Please help evaluate apt rental
 

Hi all,
I am considering the following apartment from Perfectly Paris. I like the idea of staying in Montmartre, and we are happy to use public trasportation to get around. It will just be me and my husband (late 20s/early 30s). The stay is for 4 nights.

http://www.perfectlyparis.com/Design...#39;Orsel.html

Thanks in advance!
Laura

Your link is kind of messed up, but I figured it was the 1 BR on rue d'Orsel.

It looks kind of dark to me, but maybe it's not. Mostly, I think you have to judge for yourself what it looks like -- you do notice it's 4th floor without an elevator.

I think it's okay, that's not a bad area near place Charles Dullin.

Sorry about the bad link. It keeps getting split. You can view the apartment at:

http://www.perfectlyparis.com/

Look for "Design at d'Orsel"

Thanks for the feedback Christina. I hadn't thought about the lack of windows.

Actually, I think I've changed my mind and prefer this one:

http://www.perfectlyparis.com/Rooftop%20Vista.html

Thoughts?

Laura,

I like them both, but the rooftop apartment does look lighter and it has the advantage of having an elevator for those days when you're carrying things up to the apartment. It also has good views. They both seem to have the same basic amenities, so no difference there.

If you want to stay in Montmartre, it looks good.

CW

Though it is smaller, I would also go for the rooftop apartment. The elevator and the espresso maker did it for me.

I definitely like the second one better. IN theory, no elevator doesn't sound so bad, but I just think you'll get real tired of those four floors after a bit, and, for example, you won't be willing to pop out for something and back so easily if you have to start thinking about that.

The first one could be fine, they say it has windows in both rooms, but they don't show any good photos with them, so it's hard to tell. Also, they don't have any artwork much in the living room, like over the sofa. It just looks dull.

Rue des Martyrs has a wonderful street market, also, I usually go there when I'm in Paris. It's not one of those roving ones, it's a permanent market street with lots of good food shops on it. Now that's in the part of it in the 9th arrondisement, but that's not too far away.

There are some popular clubs on rue des Martyrs near that apt. which you might enjoy going to. Like Divan du Monde. YOu won't have to go far for entertainment, anyway
http://www.divandumonde.com/

Thanks all. The second one is the winner of the two.

Now another concern. Based on many posts on this site, Montmartre doesn't get many recommendations. I've stayed in several areas of Paris, and they seemed a bit crowed and urban for my tastes. When I visited Montmartre, it seemed have more a village-like atmosphere. That made me think it would be fun to stay there (plus I loved Amelie).

While I've been to Paris before, my husband has not. I didn't think it would be too inconvenient to use the metro to get around. But I certainly could be wrong!

Specific concerns:
Is this location too seedy? Address is 89 Rue Des Martyrs (metro Abbesses). We are not prudes, but I'd rather not have to walk through prostitutes, sex shops, etc. each day.

Will it be annoying to have to take the metro into the central tourist destinations? I have always found the metro to be pretty convenient, and it looks like there is a stop a few blocks for the apartment.

Will this street/area have the village atmosphere I'm looking to find? The reviews on the apartment site mention a great boulangerie across the street, which gives me hope.

But, I haven't provided my credit card, so we could surely pick a different area.

Thanks!

Here is the description of the area from the Web site (perfectlyparis.com):

The cobble street corner of rue des Martyrs and rue des Abbesses is right in the centre of one of the most vivacious parts of Paris. Rue des Martyrs and the neighbouring streets have housed many famous artists such as Toulouse-Lautrec, Renoir, Moreau and more. Today, it is still a busy area for art dealers and collectors.

This area has many different styles and moods. We feel that ours is that of the calmer, old style Montmartre. You could easily spend your whole vacation within a 5 minutes' walk in any direction from the apartment: the Basilique du Sacre Coeur, the Dali Museum, theatres, night clubs, a tremendous variety of fresh food stores and markets, bakeries, chocolateries, restaurants, brasseries and bistros. The closest metro station, Abbesses, is only a 2 minutes' walk away. It is located in the lovely Square des Abbesses- where 'Amelie' fell in love!

laura - have you followed my thread and blog about this area?
It might give you a different perspective than usual for this area...

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=35069084

Hi robjame,
Yes, I read your blog and loved it. It was one of the only positives I've seen though. Thank you for that.

Do you recognize the area where my potential rental is located? The company manager assures me that it is safe and that she lives nearby with her 3 year old daughter.

Did you ever take the metro in to more central areas? If so, was it easy?

