hellomoe

Hello!

My husband and I will be in paris for three months this autumn. We're deciding between these two studio apartments...

Rue du Cherche Midi in the 6th arrondissement (near the intersection of Saint-Placide)
for a total of $3,724 (minus the refundable security deposit)

OR

Quai De Bourbon, right next to the seine on the Ile Saint-Louis
for a total of $3846

They're similar in size and overall quality. The one on Cherche Midi is through Paris Attitude, and the one on Quai de Bourbon is through Lodgis. I know both of these agencies have mixed reviews, but these are the best we've found within our budget.

Any thoughts?

Other factors that might help... we plan to walk everywhere, we'll both be working from our apartment but of course will be out and about as much as possible to enjoy the city, and obviously want to feel safe (which I don't think will be an issue at all).

Thank you!

hellomoe

(I would also very much accept suggestions for cheap studio apartments through agencies you trust!! Unfortunately all the ones we wanted through airbnb are not available September-December)

nytraveler

You mention 4 months - Sept through Dec. Do you have a special visa allowing you to stay in France for more than the usual 90 days allowed to american tourists?

(I'm assuming you're american based on your listing Minneapolis in your profile.)

hellomoe

@nytraveler we'll be there September 1st - December 1st, so that's three months. However, there's a possibility of staying longer (maybe different apartment though) depending on our visas, which are currently getting worked out.

manouche

What makes those two apartments "the best", in your opinion? PA charges a huge fee for doing nothing other than posting photos on their website and having the client sign a contract. After you pay them, you have to deal directly with the owner, which might not be easy.
Lodgis tends to cater to people who come to Paris for work contracts, with or without families, etc. I think their apartments are "sterile", to put it mildly.
But what made you decide on those two? Location, price, the "cute factor"? Maybe someone could suggest other agencies.
I would not recommend AirBnB under any circumstances, because chances are very good that they are illegal sublets, which could be yanked out from under you at any given moment during your stay, once the landlord finds out about it.

Christina

I've rented from Lodgis and they didn't do "nothing," they were very good in service. They handled the contracts, gave me a contact for insurance (you had to buy your own) that was a very minimal cost and an official French agency, and they answered my questions immediately and had a good followup survey. I don't understand the comment about how their apartments are sterile, they were rented from private owners just like most of those websites, they weren't like Citadines or anything. French people with apts use French websites, and they were more professional than VRBO. This was pre-Airbnb when I rented from them, they've been around a long time. They do have some cheaper/more basic places on their website than some of the real expensive ones geared to English-speaking tourists, but I think that's normal in this situation. And they are usually cheaper, also. But you get what you see, so you have a choice.

Again, I'm not sure about the remarks about how there is something wrong with Lodgis as it all depends on the owner of the apt. I had no problems at all and thought they were great (Lodgis itself). My apt was fine, but that's a separate issue from Lodgis itself.

Now I can read and speak French, so easily could read the contracts and legalese (the contract was only in French), so that would be my caveat -- if you didn't know French, not sure if you'd understand everything, but maybe they are helpful in that regard, don't know as I wasn't in that situation. I imagine Paris Attitude is the same way in that regard, but I have no experience with them. I also could deal with the owner in French.

In any case, if you like them both equally and they are the same price, what's to say. I can recommend Lodgis as I dealt with them, but I've read reviews of Paris Attitude on Fodors that were just fine, also. AS for illegality, that could be true. I rented before this current law, and it may have been legal, actually, as the owner had his stuff in it and lived there sometime.

Personally, I'd rather be on Cherche Midi than the island, though.

travelhorizons

You might also check onefinestay.com, a U.S. based company with apartment rentals in Paris and London.

manouche

Christina - you didn't read my post thoroughly.
I said that Paris Attitude "did nothing".
I mentioned that Lodgis caters to corporate travellers, which is true, and also that their apartments are sterile, which is true for all the ones I've stayed in or found for friends with work contracts.
The overwhelming majority of short-term apartments are illegal in Paris, no matter what the agencies tell you. There is no guarantee that an apartment will not be taken off the market due to either the Mayor's Task Force or complaints from residents in the building.
Reviews are often written by people who receive compensation for favorable opinions, no matter which forum you find them on. Do you really believe that all rentals are as problem-free and fabulous as everyone always says they are? There's a reason you don't see many negative reviews - if people are unhappy and complain, they receive a discount on the current or upcoming stay, or a partial refund. But only if they agree to not make negative comments in public.

justineparis

As it stands.. remember this.. without a special visa you are not allowed THREE months.. you are allowed 90 DAYS.. not 91.

EmmaJoubert

Hi, i'm a french student studying abroad currently.

I went to france several times (through agencies in most of cases). I didn't use ParisAttitude because when I looked for an agency, the comments weren't good, and people experienced troubles. But I didn't use them so I can't tell anything about them.

I used Lodgis, everything went fine. They were responsive, efficient, and at my disposal when I needed us (questions, etc). So I can recommend you to use Lodgis if the two aparments you selected are equal to you.

Just, be careful, as justineparis said, without a special visa, you can stay 90 days at maximum, not more...

EmmaJoubert

When i needed them* (we can't edit our post in this forum? I didn't find)

Christina

YOu can't edit after posting, but you can "preview" and edit before you post. See bottom right button.

GLM

We stayed on Quai de Borbon during our last trip in November, in a bottom floor apartment. Great location, but TINY apartment which is to be expected but this was too tiny.

We also had hot water issues and heard every breath our neighbors above us took.

Again, though, the location couldn't be beat.

More than happy to answer any further questions.

Tibor08

,,,,, Just, be careful, as justineparis said, without a special visa, you can stay 90 days at maximum, not more...,,,

So what gonna happen if you stay 91-92 days or 4 months ?

KTtravel

If you overstay, you can be fined, deported, or banned from returning to a Schengen country for a period of years.

Blueeyedcod

Yes, we know the penalties for a Schengen visa waiver passport holder overstaying but how is it discovered? If anyone has ever left Rome FCO via Gate G, leaving the Schengen zone, the border officials flip through passports, stamp and hand back. They don't go peering through the 30-odd pages for your entry stamp as 300 people back up behind you waiting in line. There is currently no microchip scanning system to instantly discover if a traveller has over stayed and not every passport even has an embedded chip. Don't overstay your visa waiver but some places have no way of immediately finding out if you have done so.

Sarastro

<i> but how is it discovered?</i>

The tracking of passenger manifests. If you fly, they know when you arrived and when you left, therefore, how long you stayed.

It´s the digital age.

Tibor08

How about from the states, i can stay more than 90 days ?

f1racegirl

You might try www.sabbaticalhomes.com for an apartment.

I'm currently staying in an apartment that I found there and have had a great experience so far. There are no fees and you work directly with the property owner.

Happygoin

I might suggest you look on vrbo.com and homeaway.com but, more specifically, use the filters and only consider Owner Managed apartments.

I would only consider apartments where the owner has been listed for a minimum of two or three years, and obviously with good reviews.

Lately, I've seen more and more, recently listed apartments with pictures with all the owner's personal stuff around. I find this off putting, and won't consider those apartments. Also, they're easy to spot, as the owner has only been on the site for a short time.

I also believe the reviews on those to be faked by friends to make it look as though the apartment has been listed for a longer time.

At any rate, most will give you a break on the rent for a long-term rental. I've had excellent luck using these sites for five years or so, with at least annual trips to Paris, sometimes two or three trips.