Vacationinparis.com #72 - any experiences to share?
 

We've gone ahead and rented this apartment for a week in October based on 1) location, 2) elevator and 3) price. Appreciate any feedback from anyone who has stayed here!

http://www.vacationinparis.com/apts/id_72.htm

I don't know about the apartment, but the location is great! We stayed nearby on rue de Braque (between rue du Temple and rue des Archives) and we could walk anywhere we wanted really. And it is conveniently close to the Hotel de Ville metro station...

I'd stay in that area again in a heartbeat!

Deja Su how was it?

We leave for Paris tomorrow, will definitely report back!

Haven't stayed there but I highly recommend VIP> They are so easy to deal with. You'll get your key deposit back quickly and I like the insurance policy you buy for a small amount rather than tying up your cash with a security deposit

Deja Su can you write on Sunday :) I want an apartmetn where I will be able to call someone in case of emergency.

We're back, and I wanted to follow up and report on the apartment.

Location: definitely a great location for getting around Paris. We were able to walk almost everywhere we wanted in the 1st-6th arrondisements. 7th-8th, need to hop the Metro. This is a busy, bustling part of town, but the apartment itself is quiet. Overall, we'd probably have preferred being deeper into the Marais or back in the 6th, just from a street aesthetics standpoint.

Interior: the apartment is very nicely laid out, with a kitchen that's on the larger side for Paris apartments. There's also dining room, living room, bedroom, bathroom and separate WC. All of the rooms except the bathroom and WC have windows, all of which face interior courtyards. The place seems to have been freshly painted and carpeted. Furniture and linens nothing fancy, but comfortable. Though the listing says it sleeps four, I think it would be a bit too crowded with that many. For two it was perfect. Bathtub is a bit high stepping into so for elderly or people with limited mobility, might be a problem. Washer and dryer in kitchen work nicely. Queen-sized bed is comfortable.

Plusses: 5th floor (6th US) with elevator. Quiet building. Great location, lots of food shops nearby. Also Bazaar Hotel de Ville a few blocks away. (Which turned out to be convenient when our adapter went belly up and we needed a new one to charge cell phones, etc.) VIP was great to deal with. I'm mailing keys back today, and have heard that they refund deposits promptly. There is a local number to call if problems; we did not need to use it.

Downsides: locks a little tough to figure out the first couple of times. Not the prettiest street in town, though charming Marais streets just a couple of blocks away. We couldn't figure out how to turn on the heat in the apartment, and there were no instructions regarding this, but fortunately it wasn't so cold that we felt we needed to pursue it. No armoire or shelves in the bedroom, so clothing had to be kept in closet in the living room.

If there's anything specific you want to know about the apartment, let me know.

Thanks Deja Sue

One more addendum: VIP returned the key deposit promptly.

We also received a prompt and full refund of our deposit with VIP from our April 2009 rental.