renting apt in paris france for 2 - 3weeks
 

going to Paris in Dec 2012 and think it might be cheaper to rent an apt rather then get a hotel. Looking for name of website or company I can go thru. Or if anyone has any other suggestions. Normally spend $125- $150 per nite on hotel so it would be great if I could rent nice little place that might save me a little money...thx

I spent a couple months going around in circles with the dizzying number of services available to book an apartment; VRBO, AirBnB, plus all the French sites

I ended up with an apartment found through MyParisVisit.com
Clean simple site with a practical amount of really high quality inventory. Prices were very competitive and their fee was small
I haven't been to the apt yet (2 weeks from now) but so far I've been pleased with their service

Phil_Tyler thx I will check that site out.

Your first posting Phil_Tyler ........ only to suggest a company you have never actually used ?

I have found and booked what appears to be a very nice apt. from that site after looking at dozens and dozens of others.
I think I limited my suggestions to those aspects I'm familiar with and 'actually used'

You are free to post your own useful suggestion(s)

We are having our second stay here in October. We stayed for 8 days April 2011. This trip we will be there for 2 weeks. It is in a great location, the owner - Sylvain - is easy to work with and is willing to take a US check as a deposit, which he returns when you leave. Cash upon arrival. The apartment is fully equipped as the owner used to live there. Tell him Deb sent you and he will hold the apartment for you, if it is not taken, until you get the check to him.

http://www.vrbo.com/339804

We have used VRBO a number of times. http://www.vrbo.com/vacation-rentals...e-france/paris

We have also used Airbnb. http://www.airbnb.com/search?c=Airbn...FQ5bhwodnyhygg

We have had pretty good luck with both, but we have rented a place in the 11th through VRBO for the first two weeks in October.

There are scams out there, so I advise that you read the reviews carefully, and then ask on this, and other travel sites, to see if others have rented that particular place. If you would feel more comfortable going through an agency, do so. Just be aware that some agencies give you very little service for the very high fees they charge.

i'm researching that website and so far all feedback is positive. Phil_Tyler my trip is in December hopefully you can post additional info when you return, if they meet you on time with key, if apt looked like pic...etc That would be great..thx

uno8439 you need to book asap. Apartments in Paris are very popular and it isn't unusual to book more than 6 months in advance.

http://www.parisbestlodge.com/luxembourg.html This is where we stayed in 2008 and we loved it.

We have rented apptments in paris a number of times thro www.ownersdirect.co.uk and that way cut out agents....

We used My Paris Visit in May 2011 and were very happy with the apartment and the customer service. The apartment (#59) looked exactly like the pictures. We are renting #111 in August.

I agree with Phil _ Tyler that the website is clean and easy to use; it really helped with doing our research.

We've used www.parisvacationapartments.com many times and have been very satisfied.

www.nyhabitat.com was easy to use.

We will be staying in our 4th apt. through Vacation In Paris in October. We have always been very satisfied and the apts. have been as pictured. They are located in New Jersey and will send you the keys before you leave home. Give them a try!

We've used Vacation in Paris twice - most recently this past April - and have been very happy both times with them.

It's important that you know what you want in an apartment, no matter how you book. How many persons? Do you want a studio, which is like a large hotel room with kitchen facilities, or a bedroom, which allows privacy? What kind of area do you want to be in, lively or laid back? How many flights of stairs are acceptable (many buildings do not have elevators).

And check out the nearby Metro stations for their connections, so you aren't making transfers to get where you want to go.

We've used several different agencies over the years; www.WaytoStay.com, www.likelivingthere.com and www.ParisAttitude.com among them. Each has its advantages and there have been no glitches worth mentioning.

We used Paris Perfect for our apartment rental last year. Excellent service.

We would also consider Guest Apartments, as well. Several Fodorites have reported back favorable for there rentals through them.

We also had a good experience with VacationinParis.com
In particular we like that we could do our advance payment by credit card so avoided having to meet someone with a fistful of Euros on our first day.

This is a link to a thread with many suggestions for Paris apartments:

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...ent-thread.cfm