Thanks so much,
Laura

I have photos of that area if you wish. It is more towards the touristy area than we were in, and less residential. There are plenty of shops and cafes but I would describe it as leaning towards that part of Montmartre where tourists venture. I would feel comfortable in that region as far as safety.
Commuting by Metro is one or two connections with probably a 20 minute ride. We walked down to the Seine at Ile St Louis (strolling) in an hour and a half and we are old farts.
If you are taking a PDA or computer the free Metro program is amazing - you enter your starting Metro and destination and it works out the best route and connections. Otherwise studying a Metro map will work. Buses are wonderful but we usually Metro-ed.
For people your age I think you would be at home with the clubs, the age of Parisians, activity of the area.

We've stayed in/near Montmartre the last 3 times in Paris (both in the 18th and the 9th). I love it!
There are plenty of Metro stops and if you're like us, you'll probably just want to walk everywhere. No problems.
Since you've been to paris before, why not try some place new?
Here's our last trip, staying on the edge of Montmartre:
http://www.wired2theworld.com/paris2005.htm

My wife says to tell you that it is close to the Pigale area and on Clichy at Place Pigale there are lot of sex shops and that sort of business.

BTW, the second apartment looks fabulous! Great price, location and oh, that view!
Might be the next place we stay...;)
Let us all know how it is.

If you look at the location it's up the hill from Pigalle, away from the fray. Plus, I didn't really find the area all that seedy. I don't remember seeing any prostitutes, only the sex shops.

I agree Kristina

Thanks both of you. You're making me feel much better.

robjame - I saw the photos on your blog. I loved the morning sights.

Kristina - I will definitely let you know what we think of the apartment.

The area robjame was in isn't really that near this apt on rue des Martyrs, so I wouldn't use that as a judge, and take with a grain of salt anything an apt. website itself tells you about an area -- they are trying to sell it. Montmartre (or the 18th arrondisement) is quite large and parts of it are villagey. I would not describe rue des Martyrs about bd Rochechouart as village-y at all, at least not in the bucolic, rural sense. As I said, there is a large club/concert place on that street very nearby (Divan du Monde), it's a night spot and a main artery in that area (meaning stores of various kinds). There is a famous drag show place right next to Divan du Monde, also (Madame Arthur's), which becomes a disco late at night. There are also some trendy stores and cafes. I think it would be a fun area to stay, but it depends on what kind of village you come from, I guess, or what you are expecting. Maybe it is village-y like the Village in NYC, or the Village People (ha ha).

Here is a link about those exact two blocks around there with some of the popular places, so it may give you a better idea:
http://www.rendezvousfrance.com/pigalle.html

I don't think it's terribly inconvenient for the metro, I've stayed a couple times just a few stops down, in the 9th arrondisment, and it didn't bother me. However, it would some people who only want to be within walking distance of the Seine or some tourist attraction, a lot of tourists do. So it may take you an extra 15 minutes to get somewhere compared to if you stayed more central.

YOu can get some idea of the immediate street, also, if you go to www.pagesjaunes.fr and look at the building and surrounding ones. That apt. is above a pizza restaurant. I wouldn't want to low a floor as it could be noisy, but it doesn't look like that restaurant has outdoor seating. If I recall, it's on the top floor, though, so that would be good.

I know exactly where the second apartment is (from the description, that is) and I think it's a great location. It's easy enough to avoid the area with the sex shops, etc., which doesn't really extend beyond the boulevard de Clichy anyway.
In fact, my mother and my aged, shy and easily shockable aunt stayed in a hotel not far from the location of the apartment you mention, and they had a lovely time.

from looks alone it looks really nice and i like the location (note: i've never been to paris)

For the life of me, I can't figure out how to look at buildings using www.pagesjaunes.fr. I have been playing around with it for the past few days, but am having difficulties (probably because I don't speak French). Could someone enlighten me with step-by-step instruction? That would be great.

And Christina, I definitely am trying to take the Web site description with a grain of salt. Unfortunately, it's hard to find reviews on apartments (at least this one), so I'm trying to do my homework.

Here is a link to guest comments on the Web site. I realized they don't post the bad ones, but the frequency of the good ones gives me hope. The most recent ones are at the end. What do you think? http://www.perfectlyparis.com/Roofto...20Comments.pdf

And we would be fine with NYC "villagy." Even the rendezvous link you provided describes the area as a village.

There may be other ways of doing this, but here's what I'd do:

On the Page Jaunes site (www.pagesjaunes.fr), first click on "formulaire détaillé", then in the box marked "Où" on the right, type in 89 rue des Martyrs, and in the box underneath marked "Localité" type in Paris 18, and then click "Trouver".

