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

In another thread I started, http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=997003 , I learned that it's possible to rent an apartment in Paris for a few nights for cheaper than booking a two-star hotel (e.g. ~USD $100 per night for an apartment vs. USD ~$188 per night for a two-star hotel). The hotel I have booked right now is a two-star hotel, charging 135 euros a night--which I think equates to USD ~$188 per night.

Not sure what the advantages are of a hotel if renting an apartment is cheaper and seemingly better.

Has anyone here done this? If so:

-- What did you pay?

-- What part of town did you stay in?

-- Did you find it to be better value than a hotel?

-- Did you have any trouble?

-- What if you have a late flight in (e.g. 9pm or later--how do you get the keys?)

-- Who do you deal with as far as agencies, who gives you the key, etc?

Thanks.

Mike

Anyone?

My family of three have rented an apartment twice when in Paris--first time 10 days, second time 4 days. Yes, you do need to make sure that there is an alternative spot to pick up the keys and get instructions--the RER from CDG can make many unexpected halts while coming into Paris. We rented the same small apt both times on the Ile St Loius--I can't recommend that area enough, very centrally located, can walk to all museums if you want, a lovely atmosphere. I hope to go back soon and stay at ""our" Paris apt--I love having a local market, fromagerie, boulangerie, etc. As long as you make sure that there are alternative key arrangements for the inevitable "just in case" you'll probably be happier. Of course, that means you bring your own toiletriesbut that is offset by walking around the corner or up the block to get your breakfast and then sitting at your own table and enjoying a slow meal. You can also go to one of the many open markets to purchase local food and make a great meal for less than dinner prices at resturants.

We used the Philieas Fogg website to rent our apt--very user friendly site

Have fun and whatever you choose to do, Paris is a great city to spend some time in

Thanks Joja.

Yes, we did this for 10 nights last summer. We used a company called Vacations in Paris (http://www.vacationinparis.com/) which is a U.S. based company so you pay in USD instead of Euros which helps keep the cost down a bit.

-- What did you pay? $230 for 2 BR/2 BA

-- What part of town did you stay in? 18th-but would recommend the 1st, 2nd, 6th or 7th for only 3 days as these are the more central area

-- Did you find it to be better value than a hotel? Absolutely, there were 6 of use and it would have costed far more to tay in a hotel

-- Did you have any trouble? no

-- What if you have a late flight in (e.g. 9pm or later--how do you get the keys?) Vacation in Paris will send you the keys in advance, but for our apt they were left in the apt as it was on a small residental alley which required a security code to get in

-- Who do you deal with as far as agencies, who gives you the key, etc? See above, there was also a local apartment manager to help with anything that came up

I would also recommend checking out the Trip Advisor Paris board (http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowForum-g187147-i14-Paris_Ile_de_France.html) as there is lots of apartment information, including specific apartment recommendations.

Try http://www.citadines.com . They offer apartments in the heart of Paris and you will be able to view the properties on offer and be given up to date prices. Can recommend them.

Thanks.

I've read that VRBO.com is good, so I may check that out as well. Just extended my Paris post-cruise trip by 1 day, so I'll now have 4 nights in Paris. Going to start searching for a studio apartment soon--that's all I need, as it's only me and my wife.

One last note: When you are looking for an apt--make sure that you have a map of Paris available, including the Metro and RER map ( you can get a great Paris Plan Map in many bookstores and on Amazon that fits into a small purse, this map is absolutely essential when navigating the many small streets and alleys of Paris). You want to make sure that your apt is near a metro stop and close to the Seine, one of the lower numbered arrondisements. You don't want to have to travel far to get to what you want to see and you might want to go back and rest during the day. Have a great time. Paris is a fantastic city, meant for meandering and wandering

personally, i'd stay well clear of 2 star hotels in Paris. I used one once on my first overseas trip as a teenager and they are very very basic, The room was so small if one of us wanted to open our suitcase, the other had to sit on the bed with their feet out of the way. there was only a sink in the room. You had to go down the corridor to use a communal toilet. if you wanted a bath or shower you had to go to reception to get the key and pay a charge. Sometimes you had to wait a while before it was available. Wasn't keen on using it straight after another guest either.The lift was like something out of the ark, tiny would only take 2 people and 1 if you had a suitcase at a time.Admittedly you are not going to be spending huge amounts of time in your hotel anyway but be warned a 2 star may not have the most basic of facilities that you'd expect. In my opinion the apartments ounds like a better deal at face value. However it also depends on the location of both. If you give me an idea of where each are located, I'd be able to provide more of an opinion. Some areas are fantastic to stay in, in terms of what is nearby, safety, ambiance etc and others are very dodgy or that far out, you'll spend more time on RER trains or metros travelling than you will doing anything else.

In another thread I started, http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=997003 , I learned that it's possible to rent an apartment in Paris for a few nights for cheaper than booking a two-star hotel (e.g. ~USD $100 per night for an apartment vs. USD ~$188 per night for a two-star hotel). The hotel I have booked right now is a two-star hotel, charging 135 euros a night--which I think equates to USD ~$188 per night.

 

Not sure what the advantages are of a hotel if renting an apartment is cheaper and seemingly better.

 

Has anyone here done this? If so:

 

-- What did you pay?

-- What part of town did you stay in?

-- Did you find it to be better value than a hotel?

-- Did you have any trouble?

-- What if you have a late flight in (e.g. 9pm or later--how do you get the keys?)

-- Who do you deal with as far as agencies, who gives you the key, etc?

