Need apartment rec's

[bmckenney]

Hi all,

I have read a lot of threads on this board and really appreciate the the community of knowledge and experience here. And reading about some of the trustworthy agencies or private rentals that people here mention has been valuable.

I need an apartment for the last week in July 2011. I am tempted to contact a number of the preferred agencies I have read about here asking for suggestions, and I probably will.

But I would love some recommendations from some members too though.

I don't really have a preference for a specific location in Paris because I'm not familiar with the city to have a preference.

But I do have some things that I'm looking for and I was hoping I could share this and get some specific apartment recommendations.

This rental will be for a family of 4. Two parents and two teenagers. I would like three beds if possible. A one bedroom with a queen bed and then another two beds. I'd like each teenager to have their own bed if possible. But they could share a bed if the apartment was just too good to pass up.

I'd also like a nice apartment of course. Clean, spacious, well equipped and quiet. Not located above a loud cafe or bar.

A small garden or balcony would be nice too.

The location should be relatively central with good transportation.

And the section of the city is important to me. A place that is a great area with lots of shops, cafes etc.

I noticed luckyluc's VRBO is highly recommended and he's in Ottawa which is reassuring for me because we are located in Calgary, Canada. But I'm not sure the studio and bed situation is going to work for us. It's a little tight and could mean a compromise for me I think. But I'm willing to compromise as long as the kids will be comfortable with their bed and sleeping.

Budget is around $1000 per week. I could go a little more if the apartment was too good to pass up.

I'm hoping to book this soon so we get a chance for a highly desirable apartment by booking a year in advance.

Thanks,
Bryan

[holger]

We use perfectlyparis.com. Gail is wonderful and she has some two bedroom apartments that would suit four people. Check the web site and also look at some of the one bedrooms that have a bedroom but then one or two sofa beds in the living room. We stay at La Belle Epoque and some friends will be staying at a two bedroom called Houdon Hideaway. the one bedroom called Sacre Coeur has a terrace, one bedroom and sofabeds in the living room and dining room so it might meet your requirements.

[PariS]

We've rented with VIP, Guest Apartment Services, Paris Deluxe Rentals, and France for Rent--and had excellent experiences with all of them. They are trustworthy and reliable companies to deal with. We also rented an apartment on VRBO.com and had a good experience with the individual owner of that apartment (see below).

A couple things to consider: Since you'll be there in July, do you want an air conditioner? Just so you know, most apartments aren't going to have one unless it's specifically mentioned. Might not be important to you...but then again it might! And another heads up--be aware that a great many of the buildings in Paris don't have elevators--so if you're looking at a place on the 5th French floor (that's 5 flights of stairs up, not 4), you'll be climbing them several times a day unless the apartment you're renting specifically mentions having an elevator! A lot of us don't mind climbing a few flights at the end of a long day, but I stayed in a place on the 6th floor once and swore I'd never do that again!

Here are a few places I've got bookmarked that might interest you and might not be too far out of the budget:

I haven't used Frenchy Rentals, but this apartment looks great and is in a neighborhood I'd like to explore more. Very near the market street of rue des Martyrs, which would be fun.
www.frenchyrentals.com/stlazare.html

For the location, this one might be worth spending a little more on--it's on the Ile St. Louis, right behind Notre Dame. We stayed on the island once and absolutely loved it. It can get a little busy during the day, but night time is quiet and peaceful. Tons of shops and restaurants on the main street, and transportation is great--but you can also walk to many places from there. And this apartment is directly across the street from an Amorino shop (yummy gelato!)
www.homeaway.com/vacation-rental/p161528
Google the location here
maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=111414133291493665725.000444de21a77a98dc997&ll=48.852044,2.355838&spn=0.005231,0.016512&z=17&layer=c&cbll=48.852115,2.355647&panoid=xp5q62l04XxnwgHR4jL-Xw&cbp=12,114.24,,0,3.13

And this last place is the sister apartment to a little studio we rented directly across from Notre Dame. The view out the windows might make this one worth a bit extra too. The owner was great to work with (they're actually a father/son team--dad owns the 2 bedroom, son owns the studio). We loved watching the river and the late-night goings on at Notre Dame from our windows. The building is nice and quiet, and there are lots of shops in the streets behind it, and good transportation options also. Listed on VRBO, but here's a direct link to their website:
www.quai-montebello.fr/en/index.php

As you get further into your hunt you might hit upon other things you want to avoid or include in your parameters--so keep us posted and we'll be glad to add our two cents!

[possopo]

I'll suggest you to go through AirBnB.
you'll communicate directly with the owner and the fee is not too huge (usually more 25%, here, 15%).
but the best is just to google around and find a home owner (via a website, blog...).

I am a home owner myself and here is my website (not yet perfectly finished though) :
vacation-paris-apartment.com/

there are loaads of others like this and i genreally suggest not to go through a regular agency (AirBnB is a little different) since they don't take any responsibilty if a problem occurs (I can tell you, I also have my place listed in some of them), human contact sometimes is rather limited and the price is just ridiculous.

[PariS]

Possopo--thanks for the new site to add to the list. I hadn't heard of AirBnB before now.

I understand where you're coming from regarding huge agency fees (I'm currently setting up our own apartment to rent, so I know how much they charge the owners!), but I disagree about recommending against using an agency for the typical traveler. There are too many horror stories out there about scams and unscrupulous owners, and using a reputable agency builds in some safety for the renter--they know they are sending their hard-earned money to someone who has provided this service hundreds of times before and can be trusted to provide the product.

If you rent thru a good full service agency (like those recommended in the posts above, as opposed to a "clearing house" type agency), they DO take responsibility for any problems the renters have and will come to the apartment personally within a short time to take care of it. The people from Guest Apartment Services and Paris Deluxe Rentals both came to our apartments several times when we had difficulties with internet, washing machine, etc.

Of course there are a great many individual owners who are on the up and up who list with VRBO, HomeAway and the like, who are great to deal with and provide impeccable service and apartments (such as our own LuckyLuc and Truffaut), and those places are well worth searching out. The only problem is, there are so many apartments for rent in Paris, and it can be hit or miss when searching for trustworthy reviews and recommendations for a lot of these places. I won't send my money blindly to anyone unless they completely check out with reviews and recommendations from multiple sources. I eliminate that layer of suspicion when I deal directly with an agency I trust and know will have my back in case of problems.

[btrflyrfree]

I am trying to work (I don't think I worked this hard when I was working) a Paris trip after visiting my son in Germany and a friend is visiting her daughter in Amsterdam, both of us meeting in Paris. Locating an apartment this late has been a challenge. Has anyone used Frenchy rentals lately or has anyone stayed in this apt www.vrbo.com/15398 the Fromentin in the 9th. We will be in Paris from 9/3 to 9/12. Is there a get together during that time? Thanks for your help

[PariS]

I'm pretty sure Laidback has rented with Frenchy Rentals. He's not on here much anymore, but you might be able to locate him thru Chowhound?? Or if you PM me your contact info, I can email it to him and ask him if he wouldn't mind emailing you.