Just returned from 5 wonderful days in Paris. We left JFK on a nice and uneventful Air France flight (very helpful staff both at the terminal and on board) and arrived at the beautiful new Terminal 2E at CDG where customs was a breeze and everyone helpful. My partner and I rented a lovely studio apartment from Guest Apartment Services. It was in a wonderful town house mansion from 1640 on the Quai D'Anjou on the Isle St. Louis with a beautiful view of the Seine and the Right Bank. We had stayed in the same house for 10 days last year, but rented a different apartment from a different owner who has since sold. The owners of Guest Apartment Services, Philippe and Christophe, along with their assistant, Claire, were extremely helpful and responsive both before and during our visit. They made restaurant and car reservations as well as many suggestions for dining options. The weather was good for this time of year; chilly and mainly overcast with one sunny day and some evening showers..nothing that would interfere with our enjoyment of Paris.We only had two major destinations, the Carnevalet and the Musee Nissam Camando, and we loved both of them. The Camando is a spectacular house museum with a tragic family history. We also indulged in three breakfasts at Lauderee (the best scrambled eggs in the world), dinner at the hotel Costes, cocktails one afternoon and dinner another night at Cafe Georges atop the Beauborg (which is the perfect spot to watch the houly light show on the Eiffel Tower), lunch on our sunny day outside at the Cafe Marly, and a lovely meal at Des Bourgoises in the Marais. We walked and used the subways, which compared to ours in NYC were a delight. The French were beyong charming, they truly went out of their way to be helpful in shops, restaurants, and on the street. My college French, which is none too great, was always appreciated. The bottom line was we were thrilled to be there and they seemed genuinely happy to have us. As always, we cannot wait to go back.

That sounds absolutely delightful.Glad you had a such a lovely experience.

Viv

Nicely said - glad you had a grand vacation...remember ther is always next time!!!

Hi AlanM1,
I'm off to Paris in 3 weeks, and I'm interested in hearing a bit more about your dining experiences.

How was dinner at Costes? I've been to the lounge for drinks, but wasn't sure about the quality/price ratio in the restaurant.
What kind of place is Des Bourgeoises -trendy, charming? What kind of food/prices?
I always thought of Laduree as a tea/pastry stop, but now that you mention breakfast, that sounds like a great idea. (especially since they'll be open on NY's day.)
Comments on food at Marly?

I also live in NYC, so if you need to make any comparisons to local places feel free.

Thanks!

Good Morning! Planning a trip for next June to London/Paris. First time to Paris (returning to London) Usually I exhaustively explore ALL of my options for lodging. It is something I enjoy doing. This time right away I stumbled on the apartments offered by Guest Apartment Services on Isle St. Louis and am thinking about just doing it. Have a week in Paris. Their are two of us (mom and I) looks like about $200 a nite. Any reason not to book and put that part of planning behind?

Dear Matisse and Cathryn,

I will answer your questions as best I can (please excuse any spelling errors as I am lost w/o spell check.
Our first night we ate at an old favorite on the Isle St. Louis, Auberge de la Reine Blanche, it may have been sold as their website has disappeared and the staff was all different. It was a disappointment, the food was always very nice "comfort food" with great desserts, not the best of restaurants, but a wonderful cozy neighborhood cafe. Even though the interior was the same, the charm and good food were gone...the only disappointment we had. Our three breakfasts at Lauderee were wonderful, two at Rue Jacob and one at Rue Royal. I prefer the original on Rue Royal as it is an historic jewel box of a shop and we love to see the fabulous Parisian ladies of a certain age with their husbands who all look like prosperous bankers - to me these ladies are the epitome of chic. There is more space at the Rue Jacob location and both the main floor and upstairs dining rooms are lovely. We ate upstairs Monday morning as they were filming something in the main dining room, which is where the rest rooms are also located. It was so amusing as when we needed the bathroom the hostess escorted us through the film set, which would stop the shoot, and then we came out of the bathroom to find a beaming Lisa Kudrow waiting for us to leave so that they could get on with things. Just one more fun thing to have had happen. Besides the great breakfastthey have their famous macaroons (33 euros for a small box, but worth every bite).
I am late for the Christmas lunch at work so I will return to this later. Cathryn, we loved the apartment through Guest Apartment Services. I also love exploring all of the options and have such a hard time making up my mind, but it was well worth it. We had originally been booked at the Opal Hotel, which looked great on the website. We went to visit it and were glad we had not stayed there. It was OK and in a convenient location, but not nearly as chrming as the website. Guest Apartment Services also has a "specials" section if you are booking your trip for this month. Will continue this later!

