Finecheapboxofwine

I've looked at a few at apartment listings in Paris and the check in times have been 5 pm at the properties I've viewed which don't work best for our arrival time either. A 1:00 check in sounds pretty luxurious in your case! But, If I were to be traveling your distance my body would be begging to lay down and rest upon arrival so I'd probably pay the fee and get on with vacation. You didn't say the area you are staying but I'm not sure what else besides a café is open so early on a Sunday morning in order to pass time.

Was thinking that maybe the fee is because it is a Sunday and perhaps the normal staff is not working so they use a local person to help with keys and instructions. Who likes to wake up early on a Sunday? ☺️ Anyway, enjoy your time!

Kristina

The apartment is near Place Republique and the check in time is 1:00-9:00 pm regardless of day of the week. Any time outside of that, there is an extra fee, but no earlier than 10:00 am and no later than midnight.

Whathello

'because I probably should have said what my choice would be' '40 euro is not a lot to spend'

Asking a question when you know the answer is an interesting concept. So - just spend it.

What is your next question and what is the answer we should give ?

pavot

I'm in the minority among Fodorites. The way I travel, every.penny.matters.

40 euro is a concert ticket. Or a meal out. Or something else I have scrimped and saved for.

I would not pay -- partly because it seems like a cheesy thing to have to do, under the circumstances -- and I would find a nearby cafe, drink something, and people watch. Carry-on only wouldn't stop me from lugging a bag to a cafe.

Kristina

Whathello- no next question. I was just curious as to what people thought and what options there might be that I hadn't already considered. Even though I might have "known the answer" I like to keep an open mind.

StCirq

I agree with pavot, in that 40 euros goes a long way for me - it's about our weekly grocery bill here in France, and we eat very well. It doesn't seem like a rip-off, though - it's a Sunday, the day in France where most people do pretty much absolutely as little as they can get away with, so for the landlord, it will be an inconvenience.

BUT, I refuse to take a nap upon arrival from the USA - it just messes me up for the next few days. And I don't feel compelled to take a shower until the evening of the first day. I don't get particularly messy sitting on a plane all night.

I have a few times arrived early at CDG and not been able to access my accommodations until early afternoon, and I have never had a problem finding a café, picking up a newspaper or getting out my guidebooks and maps, ordering a coffee, and hanging out until it's time to go get into my digs, preferably sitting in some sunshine to replenish the Vitamin D.

annhig

I can tell you that if we have visitors who are arriving early, and there's no-one in the day before, they can arrive when they like so long as they don't wake us up.

And at the end of the let if there are no people coming in after them, they can leave when they like too.

but then this isn't our main income, it might be different if it were.

greg

You have a rare opportunity to look at the bottom of the Canal St. Martin during the dredging operation http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...n-in-paris.cfm

However, reading at our initial post, the 10 am check-in is only a probability at this point. It seems you need to think about two options 1) no early 40€ option either because someone booked the apartment before your arrival or you chose not to use the option. 2) and the 40€ early check-in option.

If you are coming from CDG on RER, you can leave luggage at Gare du Nord, http://www.seat61.com/luggage-locker...ckers_in_Paris which gives you option to really go anywhere in Paris or even beyond with only the bags you chose not to put in the locker.

This kind of question yields wide range of answers. People arrive to Paris from various parts of the world with different fatigue factors. Some with just a few hours flight while others over 20 hours of flight. Also, frequent/local visitors have different opportunity cost. If one has been there many times or can easily get there, doing nothing is more much acceptable for those with high opportunity cost. If you are from the West Coast and if you cannot sleep on the plane, sitting down at a cafe would be soporific after the long flight.

kerouac

One way to use up some time is to take a cruise on the Seine. Cruises begin at 10 a.m. at the various companies and have two advantages besides being a lovely way to see part of the city: 1. You can doze off part of the time without guilt and 2. If you are feeling stinky from the plane, the fresh air will remove all shame.

Robert2533

Flying in from the west coast you will be jet lagged, even traveling first or business class. Arriving at CDG at 7:30 on a Sunday morning (just after sunrise in mid-March), I would opt for the 10:00 am check-in option for €40, take a hot shower and relax before heading out to lunch.

If you check, you'll find that a number of hotels are now offering early check-in for a fee because flights originating in the States arrive so early in the morning.

Hobbert

Personally, I'd go get something to eat and find a spot to people watch. €40 isn't a fortune but it's a decent amount of money. However, the fact that I prefer not to sleep until evening when I change time zones is a factor. I don't sleep much on planes but I hate to deal with jet lag, so even on 20 hour journeys, I stay up until the evening of the first day. It's that's impossible for you, maybe the €40 is worth it.

sandralist

You asked: Why the fee?

Because they are paying a human being to provide a service during hours they don't normally work. You are paying for someone else's time.

I don't know about you and where you work, but when I work overtime, I charge for it.

Robert2533

This is Paris early on a Sunday morning in late winter, early spring, not the middle of June/July.

flpab

I have been so lucky with arrivals and if not ready we could leave luggage. But if it is a sunny day I would do the cruise or have a long brunch.

greg

Why fee? You are dealing with a profit seeking enterprise. If the provider has something the buyer is willing to pay for, even if costs nothing for the vendor, the vendor has every motivation to extract maximum revenue from the willing buyers within the framework of a market.

kerouac

And it is such easy money to extort from jet-lagged travelers. ;-)

MaineGG

I'm late to this thread, but I want to confess that we did pay the required €40 for early check-in last time. When I booked the apartment, I noticed this charge and decided immediately that we would be fine from our very early flight arrival until 1 p.m. We would take the RER to the Gare du Nord, store our bags there, find a cafe, wander around some, have lunch then go to the apartment. Well... after many hours flying with a longish layover in Iceland and arriving on a very rainy morning, we very thrifty 70-somethings decided that we would gladly pay up and called the apartment manager to meet us. It was worth it. Actually, since we were staying there for ten days, I think of it as having added only €4/day to our already low rental cost.

JulieEC

No. I've always been able to drop my bags for free? Is that allowed?

suze

JulieEC, It's an apartment, not a hotel.

JulieEC

Right. I've always dropped my luggage for free at apartments. I am a permanent traveler and live in VRBO and Airbnb apartments. Never had an issue. If I couldn't drop my bags, I'd go sit at a cafe.