Ok, thought I would start a new topic to get help on picking a potential apartment for a 10 night stay in Paris July 2011.

2 adults (myself and Grandma, not mine the kids)
3 children at time of travel will be 15 1/2 boy, 8 1/2 boy, just shy of 7 girl

Strict budget or we won't be able to afford the trip at all. Big splurges and out of pocket expenses are Disney (no flames), Fat Bike Tour and tour Eiffel. Will purchase 6 day museum passes as well as visit parks and other free sites.

We will prepare our own breakfast and dinners, try to find reasonable lunches and have a few treats. Our budget without air is about $4000. We are trying to keep the apartment under half that and I realize prices may go up for next year even if we book now.

Our selections so far:

http://vacationinparis.com/apts/id_231.htm

Pros: bed configuration (I don't have to sleep with my mother and no one has to sleep with my neice she's a kicker), it has an oven!, bathtub
Cons: busy street that looks kind of dodgy on Google street view, overland metro line could be noisy
Price: $1850

http://vacationinparis.com/apts/id_50.htm

Pros: can't beat the price!,
Cons: bed configuration, shower only (and not even a nice one), lack of seating, kitchen
Price: $1450

http://vacationinparis.com/apts/id_03.htm

Pros: bed configuration is good, bathtub, location on Google street view looks ok
Cons: my mother didn't like it (no clue on that)
Price: $1900

Suggestions and any help is appreciated at this point.

We just rented this apt on Rue de l'universite in March and absolutely loved it. I think the bed configuration would work and it should be under $2000/wk. The view alone is worth a little extra and my grand daughter loved coming home at night to see the twinkling lights. The location was nice and just a short walk to the metro. We found makets and patisseries close by.

http://www.rentalfrance.com/index.ph...e-l-universite

I've used VIP myself and enjoyed the service. On a strict budget, the VIP feature I really liked the most was the no security deposit up front. You have a $150.00 key deposit, but that's really cheap, compared to some on sites like VRBO.

We're currently looking at several apts on a newer service. Take a look at www.myparisvisit.com. The pricing is actually pretty good, especially with the exchange rate, you'll have to look at the security deposits though, they do vary by apartment.

Hi trvlgirlmq: I've used Vacation in Paris 4 or 5 times and have actually stayed in the last apartment ID03 that you're comparing. The location was good, very close to Rue Cler and Invalides, the Metro was a five minute or so walk, had many bakeries, grocery shops, etc nearby. Also, it's very near a large park which may be a nice diversion, we enjoyed watching the groups of men playing bocce ball. You're also not far from the Rodin museum and gardens, even if you don't want to visit the museum for a nominal fee you can tour the outside gardens, maybe pack a lunch and enjoy a picnic. It worked well for us and there were 4 women and 1 child, it is on the ground floor inside an enclosed courtyard and while the decor is a bit worn it was just fine. If I were traveling with a group it would definitely be a possibility. The kitchen is pretty small but has what you'll need, don't know about the 'eat-in' part as I remember a small table with maybe 2 chairs but we usually ate in the living area. The windows to the outside do open to the street but I seem to remember some type of shutters that we may have pulled in to cover the windows for more privacy.

Also, since you're staying for 10 nights you'd be able to get it for $180 USD per night, thus $1800 for the 10 nights.

Good luck with your quest and I hope this helped a bit.
Susan

apersuader65 - Yes, I liked that there were no huge deposits that we would have to get in Euros upon arrival. That is one turnoff from the other apt companies.

suspaul - Thank you so much for your review. I'm going to show it to my mother! I did like the park close by. The kids could run around to get their wiggles out as we say.

OP -- I can't imagine staying in any of your options. The only one that doesn't look grungy is the one that is in the worst location. I thought txhomes had a nice alternative suggested. Also check out this link -- http://www.parisvacationapartments.c...m-with-balcony

We'll be staying in their 2BR Montmartre apt. starting later this week and it's gotten great reviews.

txhomes - I did like the look of that apartment and the kids would love the view. I am leery of doing the transaction in Euros because if things start to look up for it (the Euro) and payment isn't due until arrival we could potentially have a budget problem. No locked in rate in USD means we could end up paying more than we have budgeted.

suzchicago - That is a lovely apartment but we really want to stay closer than the 18th. We actually have no plans to even go to Sacre Coeur. I've stayed at Motel 6 and Travelodges so the look of the apts is not my biggest concern except the 2nd one which is a really unfortunate looking place.

Keep any reviews or assistance coming. I'll need it.

Trvlgirlmq, Pascal was really easy to work with and you may be able to negotiate a flat $$ rate since you will be staying for 10 days. He didn't even require the security deposit in cash when we arrived, just took our credit card number. We stayed 6 nights and he prorated the rent. Naturally we left everything in perfect order and were never charged anything extra. Compared to your original choices this apt was very nice. With 2 balconies you have extra space for the kids to eat and pass some time.