'm not sure I get it. Your wife can't hack heat and you booked a hotel with AC, saying it was a "no brainer." So why are you now looking for an apartment? If by chance there's a heatwave during your visit, a fan definitely will not cool your room as much as AC. Take earplugs if you think there may be noise. Seems to me that meeting your wife's need to be cool is the no-brainer! Stay with the hotel!
May 9th, 2006, 07:50 AM
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I've rarely found Paris so hot that I couldn't sleep with just a fan and/or the window open.
But that's my personal preference. I'm not from the US where I believe air-con is common and people are used to it, so I find it easy to live without it (even when I lived in Lyon, where the average summer temperatures are much higher than in Paris).
I prefer to have a fan than air conditioning - at night I position it so the cool air is blowing just above the bed but not right on me - it creates enough of an air current for me to be able to sleep peacefully.
Indeed, I often find that air-con makes the room too cold and so I end up turning it off at night, and then waking up too warm and having to switch it on again. I can never seem to find the "perfect" setting.
But that's my personal preference. I'm not from the US where I believe air-con is common and people are used to it, so I find it easy to live without it (even when I lived in Lyon, where the average summer temperatures are much higher than in Paris).
I prefer to have a fan than air conditioning - at night I position it so the cool air is blowing just above the bed but not right on me - it creates enough of an air current for me to be able to sleep peacefully.
Indeed, I often find that air-con makes the room too cold and so I end up turning it off at night, and then waking up too warm and having to switch it on again. I can never seem to find the "perfect" setting.
May 9th, 2006, 07:56 AM
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An apartment was our first choice.
But we got spooked with the A/C issue.
And booked an A/C hotel.
No problems there.
But we would really like to rent an apartment.
Sooooo. In retrospect. I am looking at renting an apartment in the 6/7 th, that is quiet, has windows that open,buy a few fans and everyone is happy?
There are no A/C apartments available then (1000 euros @ week)
But there are lots of non A/C apartments available.
We would much rather have a non A/C apartment, that we could stick in fans to cope in the event of a heat wave, then being stuck in a hotel
But we got spooked with the A/C issue.
And booked an A/C hotel.
No problems there.
But we would really like to rent an apartment.
Sooooo. In retrospect. I am looking at renting an apartment in the 6/7 th, that is quiet, has windows that open,buy a few fans and everyone is happy?
There are no A/C apartments available then (1000 euros @ week)
But there are lots of non A/C apartments available.
We would much rather have a non A/C apartment, that we could stick in fans to cope in the event of a heat wave, then being stuck in a hotel
May 9th, 2006, 08:04 AM
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Gee, sorry for the wrong spelling...and sorry that in the first place there weren't many A/C apartments available.
It seems that your biggest objective here is to get into an apartment at all costs so why worry about air conditioning at all?
It seems that your biggest objective here is to get into an apartment at all costs so why worry about air conditioning at all?
May 9th, 2006, 08:06 AM
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The reviews on Tripadvisor for Hotel Muguet and Cardinal Rive Gauche specifically mention that the a/c works well. Not located in St Germain, however...
Apartment listings with A/C: (I have no personal knowledge of these rentals/agencies)
http://www.timeandplace.com/location...ourg/index.php
http://www.rentalfrance.com/index.php?location=buci
Apartment listings with A/C: (I have no personal knowledge of these rentals/agencies)
http://www.timeandplace.com/location...ourg/index.php
http://www.rentalfrance.com/index.php?location=buci
May 9th, 2006, 08:49 AM
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Whether you ultimately end up staying in a hotel or apartment, I truly hope you have air-conditioning. Paris can be as hot as 90F or higher and your trip will be ruined if you and your wife are unable to rest in your sweltering lodging. Thousands died a few years ago in unairconditioned apartments...don't push your luck.
May 9th, 2006, 08:52 AM
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I have stayed in Paris in both hotels and apts without AC in July, and most of the time it was fine. I don't like AC that much, though, and only turn it on at home when it's over 90 or so. I think a fan helps a little, just the air circulating. The problem is you don't know what the weather will be like when you are there. The odds are you won't need AC.
However, even though I don't use AC that much, I have been in Paris during heat waves in July when it was awful and I could barely sleep all night without AC. For a one week vacation, I would go with a hotel with AC, but I'm also not that hung up on renting apartments for short vacation stays. YOu yourself said you don't plan to be in it during the day, anyway, so why do you want one so much. The thing is, it's at night when the AC is most important, for sleeping. Also, noise -- it can be very very noisy in Paris with windows open.
You also have a wife who is not on board with this idea, it appears, and can't hack heat. She is not going to be thrilled with no AC, I'll bet. Have you and she ever stayed in a place without AC where it was 90 through the night?
I actually kind of like the white noise of AC, it helps me sleep in a noisy city.
However, even though I don't use AC that much, I have been in Paris during heat waves in July when it was awful and I could barely sleep all night without AC. For a one week vacation, I would go with a hotel with AC, but I'm also not that hung up on renting apartments for short vacation stays. YOu yourself said you don't plan to be in it during the day, anyway, so why do you want one so much. The thing is, it's at night when the AC is most important, for sleeping. Also, noise -- it can be very very noisy in Paris with windows open.
You also have a wife who is not on board with this idea, it appears, and can't hack heat. She is not going to be thrilled with no AC, I'll bet. Have you and she ever stayed in a place without AC where it was 90 through the night?
I actually kind of like the white noise of AC, it helps me sleep in a noisy city.
