Hello, all! This my first post here, and I hope (and think!) that you can help me. I've read many of the reviews available on the site and combed through the classifieds, but sadly, I can't find reviews of quite the sort of place that I need for my upcoming trip to Paris. So, using your good advice, I struck off to vrbo.com to look for a few apartments that would fit my needs.
What are those needs? Well! This coming fall, from Nov. 29 to Dec. 6, I'm taking my husband and my parents on their first trip to Paris. In fact, it will be my parents' first trip to Europe! My parents and husband are easy travellers, but one thing my parents need is unlimited internet access--either Wi-Fi or the oh-so-three-years-ago plug-in style--so they can keep in contact with their business. Another thing is that they are used to sleeping in an enormous California King sized bed, so I don't want to put them into anything smaller than a queen when we're over there. My husband and I would like to sleep together and not in two separate beds, and we don't want to sleep on a sofa bed--the idea of long days on our feet and then ending sleeping with a bar in our backs is not tempting.
So I've narrowed my search to two-bedroom places in the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, or 7th with one bed queen or larger and one bed double or larger and unlimited wi-fi. I've turned up four places that I think would work, but you guys have done this before and might have a better idea of what I'm looking at in these pictures and of the neighborhoods in which they're located. I'm pretty okay at finding my way around Paris and I have a general idea of things, but I'm not totally up on my seedy Métro stations or what have you.
Thanks in advance for your help. Here are the listings:
There is one more but the owner is not sure if it will be available. Is this place so awesome that I should wait 'til August to see what she decides? http://www.vrbo.com/124781
Do I understand that the apartments on your the short list meet your specific requirements but you would like us to assess the neighborhood, metro station vibes, etc.?
They are all fine. Seems you will be far from "seedy metro stops" but I am speaking as a die-hard city person, and I understand others may freak out re what constitutes city living…
Of all your rentals, 166715 enjoys the enchanting location of the Place des Vosges. That would be my choice - if the location issue is a close enough priority to wifi and bed size, etc.
Unless already given, you should ask for exact dimensions on the beds. Sometimes a French queen is more like an American double, and other times it rivals a King for spaciousness. I've never had any problem getting the exact measurements (in centimeters) from the proprietors.
Thank you for your reply. The questions you list are just what I was hoping to have answered! I suppose I was also wondering if I had missed anything in my searches of the forums and someone had stayed someplace that fit my requirements that they could recommend.
Your advice is much-appreciated. I agree that the Place des Vosges is a very hard address to pass up!
I don't know if this place is beyond your budget, but I had a good experience renting from this agency, and the beds were very generously sized. If this particular apartment doesn't work for you, see if they have others.
Thank you for your replies. The apartments at the link you provided are a bit out of our budget this time around, but I plan on heading back, of course, so I'll add that to my spreadsheet.
I did contact the owners for the bed dimensions and they helped me out very promptly. An excellent tip!
With 2 couples a genration apart I would put priority on separate bathrooms as well as bedrooms, which, unfortunately, would eliminate the beautiful Place de Vosge location.
Posts: 64 | Location: Dunedin,FL | Registered: 01 December 2006
Thank you so much to one and all for your help! The apartment in the 1st (VRBO #183118) ended up being most attractive to my family, so that's what we've taken. I'll be sure to report back after our trip.
Let me know if you love this apartment as much as I do! The kitchen is the hook for me. I'm in Paris right now, with my 18 year old granddaughter and we are staying in the 6th ARR, a block from the west side of Jardin du Luxembourg. This area is stunning! We couldn't be happier...it is loaded with great cafes, brassieries and restaurants for dining out; exceptional shopping places and gorgeous scenery; patisseries and boulangeries all over, and good grocery markets like Monoprix, Franprix and Champion food stores. It is so close to everything. We've been walking to the Louvre, Notre Dame Cathedral, Musee D'Orsey, the Eiffel Tower area...lovely!
Hope you have found the perfect home away from home for your upcoming trip!
"When asked by a social-climbing Paris hostess how he liked his truffles, Curnonsky replied, 'In great quantity, madame. In great quantity.'" ~ Curnonsky (Maurice Edmond Sailland) French writer, journalist and gastronome (1872-1956) Brenda
I do love that place! The yellow curtains and red couches read very French to me, and it's so bright and airy. I hope one day you can stay there.
Thanks so much for your offer of help. I love the area around the Luxembourg Gardens, too, but since it's my parents' first trip to Europ and they're not walkers or pubtrans people by nature, I thought we better stay a little further in. At the place we picked, we should be able to stumble to almost anything!
I'm enjoying your blog and it's making me excited for our trip. I'm glad you're having a good trip with Taryn. What an experience for you both.
