Kathy and Dwight

We are visiting Paris in March with our two sons 18 and 12. We are hoping to find accommodation in a moderate price range where we can prepare some of our meals. Can anyone recommend a suites hotel or short-term apartment service? Thanks to all in advance!

Louise

<BR>Yes there is a wonderful service that I have used a couple of times, and they <BR>have some great apartments in Paris, altho they may or may not be on their web site...www.regencyintapts.com... <BR>Check them out and have a great trip. <BR>They will help you with other travel info too.

Christina

It might help if you specified what you are thinking of as moderate price, as I've found that varies a lot for different people, and ST apt rentals in Paris are not cheap, they will probably be as much or more than a hotel. Anyway, I know a few places that will prob. be about US$200-300 per night for four people; I've never booked a hotel room for four so I'm not sure what they would be. Unless you are going to be in Paris quite a while, this may not be worth it. Also, you prob. really won't save any money over eating out as you can get pretty cheap, decent prix fixe meals in Paris and it's not really much fun to visit a foreign country and then eat in a hotel room. So, I would think about my expectations in this. Having a small kitchenette for breakfast might be desirable, but other than that, I think you'd do better eating out (e.g., the international food court under the Louvre is good for kids, and you can get decent, full cous-cous meals and other things like that there). Also, in an apt, you will likely have to shop for even the basics, such as soap, paper towels, etc, which is not much fun on your vacation and will be expensive as you'll have to buy large sizes (believe me, I've done this, so I know when they say furnished apt., you cannot expect even dish soap, although if you're lucky you'll get toilet paper). I've rented apts, but there are two main chains of residence apt-hotels that will give you some kitchenette facilities which will probably be best for you; the advantage of these is you won't have to lay out thousands of dollars in deposits ahead of time as you will for an apt. The two main names are Citadines and Orion (you can see both on WEB site www.apartmenthotels.com, an agent, I think, or www.citadines.com). They have a variety of decent locations and I've heard good things about them so they're not ripoffs, but the studios are extremely small. Citadines will link two studios together for four people (for $200-300 a night), which is probably a good idea for you with two teens. Their Montparnasse Raspail location is very good; Orion has a good location near Louvre and Eiffel Tower, also a few in Bastille area but that might be more questionable as to whether you'd like it, ditto for the Citadines in place Italie, depending on what you want or expect (it's convenient and cheap but not a very exciting or attractive location). These apt-hotels are modern buildings, whereas private apartments can be old and you can be less clear of what type of kitchen and bathroom facilities you may get in them (e.g., I rented an apt that claimed it had a kitchen, ha, ha; you could not even fit in it, it was a closet; also it said there was a washer, but it was like a toy and could only wash maybe a handkerchief; I didn't care about those things much myself as I didn't want to cook full meals or wash clothes, but others might). There are also some residences by the name of Home Plazza (Bastille or another near pl Nation metro stop) you can see at Utell's booking site (www.hotelbook.com); the Bastille one is the only one that accommodates four people, it appears, and is about $250 per night. That's not the most enchanting location IMO; the Citadines & Orion chains have better sites. I do know a couple moderate ST apt rental firms (Locaflat at www.locaflat.fr, Paris Sejour Reservation at www.yourhomeinparis.com, among others), but as I said, you'll have to pay about half the full amt as a deposit a month or more ahead of time and the rest on arrival, as I recall; the rates will prob. be about the same as Citadines, maybe a little less. Also, there might be more language difficulties (and Locaflat requires payment in francs, I think). There's a US firm called Paris Sleeps or Paris Connection or something that some Americans like, you could try finding them for apt. rentals, their fees seem okay. I do know a conveniently located 3 star hotel in the Latin Qtr that's nice and has kitchenettes if you only want the minimal for a refrigerator, drinks, etc -- it's the Residence Henri IV at 50, rue Bernardins (quad room about US$200). In short, I'd recommend you not really count on this to save a lot of money or to plan on cooking full meals a lot in your room, but for breakfast or snacks it can be ok, if you plan on being there a week or more. Let me know if you need more details on these suggestions.

