huskermom

Hi--
A friend and I are planning a two week "mom" trip with our two families of teens (my 2 boys, her 2 girls) in August 2011. We're planning on London/Paris/Amsterdam, with about 5 days in Paris. We're pretty easy going, low maintenance travelers. As far as priorities go, we basically just need a very clean, very safe, centrally located place to sleep--we'd rather spend our money on other things, and we'll be spending almost no time there. Any ideas? I understand that Paris is very pricey. I'm assuming an apartment will be the least expensive option, but we're open to other ideas as well. Any ideas on good locations? A short commute on the subway is fine, as long as its a safe area. I don't know Paris AT ALL. Any and all advice would be greatly appreciated. Ideas for fun things to do in addition to museums would be great too. The kids will love the tourist sites, but they're just as interested in soaking up the local flavor--any ideas for arty or quirky local (vs. touristy) restaurants or places to visit ? Both sets of kids are adventurous travelers, and they think anything "very different from home" (Nebraska, USA lol) is GREAT. Thank you so much in advance.

huskermom

Ps--I just found the Paris Apartment thread as well...

Michel_Paris

Paris does not have to be very pricey. Couple of questions..you need to define what you have as a budget, to give people here a range.

Deuxiemement...what type of accomodations are you needing? Would an appartment suit you? If hotel, you want...2 rooms for 3?

Public transit is very good, so being a bit out of centre, if need be, is not an issue.

Michel_Paris

First timers, will not go wrong in looking in the 4th to 7th arrondissements (districts). You might want to google a map of Paris to get an idea of where the arrondissements are, where items of interest are, quick glance at Metro/RER map...and then you will be geographically ready to assess your options better.

huskermom

Two rooms for three would work great for hotels--we need to sleep 6 total. My boys are younger teens, and I'm very uncomfortable putting them in a double room by themselves unless it adjoins mine--I know--complicates things. In an apartment, the 2 girls and 2 boys could each share a bed with their sibling, and I can share a double bed with the other mom if we have to--we're old friends. As far as budget goes, I really don't know what's reasonable for Paris. $200.00/night per family ($400.00 total)would be our maximum, but if we could get something much less expensive it would be wonderful. We really are very easy going travelers, and we won't spend much time in the hotel/apt. If we can book it, I think we're going to stay in a college dorm for the London portion of the trip. Our main priorities are clean, safe and convenient. Glad to know the public transit is good--that helps

huskermom

Michel_Paris--I'll look up those areas--thank you

john127

Give rentalfrance.com a look. I've stayed at the Rue de Buci apartment, which I believe now sleeps 6, and it is wonderful - a great location! We are staying in one of their smaller places in two weeks.

huskermom

I guess I'm asking--if you were traveling to Paris, and wanted to spend as little as possible on a very clean, safe place to stay, what would you do? I'm frugal, but I'm not cheap.

iris1745

vrbo.com/143981 Here is one that might work and is available. Lots of comments to review. The owner suggest seven day minimum in August, but no harm in e-mailing him. Richard

cw

huskermom,

If I were going with another adult and four teenagers, I would definitely stay in an apartment. It will be more comfortable for the six of you to hang out when you're not sightseeing and it will be convenient to pick up some great food and snacks and have a place to eat in.

Paris is a city where staying in an apartment seems to work really well since you'll find markets and bakeries within walking distance no matter where you stay. I would stay in a single digit arrondissement for ease of getting to the places you want to see. Get a map of Paris so you can orient yourself.

It's smart to plan ahead as you're doing.

Southam

With four inevitably hungry teenage mouths to feed, look for an apartment with adequate cooking facilities. The real savings on an apartment could come from preparing some meals yourself instead of dining out. That's especially true if the kids are picky eaters. There are comments elsewhere on this thread about the availability of prepared meals in markets and department stores where Parsiens shop.
Even better, seek out the wonderful street markets where the teens can get a feeling for the huge range of food available -- complete with an cheerful icck! factor if you find horsemeat or calves' brains. They might even work up enough interest to help with the cooking.
Then take them to a neighbourhood bistro for a big splash. If an interest in food has been awakened, they might remember the confit of duck more than the Louvre.
One other factor: Look for cable television in the apartment, to distract them, and free Wifi for their computers (you will need a French power plug and, if the apartment has computer service but not Wifi, an adapter for that service.) Then they can do last-minute research online for subway routes, museum opening times, what's doing when, and in general make themselves useful to their chaperones. What better place to grow up than Paris?

Christina

I think an apt. could work out better for you given your budget is pretty low to get a triple hotel room (max of about 150 euro per night). That's currently only 146 euro ($200), which is definitely more do-able for a double. It is possible for a triple, though, and a lot of hotels have reduced rates in August, so that is the good thing.

