Paris Apartment Hotels
 

I am going to Paris in April, 1998. I am looking to stay at a apartment hotel. Has anyone ever stayed in one or more specifically Hotel Bastille, Boulevard richard Lenoir, Place D'Italie, 18 place d'Italie, Defense, or Les Halles. I am not sure what they mean by Hotel Apartment so any information anyone might have is much appreicated.
Also, does anybody know how to go about learning some basic french? I want to at least make an attempt! Thanks much.

No, I haven't stayed at one although I've
considered it and know people who have.
Basically, it's not much different from a
hotel except that it should include some kind
of kitchenette (which may be nothing more than
a mini-bar type refrigerator, a microvewave and
perhaps a couple burners), and maybe laundry
facilities somewhere in the building. If you rent a
"studette" for instance, it would probably not
be any larger than a small hotel room. Residents
tend to stay somewhat longer than in hotels. If
you want any advice on location, from the ones you've
mentioned, I would avoid La Defense and Les Halles
in favor of Bastille or Place d'Italie -- I forget
where the other one is. La Defense is out of town
and only a business area, and I just don't care for
the Les Halles area very much, myself. It sounds like
you already know what you want, but I know of
another company that has a WEB site at
www.citadines.com you might want to look at for
comparison.
How to learn a little French quickly? You don't
have much time, but I suppose you could learn a
few phrases if you took "traveler"-type language
classes. I don't know where you live so wouldn't
know where you would go for that -- just check
out various schools/learning institutions in your
area. If you don't live in a reasonably-sized city,
you can probably forget that and will simply have
to get some language tapes for practice.

No, I haven't stayed at one although I've
considered it and know people who have.
Basically, it's not much different from a
hotel except that it should include some kind
of kitchenette (which may be nothing more than
a mini-bar type refrigerator, a microvewave and
perhaps a couple burners), and maybe laundry
facilities somewhere in the building. If you rent a
"studette" for instance, it would probably not
be any larger than a small hotel room. Residents
tend to stay somewhat longer than in hotels. If
you want any advice on location, from the ones you've
mentioned, I would avoid La Defense and Les Halles
in favor of Bastille or Place d'Italie -- I forget
where the other one is. La Defense is out of town
and only a business area, and I just don't care for
the Les Halles area very much, myself. It sounds like
you already know what you want;I know of another such
company that has a WEB site at www.citadines.com
that you might want to look at for comparison.
How to learn a little French quickly? You don't
have much time, but I suppose you could learn a
few phrases if you took "traveler"-type language
classes. I don't know where you live so wouldn't
know where you would go for that -- just check
out various schools/learning institutions in your
area. If you don't live in a reasonably-sized city,
you can probably forget that and will simply have
to get some language tapes for practice.

Hi, For basics try www.travlang.com, there are common words and phrases there with audio. I took french in high school, which of course means I don't speak french, but I managed to communicate with the Parisians after studying with a Berlitz tape. I was able to converse enough to get the correct bus and arrived safely at my destination, after finding myself separated from my party at the Eiffel tower and w/o my sister's phone number.

I, too, would not consider La Defense or Les Halles. As for learning French, most bookstores have cassette tapes, which are wonderful for learning French while driving back and forth to work. Here's a terrific website for learning enough to get around with: http://www.travlang.com/languages/cg...9&flags.y%3D35, or go to www.travlang.com and make your selections from there. I've been using a terrific software program on CD called Travel Talk French, Conversation Basics, Version 1.0 by the Learning Company (800-227-5609). I found it at CompUSA for $39.99 - worth every penny - a really comprehensive program for learning French and visiting Paris and France. And, it comes with a 30-day money back guarantee.

We are Australians travelling to Europe on December 26 and we will be staying at the Home Plazza Bastille apartments for three days in January. I will reply again early February, when we return home, with our impressions of the apartment. Maureen.

A very good option for those who want to spend a week or more in Paris is the PSR - Paris Sejour Reservation. They have from studios to three rooms apartments throughout Paris. They have a homepage with pictures of the apartments.