How fun that you saw Lisa Kudrow! And, by the way, in my next life I am going to come back as the epitome of chic!

Thanks for the quick reply - isn't discussing travel more fun than working?

I have only read good things about Guest Apartment Services. If we book soon they will hold 2003 rates for us. I think I'm going to do it and then concentrate on learning to speak French (something I've always wanted to do) instead of hotel shopping!!!!!

Looking forward to hearing more - glad you had such a good trip.

Hi AlanM1,

I'm glad you had such a good trip and thanks for your report and update. I was sad to hear about Auberge de la Reine Blanche. I just looked them up on pages jaune and they are now listed as L'Alcantara (although, the restaurant still has the Auberge awning). I was hoping to take my husband there in February but will look into something else.

Do you recall if Cafe Georges had vegetarian selections? I tried to check their web site but they don't list their menu.

Can't wait to here the rest of your update!

Maureen

We had dinner at Reine Blanche last Friday, and while the waiter had left, the rest of the staff was the same as the past few years. Don't know about the name change; the menu still had the same name. Our food was as good as it ever has been.

Seamus,

I'm glad you had a good meal. Thanks for your input.

Maureen

Finally able to get into fodors.com.....
We went for drinks and dinner at the Hotel Costes, opulant interiors and a number of dining rooms, all equally decked out. The food was pretty good, not great. The menu turned out to be almost exactly the same as Cafe Georges (same owners), but a little more expensive. We had a smoked salmon club sandwich, a chicken breast with mashed potatoes, and lamb with mashed potatoes, all of them very tasty. For dessert we had frommage blanc with almonds, pistachios, and honey, which was so good we had it the next night at Cafe Georges. The Hotel Costes was definately a scene (think Balthazar in NYC, but very intimate and great lighting. The prices were not inexpensive, I think about 60 euros each and that includes 1 glass of wine. As I mentioned Cafe Georges was a little less expensive, though my martini was 16 euros. The view was great. I cannot remember specific vegetarian dishes, but I think that you would be able to pull together a meal.
Cafe Marly was about the same price point as Cafe Georges, the food was fine, but the view outside under the arcade made the place. Des Bourgeoises was on Rue des Francis Bourgeois just west of Place des Vosges. The restaurant was small and charming with very friendly waiters. We had lentil soup, chicken curry with rice, and beef bourgonon (sp?) and dessert and a bottle of house white for 73 euros. We also had a delicious meal at Restaurant Dix, on Rue St Merri (kind of hard to find)also 3 courses and 75 euros for 2.
I was glad to hear Seamus' remarks about Reine Blanche, maybe it was just an off night. We were there with a friend who had spent last New Year's Eve there and we had been there 4 times last year. We all agreed that it was "off" and the wonderful desserts (more important than the main course!) were no where to be found. I would love to know what is gong on.
Another highlight was Poilane on Rue Cherche-Midi in the 6th, amazing baked goods. We also found the usual great shopping on Rue du Bac and some wonderful stores around St. Sulpice. Rue St Honore was looking a little down at heel. It was a wonderful trip....

Thanks for the restaurant info, great detail! Your report has made me even more excited for our trip in February.

Yes AlanM, thanks for being so specific! It's very helpful.

Almost forgot.....
Blue jeans everywhere!!!! Even at upscale restaurants. There were also many, many sneaker wearers, but not like our big running shoes. The French sneakers were mainly suede and in dark browns, reds, and greens. I am just starting to see them in NYC. The square toe for men and women was also on the decline, heading towards both more rounded and an extremely pointy look (even for men). It is a shame that our casual look is taking over everywhere. We did not wear jeans, but it would not have been noticed if we did. It did appear that there is a huge breakdown in the Parisian vs tourist look, though they still are not too big on shorts in the summer. I have no issues with people knowing that I am a tourist due to my dress/shoes, and I wish that these cultural ditinctions were not vanishing so quickly as that was always part of the travel experience.

I just happened to click on this post and find that l'Auberge de la Reine Blanche has closed; I was planning on taking my sister-in-law there during our Paris trip (her first ever to Europe) in March. It was my favorite little homey restaurant. Seems as though there are mixed reviews on the food at new place; anybody else been there since the change?