HEre is one basic hostel-like hotel that is cheaper than your max, and it has an excellent location
http://www.hotel-marignan.com/

Now August can be very hot and ideally I would want air-conditioning myself. It will be hard to find an apt. with AC probably (apts for 6 are pretty rare to begin with). I don't really know any hotels with AC at 145 euro for a triple, though, at least not in central Paris. The 2* hotels I know in St Germain with AC, for example, are more like 175+ euro for that.

ssachida

I stayed in http://www.mije.com/index_individuels_uk.asp a couple of years ago. It;s very cheap and in a great location thats a 5 minute walk from the notre dame. I stayed in a single room so don't know how the rest of the hostel is, but the triple rooms should work for you. The room and corridors (hallways) were very clean. There's a lovely little courtyard around which the hostel buildings are set.

The only downside (for you) is you can only book 6 months before your trip - and that only because its August.

jkbritt

Etap on Rue Dr. Babinski is around 60 Euro per room, sleeps 3, en-suite. AC is minimal. We took a long flat blade screwdriver with us to use in the hole where the window opener used to be to open the windows when the sun went down. Got a breeze that way and helped cool things down. Two rooms would be 120 Euro, which fits your budget. If you decide to go here, let me know and I will give directions to a wonderful brasserie for lunch or late dinner.

LikeLivingThere

I'm biased (apartment rental agency) but an apartment is way superior to hotel rooms. Your budget should be very doable (provided the dollar doesn't tank) and while a party that size limits options, there should be plenty to pick from.

Aside from saving money (except perhaps compared to a hostel), an apartment provides opportunities to share the experience, come and go together or separately and shop local markets etc.

And, yes, it relieves the mind a bit when you are all together.

Your task now is to zero in on what you want to do and see, so that you find a place that makes it as effortless as possible. That doesn't necessarily mean right next door; the right public transport connections make getting to your destinations quick and easy.

p.s. My son lives in Omaha.

huskermom

Thanks--these are all great ideas! I really appreciate yoru help. I'm having my boys start research on what they want to visit, so we'll have a better idea on where we want to stay. The kids will LOVE the street markets. We've done the resort thing in the past, and they were bored out of their minds after two days on the beach--we had to leave and see the local sites instead. Their favorite trips have been places like NYC where they could watch the street performers and wander around the fun neighborhoods.

LikeLivingThere--we're just outside of Lincoln, NE. Go Huskers! If your son is in Omaha you understand our climate (hot, humid summers--we're used to uncomfortable). Would we be better off scheduling a trip for earlier in the summer if August is going to be miserable? I have no idea how the climate compares. Dry heat is much easier than humid heat...

john127

We've been in Paris in July and August and the heat was much more tolerable than here in muggy NYC (and we had over 90 degree days in Paris - not even close to as bad as here). Air conditioning in an apartment would be a must for me though.

If you like lively streets with many shops, the apartment I mentioned in an earlier post is REALLY ideal. In general, when you find an apartment you like, check for local shopping and a close metro stop which will make a huge difference during your stay.

John

Christina

I go to Paris a lot in July and have been in early August (Aug is actually statistically less hot than July in Paris), and I live in Wash DC in the US (and formerly Ohio as a kid). So believe me I know heat and humidity. Yes, Paris is better than Wash DC, but it's certainly note any desert or dry climate and is not dry heat. In fact, a lot of people on here have complained about how "humid" Paris is in summer. It's just average, I don't think it's humid compared to where I live, but it's not Denver by any means.

The climate is fairly similar to New York City. No, it's not miserable in August, but I wouldn't choose to stay there without AC if I could afford otherwise (and I can) in July/August. A large part is the noise issue in warm weather, not just the AC itself (although it can be too hot to comfortabley sleep, of course). But in most places in Paris, the street and traffic noise may hinder your sleep if you keep windows open, even if you are 4-5 floors up.

LikeLivingThere

I have not been in August but one thing to watch is closings, as many Parisians take the month off. On air conditioning, it's not universal but becoming more common - but check to see that it is throughout the apartment and not just in certain rooms (unless that's OK).

Christina makes a good point - without A/C that time of year it can be noisy just about anywhere in the city.

Here's a link to the transportation map, it may help you narrow down where you'd like to stay:

www.ratp.info/orienter/cv/carteidf.php?lang=uk

huskermom

Again, this is great--thank you! AC is a priority...the kids won't survive without it. I'm not trying to be cheap with the budget, but with the economy here the way it is (and who knows what the euro will do against the dollar in the next year) I'm really nervous about booking more expensive accommodations. Better safe than sorry . I can always adjust the budget up if things get better.