May 9th, 2006, 08:59 AM
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Have you thought of compromising by staying at one of the chains of serviced apartments (apart-hotels) like Citadines? They aren't the cheapest option but they are comfortable and you'd have air con plus self-catering facilities, etc. See www.citadines.com
May 9th, 2006, 09:35 AM
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A couple of points:
1. You need air conditioning in July in Paris. Ten years ago, you didn't. Today, you do. It will only get worse.
2. You need A/C in your hotel or apartment so that you can sleep comfortably. Without it, you will be so hot that it will prevent you from sleeping soundly (or at all).
3. Good A/C is silent and efficient.
4. A fan cannot replace A/C. It actually heats the room even more, and it raises humidity (by evaporating your own perspiration).
5. Many hotels have A/C because it's a huge advantage in hot weather. More hotels install it every year, since it is increasingly apparent that Paris is getting hotter and that the trend is not likely to stop any time soon.
6. Apartments do not yet commonly have A/C. If they do, it is room air conditioners, because central A/C is difficult or impossible to retrofit in buildings that were built long ago and were designed to capture and retain heat instead of shedding it. I'm not surprised that you have trouble finding A/C in apartments; those who have A/C in apartments prefer to live there themselves, rather than rent the place out!
7. Virtually no apartments or homes in Paris have central air conditioning, although eventually I expect that new buildings will incorporate it, simply because there will be no choice. The closest thing to central A/C now is retrofitted stuck-on units on the ceiling with outside condensers; they are not silent, they don't cool the building evenly, and they are sometimes obtrusive.
The reason for these problems is that Paris historically has not been hot enough to really justify A/C in most cases. Today, however, it is more than hot enough; but it takes many years to adjust to such an abrupt climate change.
1. You need air conditioning in July in Paris. Ten years ago, you didn't. Today, you do. It will only get worse.
2. You need A/C in your hotel or apartment so that you can sleep comfortably. Without it, you will be so hot that it will prevent you from sleeping soundly (or at all).
3. Good A/C is silent and efficient.
4. A fan cannot replace A/C. It actually heats the room even more, and it raises humidity (by evaporating your own perspiration).
5. Many hotels have A/C because it's a huge advantage in hot weather. More hotels install it every year, since it is increasingly apparent that Paris is getting hotter and that the trend is not likely to stop any time soon.
6. Apartments do not yet commonly have A/C. If they do, it is room air conditioners, because central A/C is difficult or impossible to retrofit in buildings that were built long ago and were designed to capture and retain heat instead of shedding it. I'm not surprised that you have trouble finding A/C in apartments; those who have A/C in apartments prefer to live there themselves, rather than rent the place out!
7. Virtually no apartments or homes in Paris have central air conditioning, although eventually I expect that new buildings will incorporate it, simply because there will be no choice. The closest thing to central A/C now is retrofitted stuck-on units on the ceiling with outside condensers; they are not silent, they don't cool the building evenly, and they are sometimes obtrusive.
The reason for these problems is that Paris historically has not been hot enough to really justify A/C in most cases. Today, however, it is more than hot enough; but it takes many years to adjust to such an abrupt climate change.
May 9th, 2006, 09:44 AM
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I wouldn't have thought it noticeable in just 10-15 years or so, but I do agree that it seems noticeably hotte in Paris in July now than it did when I first started going there (which was around 1988). Back then, it rarely was hot enough in July that I would care about AC. IN recent years, it almost always has been at least part of the time (although I do think I was there last summer near end of July/beg August and it was pretty cool).
However, a fan doesn't make me feel hotter, even though I know the electricity might raise the temp a little. I routinely use a fan in my house when it gets hotter and before I turn on the AC (and I used one a couple weeks last year during August when my AC was broke), and it really did make me feel less hot and I could sleep a lot better.
However, a fan doesn't make me feel hotter, even though I know the electricity might raise the temp a little. I routinely use a fan in my house when it gets hotter and before I turn on the AC (and I used one a couple weeks last year during August when my AC was broke), and it really did make me feel less hot and I could sleep a lot better.
May 9th, 2006, 09:53 AM
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In some cases, the exterior temperature may be lower than the interior temperature, since Paris apartments are designed to catch and hold heat (it used to be a fairly cool climate). A fan that brings in outside air can help. A fan can also help if the conditions are right on the borderline of uncomfortably warm. A fan can be especially useful if the humidity is quite low—but the humidity is never low in Paris.
Irrespective of all this, when the conditions get to a certain point, a fan is useless. With high humidity and high temperatures, you must have A/C. Unfortunately, these conditions exist for longer and longer periods each year in Paris. At one time, they were rare. Then they became annual phenomena. Then they began to occupy longer periods in the year. Now they can exist for weeks or months. A/C is the only solution.
It's unfortunate, because I've always liked the traditionally chilly-but-not-cold environment of Paris. Now that is going away.
Granted, today it is 52° F and raining. But it might well rise to 90° F as soon as the rain stops and the sun comes out. That never used to happen before.
Irrespective of all this, when the conditions get to a certain point, a fan is useless. With high humidity and high temperatures, you must have A/C. Unfortunately, these conditions exist for longer and longer periods each year in Paris. At one time, they were rare. Then they became annual phenomena. Then they began to occupy longer periods in the year. Now they can exist for weeks or months. A/C is the only solution.
It's unfortunate, because I've always liked the traditionally chilly-but-not-cold environment of Paris. Now that is going away.
Granted, today it is 52° F and raining. But it might well rise to 90° F as soon as the rain stops and the sun comes out. That never used to happen before.
May 9th, 2006, 10:30 AM
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http://www.citadines.com/serviced_ap...n_des_pres.htm
Actually, this Citadines location is only a few blocks away from the street you mention.
Actually, this Citadines location is only a few blocks away from the street you mention.