Meg

Locoflat is the first one that comes to mind, but there are several apartment rental agencies that can be found on the web by running a search for "Paris vacation rentals".

Lori

Kathy & Dwight, <BR>What we are used to in the U.S. in the way of "suites hotels" are few and far between, if they exist at all, in Europe. I'm very familiar with Paris and really cannot think of any off hand. The two apartment hotel chains Christina mentioned would probably suit your needs, but be forewarned their rooms are very very small (by U.S. standards). They each have websites and Orion has floor plans too. We looked at a studio apartment at the Orion Les Halles one time thinking we might do that next time over but it was really very small. We also have family living in Paris and while their apartments are in a very nice area (7th arr. right near the Eiffel Tower) they are small by our standards so I am pretty aware of what apartments are like. <BR> <BR>I would think seriously about getting two hotel rooms instead - rates should be fairly decent yet in March and you should be able to find something in your price range. Occasionally you will find a hotel with a refrig. in the room (not terribly often tho) but you can ask, it would help in stocking up snacks. I remember someone on this Forum mentioning two connecting rooms they had at a Best Western someplace near the Opera but I cannot remember the name of it but they thought it was a good/fair price. BW has a web site also and you can call them as well on a 800 number. Their hotels are not like BW's in the U.S., they tend to be smaller (25-40) rooms and are very individual in decor, amenities, etc. We've used them 5 or 6 times and they were always fine ... again, not huge rooms but adequate. <BR> <BR>Knowing where to shop for groceries, paper towels, toilet paper etc. is no problem if you know the city, but if you do not it could be frustrating. There is not a supermarket on every corner as there is in many U.S. areas. <BR>We've rented an apartment in London and loved having it and even doing our "little shopping" for staples/snacks but we've been there many times and just enjoyed the neighborhood experience as part of our trip and did not think of it as cutting into our siteseeing time. While "eating in" can be OK occasionally, or in our case bringing back "take away" in London now and then, eating out is part of the vacation experience and every meal does not have to be a super expensive one. Even in Paris there are plenty of inexpensive places to eat and many places to get sandwiches, pastries, etc. as well. While I hate to mention it there is also McDonald's in case your sons get the hamburger urge. Actually we've popped into McDonald's on occasion simply to have a smoke free snack -- I'm not totally sure on this but I swear they are the only totally non-smoking eating establishments in Paris. <BR> <BR>I also believe from some of the checking I have done that many of the apartments in Paris expect full payment in advance. That is not my favorite way of doing business - you are better off with a one night deposit because if you really hate the place you don't want to be stuck. <BR> <BR>Let us know what you decide on, I'm always curious to know what people decide to do after they ask questions. <BR>

Kathy

Hi folks; <BR>This is one of the original authors on this posting. <BR>I just had to jump in and comment that we are very impressed by the depth of information that we've gathered in such a short time. Thanks to all of you. <BR>We are already starting to rethink our original plan. <BR>We have had great luck with apartment-style lodgings in the Canadian Rockies, Quebec City and Florida -- as much as we all love to eat out, we also enjoyed the option of taking a break from the restaurant scene, which also gives us the excuse to explore local markets and groceries stores to see how REAL people live. However, we were expecting rooms large enough to give our older son a bit of privacy and equipped with basics such as dish soap etc. Your tips have been invaluable. <BR>The search continues!

