Renting an apartment in Paris for 3 nights vs. a 2 star hotel--less than 100 euros/nt

[NancyIL]

I'm going with VacationInParis.com.

 

Some things to be mindful of:

 

* Most of their apartments have a 3 night minimum

* Many have a short-stay fee of anywhere between USD $75 and USD $100. I was going to stay 4 nights, but decided to stay 5.

 

I'm getting a studio apartment, ~300 sq. feet in a single digit arrondisement in a nice neighborhood, near a market street, for USD $125 a night. Small perhaps, but twice the size of my stateroom. That's the high season price. It's USD $99 a night for the off-season. This turns out to be USD $60 a night cheaper than the 2 star hotel I was booked for. That's a savings of USD $300 for the 5 nights. Not bad. Considering the place has a kitchen and washer/dryer, I'll save even more than $60 a night. Eating out in Paris seems extravagantly expensive, even for modest restaurants.

 

Some of the studio apartments they have sleep 4, so it could be quite a value.

 

The agency is based in New Jersey and mails the apartment keys to you 2-3 weeks before you depart. Spoke with them on the phone and they seem nice. Read good things about them elsewhere.

 

They also have 1, 2, and 3 bedroom places. Will have to report back in the Fall after my trip.

 

Thanks for starting this thread. :) After looking at a number of studios and one-bedroom apartments on the http://www.vacationinparis.com web site and reading the reviews at Trip Advisor (http://www.tripadvisor.com/VacationRentals-g187147-Reviews-Paris_Ile_de_France-Vacation_Rentals.html) - I booked a studio for 3 nights in June 2010. The apt. is in the 2nd arrondisement near Rue Montorgueil @ $155/night plus a short-stay surcharge of $85. The Rick Steves' recommended hotels I was interested in would've been 160 euros/night for a triple in 2009, and they weren't air-conditioned.

[mikeerdas]

Thanks for starting this thread. :) After looking at a number of studios and one-bedroom apartments on the www.vacationinparis.com web site and reading the reviews at Trip Advisor (http://www.tripadvisor.com/VacationRentals-g187147-Reviews-Paris_Ile_de_France-Vacation_Rentals.html) - I booked a studio for 3 nights in June 2010. The apt. is in the 2nd arrondisement near Rue Montorgueil @ $155/night plus a short-stay surcharge of $85. The Rick Steves' recommended hotels I was interested in would've been 160 euros/night for a triple in 2009, and they weren't air-conditioned.

 

You're very welcome Nancy. Glad you found something you liked. If you rented the one I'm thinking of, it looks like a gorgeous and cute apartment. Originally, I wanted to rent the "Tower View" apartment near Rue Montorgueil. It has a distant view of the Eiffel Tower and Rue Montorgueil sounds interesting.

 

However, I did some looking around on Google Street View--this allows to you "walk" up and down nearly any street in Paris and see how things look from the ground. We ultimately decided we liked the neighborhood in the 5th better. It is quieter than the 2nd arrondisement (asked a friend who lives in Paris to confirm) and quainter. VIP was good about letting us switch apartments. It was no trouble at all. But I'm sure we would have been plenty happy in the Tower View apartment.

 

I like how VacationInParis.com lists its apartments by Arrondisement number:

 

http://www.vacationinparis.com/infop/studios.htm

 

I think they have a few apartments in the "Rick Steves approved" neighborhood of Rue Cler. Since I just booked for September, all the Rue Cler places were already booked. So it pays to reserve well in advance. I'm a little happier with my neighborhood, because it places me about a 15 min walk from the RER line that goes to/from Charles De Gaulle airport. Rue Cler looked like it a bit of a pain to get to via public transport (having to switch from the RER, to the metro, to another metro line).

 

I checked my Rick Steves' Paris book, and the neighborhood in the 5th I chose was also "Rick Steves approved," but just on the edge. Evidently, Rick only recommends a few neighborhoods that he considers to be more Parisian / well located. Not that I'd slavishly follow Rick Steves' advice. But I've found him to be a reliable travel info source and like his approach.

 

Have fun in Paris.

 

Mike

[mikeerdas]

Ok, I reached the time limit for editing. One more thing I wanted to say:

 

My friend in Paris says the 2nd is great for being close to museums and good eats, but that parts of the 5th are prettier and quieter. I'm not a huge fan of cities generally, and like my peace and quiet. Looked like plenty of good eats in my neighborhood.

