hello fodorites!

we have rented an apartment on ile de la cite through parisbestlodge for a week this fall.

we've stayed in vacation rentals in north america previously but this is our first time doing so in europe.

what supplies are we (the renters) responsible for? specifically, toilet paper? paper towels? laundry detergent? dish soap?

we're planning to hit a grocery store (monoprix or franprix) as soon as we get to the apartment so we can stock up ... but i'm wondering, do the french retailers sell things for travelers like us? i.e. laundry detergent for just a few loads? or do we bring this with us from home?

thanks!!

Enjoy your paris stay

I would email the owner/rental agency and inquire.

We rented two different apartments in Italy last year and found each had a decent supply of toilet paper, paper towels, even coffee - but we needed to supply our own laundry detergent.

Just go and see what you need .

When I rent an apartment in Paris, I really live it up.

I buy a whole box of laundry detergent, and after 2 or 3 loads?

I leave the rest there.

Extravagant, huh?

It's possible that the people renting before you will have left behind some laundry soap -- or mine might be there!

I wouldn't e-mail the owners. Think of it as a wild adventure.

I'd just wait until you arrive and see. Every flat/cottage I've rented has had different supplies. Plus as zeppole says - often the previous tenant left some products behind.

Some owners provide enough TP for the entire stay - some only a roll or two. Some - especially if there is a dishwasher, provide plenty of dish detergent because they might want a specific brand used in their machine.

Facial tissue is more hit and miss - not always provided at all. Also paper towels - since some provide lots of cloth kitchen towels, they sometimes don't have paper ones.

Some owners leave a welcome pack of coffee/tea/sugar/salt & Pepper/oil - some don't. One flat I rented in the 5th had everything except fresh produce/meat. Oatmeal, Nutella, - just lots of stuff.

I agree with the "wait and see" approach. Then, just keep track of what you use and replace it when you leave, if it seems reasonable (if you've only used a tablespoon of dish soap, I wouldn't bother, but I'd be scrupulous about not using anything up without replacing it). Forget about bringing stuff from home. You want to try to replace the brands you use up.

Hello lilaki,
We rented thru Parisbestlodge though it was 4 years ago and not at your apartment.
We were pleasantly surprised at what supplies we had.
There was coffee, dishwasher and clothes detergent, toilet paper etc., some amounts enough for the 2 weeks we stayed.
I would check in with the owner, Thierry when he meets you. He knew what was there and/or needed.
Enjoy Ile de la cite...it's a wonderful place to be.
Bon Voyage!
Kathy

hi lilaki,

in my experience, you are likely to hve more provided than less. the "best" place we stayed, there was everything we could possibly need - not just coffee, but oil, vinegar, salt, pepper, spare loo rolls, kitchen roll, jam, washing up liquid, dishwasher powder, soap, shampoo etc. etc.

we just needed to buy perishables like milk and butter plus whatever we wanted to eat of course!

we weren't sure what to do about things that we used a lot of, like jam and oil. in the end, we replaced them and left behind stuff that we'd half-used too.

I'd only take with you stuff that you wont' be able to get in Paris - we always take our favourite tea-bags with us.

we're off to Iceland on Tuesday, staying in a cottage for a few days. I'm wondering what gets provided for us there - pickled shark?

Have a great trip,

regards, ann

We've rented about twenty places in France over the past nine years. We've found it hard to predict what will be there and what won't, so we take a little shopping list with us. When we move into the apartment or the house, we confirm what's there and what isn't, and then go to the local Monoprix or Carrefour and buy the rest.

We leave behind whatever we don't use, except for perishables such as produce.

Anselm

There's no rule or law, you'll have to ask the one you rented. A lot of the websites I've seen make it clear, at least ones that are run by agencies.

I've only rented a couple times, but from French agencies that were not deluxe and did not just cater to tourists, and those apts didn't have anything much of the list you name. It was an apt. rental, I'm sure that was their view. I didn't expect anything, just waited to see what was there when I arrived. I think each had a roll or two of toilet paper, but that was literally it.

French retailers sell things just like most grocery stores. I haven't noticed any special packages of laundry detergent in regular supermarkets for only a few loads. Now that some of that stuff is very concentrated, I would bring that yourself, if you think you will only do a few loads (in powder form).

We always need toilet paper and laundry detergent, at the very least. We also purchase shampoo, shower soap, coffee, milk, butter (get your bread at the nearest patisserie each morning), jam, cheese, wine, pate and a box of cereal as soon as we hit town--usually at the local Monoprix.

Leave TP and detergent for the next guests, just to get them started.

We rented through parisbestlodge in June this year in Paris. Thierry, our manager, had provided particular laundry detergent that he wanted us to use. There was coffee, tea, sugar and bits and pieces of other tenants sauces etc. You will need to buy milk, bread and any other fresh items you need. There was plenty of shower gel in the bathroom, not soap. Lots of guide books and novels that had been left by other tenants. Thierry met us at the apartment, and when he found that we had only a roll or two of toilet paper he dropped by with some more the next day. Paper towel was provided, from memory we topped that up.

Thierry was fabulous and very helpful. Hope you have a lovely trip. Cathie

It varies a lot.

The place I rented in Budapest supplied just about everything: fresh pastries and wine waiting for me, newly purchase milk, butter, eggs, cheese, sausage, coffee, tea, sugar, and condiments in the kitchen, toiletries in the bath, and cleaning supplies for the apartment.

Other places supply just about nothing.

I can't be the only one who thinks that there is nothing for the OP to do other than go and look to see what is there.

I dearly hope she is not going to pack toilet paper or salt, even if she is sure it won't be there.

She has already said she is going first to the apartment, and then to the Monoprix.

Right. She'll know what she needs when she sees what's in the apartment.

hi all,

thanks for all the information!

zeppole - you're right, i'm not carting a bunch of stuff from home. it's just nice to know what to possibly expect.