Lori

Hi Kathy, <BR>It's me again .. I just read your last post and wanted to say that even if you get a hotel room(s) you can still do the local market thing and buy goodies, sandwiches, etc. for a break from eating out every day. There are plenty of small neighborhood stores around if you just get away from the main sights a bit. Despite having family in Paris we have always stayed in a hotel (and have been much more welcome guests as a result!!) for our own privacy and freedom and on occasion we have brought back sandwiches and dessert to have lunch in while we rested up awhile. You can also picnic in some of the parks (altho March could be a bit iffy weatherwise for that). Department stores have food areas too (take out, or eat in) - Marks & Spencer, the British chain does a fantastic business from what we've seen whenever we have been in there. <BR> <BR>I truly do not know if apartments in Paris include or do not include a soap dish, but I can bet you would have to buy your own soap! At best, they would come with 1 bar of soap and 1 roll of toilet paper!! I'm talking about the kind of apartments we have mentioned here, not some super-luxury penthouse place that rents for the price of a new car!! We've stayed in condos in Hawaii many times and they were great, but I would not expect that level of living in Paris unless I was willing to pay a small fortune. <BR> <BR>What area of Paris are you looking at, and have you been before? it may be possible to get an apartment a bit further out (some relatives of ours live in the Vanves area and their apartment was quite large & modern) but I have not seen any advertised on the web for vacation rentals. <BR> <BR>Another thought, with 2 hotel rooms you get 2 bathrooms -- that sounds like a gift from heaven to me!! With 4 of you that would be ideal. I'm so used to my husband and I each having our own bathroom that sharing one on vacation is sort of an annoyance. Another thing, ask the hotel if breakfast is included and if it is continental or buffet style. If your boys or you are big eaters get a place with buffet style - it will include different types of rolls, croissants, cereals, cheese, lunchmeat (don't ask me why), fruit, juices, coffee/tea/milk, etc. Sometimes it is included in the price, other times not. We paid 35FF at our hotel in Paris this Spring and really ate our fill in the a.m!! Usually we took along a piece of fruit for later too. Incidentally, on this last trip our room was $90/night and this was at the Trocadero with a view of the Eiffel Tower. Two rooms would probably be the same price as an apartment and you'd have more privacy. <BR> <BR>I'm sorry to ramble on, but I just get caught up in other people's trips I guess.

Carol

This is a question for Lori--what is the name of the hotel you stay in?? Thanks for your postings, you don't ramble, you're just very generous!!

Lori

Carol, <BR>This last trip over we stayed at Hotel Residence Trocadero, 3 Blvd. Raymond Poincare. It's a Best Western hotel and located right at the Trocadero. There is a tobacco shop right outside and a cafe facing the Trocadero (as well as another cafe across the street). The Metro (Trocadero) stop is right across the street. The rooms are small (I've never been in a large one in Paris yet) but it was servicable. Nothing elaborate mind you, but we had Room 22 and if I looked to the right out the window I was able to see much of the Eiffel Tower, as well as the Trocodero, cafes, people, etc. Our rate was $90 (in goes up during "high season" and for the location it was not bad. Again, if you are looking for deluxe this is not it, but it was clean and the the staff were really pleasant. They had continental breakfast or what they called buffet. It was set up on a bar area in the small breakfast room (there were also a couple of tables in a small enclosed patio). While there were not eggs/pancakes, etc. we had plenty of fruit, cereal, rolls, croissants, cheeses, juice & coffee etc. <BR>It worked for us, perhaps not for everyone tho. I've certainly had worse for more money tho. <BR> <BR>What we liked with BW is you do not have to make any deposits or anything, just a reservation with a credit card, therefore if you really hate the place you do not have a commitment. <BR> <BR>The room was pretty small but the bathroom as very decent sized. Rooms facing the Trocadero tend to get more noise from the outside than those facing the interior ... but that's a personal preference, I don't go to Paris to look at a wall!!!

