Parisbestlodge Apartment - Advice Needed
 

hey fodorites,

i'm back at looking at an apartment for one week in paris (feel like i'm trapped on a merry-go-round of information)...this one is still available from Parisbestlodge:

http://www.parisbestlodge.com/crazyview.html

can anyone comment on the area/neighbourhood? do you see anything i should be aware of?

i know it's the 4th floor without an elevator ... that's my one concern (so far).

also, i've read many posts about parisbestlodge and thierry but if anyone has anything new to add about the agency, the advice would be much appreciated!

thanks in advance for your help!

well, it certainly will be central, but it's not right next to a metro stop or anything, I assume you are aware of where the closest one is (which is one I don't particularly like, the Cite stop, due to the stairs).

It looks okay for a small place. I'd ask the size of the "queen bed" in cm to be sure, if you care. Sometimes Parisian owners call a bed that is just regular double size in the US "queen size". IN one photo it looks bigger than another, so hard to say.

Of course there isn't much furniture as it is so small and the bedroom is really just some walls around an area slightly larger than the bed. But the small table and chairs look okay if you are okay with sitting on that couch and that's all. I wouldn't ever book that for four people, as it allows. There doesn't appear to be any closet. The shower isn't visible in the photo. Those are the couple things you might care about.

hi christina,

thanks very much for your response! there are only two of us travelling so i think we will be okay with the space. although, i can't really picture cramming four adults into that place!

good to note that there doesn't appear to be a closet. we don't generally travel with clothes that need hanging (i've literally lived out of a suitcase before), so again, something we can live with.

how far of a walk do you think it will be to places like the marais, st. germain, etc.?

i'm wondering - since it's so close to notre dame, do you think it might be TOO busy of a neighbourhood?

thanks so much!!

It looks clean and functional, certainly not spacious (notice that the bedroom is almost filled by the bed itself) but for a vaction rental it could work. I probably would not rent it because of the 4th floor no elevator. The neighborhood should not be noisy,though yo may hear the recorded announcements on the tourist boats as they float by, especially with windows open. It is not a hellacious walk to either the Marais or St. Germain, depending on where you are going in those areas.

It looks clean and functional, certainly not spacious (notice that the bedroom is almost filled by the bed itself) but for a vaction rental it could work. I probably would not rent it because of the 4th floor no elevator. The neighborhood should not be noisy,though yo may hear the recorded announcements on the tourist boats as they float by, especially with windows open. It is not a hellacious walk to either the Marais or St. Germain, depending on where you are going in those areas. When is your visit?

hi seamus,

thanks for the tips!!

yes - tiny bedroom. we currently have a hotel booked but a friend just stayed there and said it would be pretty cramped to spend 7 nights there. i believe our 'backup' hotel is pretty much 1/2 the size of this entire apartment and we don't have access to a fridge (am a huge fan of cheese and want to stock up and be able to keep some handy for a snack in the evenings).

i'm also a bit concerned about the 4th floor walk up (confirmed with the owner that it's the north american 4th floor - 4 flights of stairs) but we're both young and active and hopefully, this will help burn off all the eating we plan to do! i realize that we're looking into apartments quite late into the game as many of the ones that i have originally inquired about (with various owners/agencies) are already booked! so unfortunately, we can't be overly picky.

i really want a good neighbourhood, a clean/modern unit, and a washer in the unit (plan to pack super light and do laundry as needed).

thanks again!