You'll then get a page of results. Under the first result, a restaurant called "la Pignatta" there is a link called "Photo". Click on that, and you'll see a photo of the address. If you click on "Vue 1" or "Vue 2", you'll see different views of the façade. If you click "Angle" you'll see a corner view of the building. If you click on the thumbnails underneath, you can see pictures of adjacent buildings and thus build up a picture of the street overall.

laurallais

try this..
http://photos.mappy.com/x/voila3/home_paris.htm

Put in the address # in rue slot
Put in Name of street

click trouver and if all works out you should have what you want...

we are also staying in the area, further south in the 9th. i had researched the area pretty well and think it will be a good fit for us. allows us to walk to areas we haven't seen before and easy metro to more touristic areas. i think mappy.com is easier to use than pages jaune for those of us with limited french. mappy page opens to the heading map on left hand side. put in address, don't forget to change uk to france. it will pull up a map with photo in upper right hand corner. click and then you can travel around the area with the location arrow and photos of same will follow. really very easy and interesting. watch out, you could spend hours roaming paris!!!

Well, you're not going to believe it. After all that work looking at places and debating whether to stay up in Montmartre (and all the help from you), I've decided it would be best to stay more central.

My husband has never been to Paris, so I'm sure we'll be in central Paris most of the time. It makes more sense to be able to pop "home" for a bit if we need a break.

Sooo... I am now evaluating a whole NEW set of apartments. I would like to find someplace that is convenient for walking and it must have a bakery close-by for breakfast. I'd love a "neighborhood" feel (not TOO crowded with tourists) and trees on the street. Other pluses (but not necessary) are an elevator, view and/or computer).

Here is my list, broken up by districts:
In the 1st:
http://www.vacationinparis.com/apts/id_125.htm

In the 2nd:
http://www.vrbo.com/139753

In the 7th:
http://www.vacationinparis.com/apts/id_155.htm

In the 7th/6th:
http://www.vrbo.com/129217

In the 8th:
http://www.vacationinparis.com/apts/id_109.htm

Thanks so much as always, and I look forward to providing a trip report when I'm back, so everyone will know how the final choice turns out!

Laura

OK, I'll give it another try! I think you're doing the right thing by moving more central.

No. 1 in the 1st--others here have either stayed there or booked it. It looks quite nice, is extremely central, but probably doesn't have much of a neighborhood flavor.

No. 2--good looking apartment but less central and on the 5th (French 6th?) floor with no elevator.

No. 3--nice area but not really central.

No. 4--My favorite, definitely. Great area, easy to walk to the Seine, Orsay, Louvre, almost everywhere.

No. 5--With only four nights, the area wouldn't be on my list of convenient locations.

There you go . . . I addressed mainly the location because the apartments all look nice. I think you'll find that in Paris you are never more than a half a block from a patisserie, so that's no problem.

CW

but that link said Johnny Depp had an apt. in the immediate area.. I thought for sure you'd take it. He's probably never there, anyway, I thought he and Vanessa Paradis' main residence was in an upscale suburb of Paris, I forget the name.

You can get what you want in lots of areas of Paris, actually (bakeries, cafes, etc, nearby). I think that apt. looked okay for the area, but even though I know Paris pretty well and have been there a lot, I'm not sure I would want to stay in an apt. at place des Abbesses due to the inconvenience. YOu'd have to be thinking you weren't going to be doing much in Paris, just hanging out in the neighborhood some. I have a friend who stayed near Caulaincourt metro and he said he just mainly hung around Montmartre that week he was there, but he also has been there a lot.

You really couldn't go back during the daytime, if you wanted, you are right on that. And I find that the metro/bus/etc. always ends up taking you a lot longer than it's supposed to in theory, what with the transfers and waiting. I don't go to a lot of the tourist sites I've seen a lot that much any more, but I do tend to go to some concerts and favorite places I know, and it wouldn't be that convenient from Abbesses. Also, I do like to be more central not just for tourist sites, but central for other things I want to do, even if taking the train for day trips, or walking around unvisited parts of other arrondisements I haven't seen yet.

anyway, that is a good website you found on the Montmartre apts., I don't think I've seen that one much

Christina, did you see the lastest options I'm considering? They're listed about two postings above your last one. They are much more central. Let me know which one you like best if you get a chance.

Thanks!

Just to let all of you very helpful people know, I'm going to repost my newer apartment question. I think it's kind of buried here. Thanks for getting me this far!

Of the latest lot, i would go for #4 or #5, forgo the others.