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-   -   Paris Apartments - Where did YOU stay? (https://www.fodors.com/community/europe/paris-apartments-where-did-you-stay-734926/)

aquarelle Sep 7th, 2007 06:31 PM

Paris Apartments - Where did YOU stay?
 
Bonjour fellow topics and threads - Would anyone like to try and put their Paris apartment-related info/communication struggles/happy hunting or horreur story commentary and confessions into this topic? I see relevant info in several topics, so to make things un peu plus facile ... maybe people could use this topic to fill up with details details details!!! For example, has anyone ever used TakeMeToParis.com or stayed in http://www.vrbo.com/132686? [Uh-oh, where did Mr Hyperlink go?] Oh there you are ... anyway, gotta say that my favorite rental info site so far -- just for overall style and smarts, and the reviews ain't bad either -- is http://www.parisbestlodge.com/mail.html

slangevar Sep 8th, 2007 12:33 AM

Nice idea! I'm currently staying in Rent Paris's (www.rent-paris.com) apartment no. 22 near the Pompidou. I love the location and the apartment is in great shape. It's not luxury, but very clean and cute with two balconies.

Apartment was better than pictured (though the videos they feature give you a good idea of what you're getting). I paid through PayPal (half before I left and half after I arrived). They met me at the apartment and brought me wine and flowers, and have been very responsive to the one or two requests I've made.

Overall, it's been great!

aquarelle Sep 8th, 2007 08:26 AM

Hi slangevar - I'm but a two-day-old Fodorite and equally new to forum-ing. Your apt sounds perfect, although I wasn't able to call it up by apartment number (more proof of my naivite, I guess). I'm making my third trip to Paris, but my first going non-hotel. I'm worried about the arrangement I've committed to so far -- PayPal'd 50% of 11-night stay to a vrbo-listed owner who says she doesn't work with contract. My booking (Oct 30 - Nov 10)doesn't show on the apartment's availability calendar, for example. Any suggestions for future communications with the proprietaire? I'd appreciate your thoughts. I've enjoyed scanning your posts re fashion, falafel, hot choc etc.

slangevar Sep 8th, 2007 11:43 AM

You should be proud of yourself - I'm a total chicken and went the safe route with a well-known agency (by the way, I'm an idiot and posted the wrong link... it's rentparis.com)!

VRBO properties can be scary, but from what I've read here, they can really pay off.

First of all, have you gone to slowtrav.com to see if anyone has commented on the apartment you're trying to rent? I would also do a search for the VRBO # on Fodors and Google... sometimes people have posted on it before.

I guess that some of the VRBO owners can be a bit slow in communicating, so keep trying and stay polite. Assuming you've already sent the 50% down-payment, I would do another post asking Fodorites with experience in being cheated to offer advice.

Oh, and here's the apartment I'm in... love it! http://www.rentparis.com/appart-en-35.html

isabel Sep 8th, 2007 11:56 AM

I also used rentparis.com and pretty much everything slangevar said applies to my experience. We had apt #1 on rue chapon in the the 3rd. Loved it - it wasn't luxury certainly but was a good deal for a good price. I also choose to go the route of rentparis.com rather than vrbo since I didn't want to risk dealing with an individual. I liked the security of having a larger company which had a reputation to uphold.

BKP Sep 8th, 2007 12:17 PM

What a great idea! We used parisapartmenttours.com. We stayed in http://parisapartmenttours.com/site/...mp;mode=search -- in May of 2006 and it was lovely. We paid a deposit in advance and the rest in cash when we arrived. They were so nice and accomodating. They provided a crib for our one year old and checked in on us a couple of times. They were a bit scattered at times, but that might have been more due to our lack of French than their lack of organization. I would definitely use them again and would recommend them to anyone.

Scarlett Sep 8th, 2007 12:19 PM

We used ParisPerfect.com.

We were very happy with every aspect of the apt, the location, and the people who own the agency as well as the lady who manages and is there in a minute if you need her!
I would definitely use them again and also will use them when we visit London.

LuckyLuc Sep 8th, 2007 12:20 PM

Often stayed at www.vrbo/103254 and just loved it. Near the Marais but also far enough but not to far from Oberkampf. I prefer dealing directly with the owners and save the agency fee and middle man.

aquarelle Sep 8th, 2007 01:59 PM

Thanks for input and encouragement as I try only NOW to do the review research. I'll start with slowtrav and ricksteves. I would have replied to myself "hey, buyer beware, what a careless fool." What's funny is that in fact I've probably spent 20-30 hours scouring agencies online, going dizzy with all the varieties of submitting my requesting info. Are these sites seductive or what? Every apartment looks more amazing than the next. I have no context of renting furnished apartments in US. I'd be stunned to learn there's a network of Architectural Digest & Better Homes and Gardens-type stuff out there. Still no excuse for succombing to the point of here's my money cher whoever you are.



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