We finally decided on one part of our trip and that is to stay in Paris for a week during august.
I have been browsing and inquiring into apt via VRBO.com and have narrowed it down to the following few. Our budget is 450 euro/wk for the apt (preferably). Has anyone stayed at any of these places or can give us advise as to which area would be better to stay in?
Comfortable and Quiet Furnished Studio on Canal Saint Martin - 11th district http://www.vrbo.com/232791 440 euro/wk
Heart of Paris Very Luminous Studio in a 17th Century Building - 2nd district http://www.vrbo.com/240644 450 euro/wk
Charming and Functionnal Apartment - Rue Des Ecoles - 5th district http://www.vrbo.com/138058 450 euro/wk
My Little Home in Paris - 5th district http://www.vrbo.com/151604 500 euro/wk - slightly pricier than we planned but within our budget if it is worth it.
Have you looked at our vacation rental reviews for Paris? (I sorted this list by name, but you can sort on any of the column headings.)
I didn't check for all the properties you asked about, but I can tell you that there are two reviews for My Little Home in Paris (here and here), one of which is mine.
I did an extensive search for lower-cost rentals (I was looking to spend 100 euro a night or less for three people) and was thrilled to find this apartment at 80 euro a night for our three nights. We loved the location on a quiet street in the Latin quarter and the apartment is decorated beautifully (not the IKEA-studio look). It's very small, though you definitely have more room and facilities than in a hotel room. The owners thoughtfully included many extras that you would not find in most rentals. I would definitely stay there again... though not with three adult-size people.
Look at our reviews and you might find some of your other apartments there or get ideas for other possible rentals. And you might find some ideas in this thread.
Does anyone else have input on any of the other apartments/locations that Sandy is considering?
Charming and Functionnal Apartment - Rue Des Ecoles - 5th district http://www.vrbo.com/138058 450 euro/wk
We stayed one block up from this apartment a couple of years ago and I loved the area. Plenty of restaurants, markets etc. And the market on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday by the metro is good (especially Saturday when it has mostly food items).
The apartment is tiny though. And a concern there (besides the comfort of the futon/bed) is the size of it - it says 140cm which is about 55 inches wide - so definitely not a queen, maybe a full-size.
Kim must mean the Maubert market (right?). The Monge market is also fab, on Wednesday, Friday, Saturday.
Location of the rental is excellent. I also noticed all the ones listed tend toward quite small. For the rue des Ecoles rental, 18 m2 is more like a big room. (In fact my bedroom is 20m2 and it is by no means very big.) But it has a balcony, which must be nice for summer. A 140cm bed is a standard double bed, which is what we have. My relatives have used this agency and were very happy with them. The agency used to have very nice studios on rue Lepic, for more or less the OP's budget, - which were very positively reviewed here too, - but they are no longer listed. May be worth it to inquire...
Thanks for the replies so far. We know these are small places but it's just the 2 of us. Plus we will be out enjoying Paris rather in our room most of the day so as long as it's comfortable then that's good enough for us.
I just wonder how comfortable a sofa bed is and if that is worth having a balcony veris staying somewhere with a REAL bed, especially if we will be there for a week.
For those we have stay at places with convertible beds, how comfortable are they?