Christina

I found a couple of the WEB sites I was thinking of but had forgotten. First, the American firm I was thinking of is Paris Sleeps http://paris-sleeps.com. They have a couple examples on their WEB site of fees, usually about $2000 a week for four people, it seems. Also, there's a general Paris Rents web site (www.france-apartment.com) that is very convenient because it rates and gives info and links to many private Parisian apt rental services. Anyway, as I said, no, you can't expect soap in the apt. if it's an apt rental rather than those apartmenthotel chains. You can't expect anything except what they explicitly promise you--for the agency I used (Paris Sejour Reservation), that included linens and a couple of those small guest soaps. That was it--and, frankly, I always pack my own bar of soap anyway as I only use Ivory, so that was not important to me. The apt. I rented needed matches to light the stove burners and the apt. did not even include a box/book of matches, for example, and I had none myself. It did have a roll of toilet paper, which I was glad to see (although I'd packed a small tissue pack just in case until I got to the store), but no dish soap or anything else. I know Paris well, so knew exactly where the closest Monoprix was (general discount & grocery store) and made a beeline to go shopping there as soon as I checked into the apt. I also knew the opening days & hours of the Monoprix, but these are the kinds of things a total stranger to the area will be clueless about. If you didn't know the neighborhood where I was, you would have had no idea where to shop for that kind of stuff as the store was about 4 blocks away, and other grocery and general stores you might run across near the apt. were closed on Sat. evening when I finally arrived at my apt; most Paris stores are closed Sunday so it's very good not to arrive then. Anyway, arriving mid to late afternoon or on Sunday are not advisable for possible store closing reasons; by the time you get out of the airport and settled in, it could be evening. I didn't actually get into my apt until almost 6 pm due to flight and baggage delays--so, that kind of stuff can be a problem. However, some apts won't let you check in until about 3 pm, either. I didn't like paying the entire amount in advance, which I had to do, but many of those agencies have these requirements, so I just did it and crossed my fingers (and, I didn't have any problem on that score, but if the apt had been completely different than promised, you would be stuck). Here's another broker that has some good places, they're just a middle agent though, I think, but their rates are reasonable from what I've seen: www.barclayweb.com. Oh, unless you pay a lot of money, you probably won't get a very big place, so there may not be a lot of place for your son to spread out in--Parisian apts are pretty small, generally. Some of these apt. rental places actually advertise and will rent studios for four people (ie, they cram a double bed and a convertible sofa bed into one small room) which could be worse than a hotel room for space; sleeping on a foldout sofa may be uncomfortable, also. So you have to be really careful that you understand what you're getting with any rental. The French Experience travel agency in NY (www.frenchexperience.com) will also handle private apt rentals; I tried them, but they were obstructive and time-consuming to deal with, just because it took so long to get information out of them; there's nothing availble on their WEB site to look at or anything like the others have, so you go endlessly back and forth with email and FAXes trying to get something settled; you have no general sense of what's available, where, and at what cost. I do know of a French firm that rents more LT residence places (Groupe Pierre & Vacances) but I hesitate to mention them as I think it would be difficult to deal with if you didn't speak French and their places are maybe 800-1000F per night and up, so I thought that might be more than expected--anyway, they have a WEB site at www.pierre-vacances.fr, if it's of any interest. They have a decent place in Montmartre near place Charles Dullin, but that location might not be the most convenient for tourist. There are also completely private party apt. rentals on Vacation Spot WEBsite or something (try www.wwte.com, I think), but you would be totally on your own setting that up and paying; I wouldn't be comfortable doing that with an unknown party.

Connie

Hi! <BR> <BR>I stayed for two weeks in an aprtment in the Latin Quarter, paid about $350.00 a week. I travelled with my friend and two daughters, ages 9 and 12. I booked the place through the nyhabitat.com website which is a clearing house for people who own apartments in Paris and live in NY. We had one bedroom, which was adequate, a small sink, stove, bathroom with TP, soap, etc. The living room had a queen size futon for the kids which was plenty big enough for us. It was eccentric, and cool to be in the Latin Quarter in our own apartment. We had a security code, then through a small courtyard, up spiral stairs, then in to our little apartment. We also had a TV and VCR, so everyone was happy. Next door was a bakery and across the street was a permanent market. The apartment came with dishes, pots and pans, towels, and everything else we needed. I will never stay in an hotel again if possible. It is the best way to save money, cook, eat simple meals and just veg out without driving each other crazy. We were gone so much of the time sightseeing that the place was not as important as the location. Write if you need more info! <BR>