 

Around the streets in the 2nd where I looked for studios, it looked a lot more commercial, with some large, not-so-pretty boulevards. Again, I'm sure it's absolutely fine. But I ultimately chose the 5th. The Tower View apartment had a metro within a 2 minute walk, which is fabulous. But I think I've got two metros within a 5 min walk, and an RER in about 10 mins. I've read, here or elsewhere, that pretty much wherever you are in Paris, that transportation is easy.

[NancyIL]

You're very welcome Nancy. Glad you found something you liked. If you rented the one I'm thinking of, it looks like a gorgeous and cute apartment. Originally, I wanted to rent the "Tower View" apartment near Rue Montorgueil. It has a distant view of the Eiffel Tower and Rue Montorgueil sounds interesting.

 

However, I did some looking around on Google Street View--this allows to you "walk" up and down nearly any street in Paris and see how things look from the ground. We ultimately decided we liked the neighborhood in the 5th better. It is quieter than the 2nd arrondisement (asked a friend who lives in Paris to confirm) and quainter. VIP was good about letting us switch apartments. It was no trouble at all. But I'm sure we would have been plenty happy in the Tower View apartment.

 

I like how VacationInParis.com lists its apartments by Arrondisement number:

 

http://www.vacationinparis.com/infop/studios.htm

 

I think they have a few apartments in the "Rick Steves approved" neighborhood of Rue Cler. Since I just booked for September, all the Rue Cler places were already booked. So it pays to reserve well in advance. I'm a little happier with my neighborhood, because it places me about a 15 min walk from the RER line that goes to/from Charles De Gaulle airport. Rue Cler looked like it a bit of a pain to get to via public transport (having to switch from the RER, to the metro, to another metro line).

 

I checked my Rick Steves' Paris book, and the neighborhood in the 5th I chose was also "Rick Steves approved," but just on the edge. Evidently, Rick only recommends a few neighborhoods that he considers to be more Parisian / well located. Not that I'd slavishly follow Rick Steves' advice. But I've found him to be a reliable travel info source and like his approach.

 

Have fun in Paris.

 

Mike

 

We stayed in one of Rick Steves' recommended hotels in Rue Cler in 2000 (Hotel du Champ de Mars) and it was a nice area - but I wanted to be more centrally located this time. He doesn't mention Rue Montorgueil, except for the market, but it's not far from the Marais.

 

I was initially interested in the 5th arrondisement, and liked a studio on Rue St. Jacques - but it was on the 3rd floor and didn't have AC. We may or may not need AC in mid-June, but I'd rather have it than not and wish I did. The one-bedroom "Jewel" I especially liked in the 5th was a bit farther from where I wanted to stay, but it sure was cute! Then I started looking in the 1st and 2nd arrondisements. Our studio apt. is just off Rue Montorgueil and is close to several metro stations and the Les Halles RER station. Looking at a metro map - it would be hard to be any more centrally located.

[mikeerdas]

We stayed in one of Rick Steves' recommended hotels in Rue Cler in 2000 (Hotel du Champ de Mars) and it was a nice area - but I wanted to be more centrally located this time. He doesn't mention Rue Montorgueil, except for the market, but it's not far from the Marais.

 

I was initially interested in the 5th arrondisement, and liked a studio on Rue St. Jacques - but it was on the 3rd floor and didn't have AC. We may or may not need AC in mid-June, but I'd rather have it than not and wish I did. The one-bedroom "Jewel" I especially liked in the 5th was a bit farther from where I wanted to stay, but it sure was cute! Then I started looking in the 1st and 2nd arrondisements. Our studio apt. is just off Rue Montorgueil and is close to several metro stations and the Les Halles RER station. Looking at a metro map - it would be hard to be any more centrally located.

 

Sounds great! Yep, Les Halles RER station would be very convenient to be near. If I ever get to Paris again after my trip this Fall, it would be fun to try another arrondisement and see how I like it. I know you will have a great time. Enjoy!

[NancyIL]

Sounds great! Yep, Les Halles RER station would be very convenient to be near. If I ever get to Paris again after my trip this Fall, it would be fun to try another arrondisement and see how I like it. I know you will have a great time. Enjoy!

 

Thanks, and I hope you'll have a great time in Paris in September! Be sure to buy the Museum Pass.

[mikeerdas]

Thanks Nancy. I'm absolutely going to buy the Paris museum pass. Sounds like a great value. And any time I can get past a line legitimately, I'm going to go for it. :-)