 

Thanks.

 

Mike

I've never rented an apartment in place of a hotel room but I would be interested to hear your experiences.

I think that 2* hotels have moved on since the one you mentioned, because I too spent short breaks in similar establishments!! But there are plenty of grotty 2 and 3* so-called hotels that still ply for trade!

You might be interested in looking at the low-cost chain end of the market, such as Etap Hotel and Formule 1 (shower and wc down the corridor - very basic but OK for sleeping), also Ibis, Campanile and Timhotels which are all reasonably well situated. All the above except Campanile and Timhotels can be reached through the Accor hotels website. They also offer Mercure and Novotel (3 and 4* respectively). There are good central Novotels in Paris with rooms to sleep 4 and swimming pools so you can return for a break in your sightseeing and recharge your batteries.

Of course part of the price you pay for this sort of hotel is for a guaranteed standard of accommodation and services, and an easy way to get problems sorted out if they arise.

Please be aware that Paris 'moves out en masse' to the south during the period 14 July to 15 August, so you may find that the prices are high because this is high incoming tourist season in Paris. Do investigate travel passes for the bus, metro and RER subway lines to save time and get lots of flexibility in travel. You may find that there are local mini-supermarkets such as Casino, Huit à Huit, Coop, Simply Market and Shopi which makes self-catering much easier than finding individual shops, though a good baker's (boulangerie) is a winner for croissants, petit pains au chocolat and fresh bread for breakfast. (Do note that French bread does not keep longer than a day at the maximum which is why bakers cook new batches during the day!)

Bon Voyage and have a lovely stay xx

Thanks Joja and Alsacienne. Great advice.

Mike

Hi everyone.

Today or tomorrow, I'm hoping to find a good, small studio apartment / efficiency in one of the lower arrondisements (as suggested) for less 100 euros a night.

Can anyone second the recommendations for apartment rental web sites?

So far I have:

* vrbo.com

* Vacations in Paris

* citadines.com

Someone mentioned TripAdivsor as a source for apartment reviews. Will I have to dig through forum threads to find apartment recommendations, or is there a more specific sections where apartments are ranked by travelers?

Or, does anyone here have recommendations for any specific, centrally located (< 8 arrondisement apartments) studio / efficiency apartments. Not sure what they're called in Europe... but basically one room where you both sleep and cook, with a side bathroom--basically a hotel room with cooking facilities.

Is there anything that makes one apartment rental web site better than any other in terms of guarantees, customer service, etc? Not just in selection. I'm a little leery of mistakenly choosing a street that may be seedy. In places like Brooklyn, NY, for instance, there are nice streets that are very close to scary, not-so-nice streets. Isn't the same true of Paris?

Thanks!

Still looking for recommendations here from CCers, but I went ahead and posted to the Paris TripAdvisor.com forums--with as much excruciating detail as I could muster about what me and my wife are looking for:

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g187147-i14-k2906321-Studio_apt_in_lower_arrondisement_for_100_euros_or_less-Paris_Ile_de_France.html

I thought you had a stiff cancellation policy with your hotel room. Aren't you kind of stuck with it?

I thought you had a stiff cancellation policy with your hotel room. Aren't you kind of stuck with it?

Nope. They had a completely ambiguous cancellation policy. Turns out I can cancel penalty-free up to 2 months in advance. So I have a few weeks to do so. It gets punishing 2 months in advance and later; then, they charge your credit card for 1 night as a deposit and refuse to refund it, ever.

On the Trip Advisor boards, I recommend just searching the various website that I and others have recommended as you should find a good deal of information about each. The Paris Trip Advisor message boards are a wealth of information and a great resource for planning your trip.

If you want a central Paris studio apartment, have a look at the Citadines website with particular reference to the apartments in the buildings called Paris Louvre, Opera Vendome, Grands Boulevards or Saint Germain de Pres. They are all very central and very convenient in decent areas.

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.

studio / efficiency apartments

I'm not particularly sure that Paris has many of these, as this is not really a European concept, although examples do exist. I think that the Citadines group is really a pioneer in this field.

Otherwise, have you considered checking the universities of Paris to see if they have self-catering flats available for hire during the holidays? (Mind you these may not be very central ..................)

I'm not particularly sure that Paris has many of these, as this is not really a European concept, although examples do exist. I think that the Citadines group is really a pioneer in this field.

 

Otherwise, have you considered checking the universities of Paris to see if they have self-catering flats available for hire during the holidays? (Mind you these may not be very central ..................)

I am already booked with VIP and happy with my choice. They had many studio apartments to choose from in good areas. Not sure what you mean by holidays. Are universities not in session in late September?

Never checked Citadines, but I did check others like ChezVous.com who only had luxury properties from what I could tell. Checked with a friend who lives in Paris and he said I chose a very lovely neighborhood.

French universities are going through a period of turmoil and rebellion and this year the timetable has been all over the shop! Schools return early September, but some unis don't start until later in September, so without investigating the nearest Paris uni to your destination, I cannot give factual advice on this matter.

For my own use, as a long term foreign resident in France, could you give the VIP website reference again as it might prove very useful to me. Which arrondissement are you staying in? Bonnes Vacances!

French universities are going through a period of turmoil and rebellion and this year the timetable has been all over the shop! Schools return early September, but some unis don't start until later in September, so without investigating the nearest Paris uni to your destination, I cannot give factual advice on this matter.

 

For my own use, as a long term foreign resident in France, could you give the VIP website reference again as it might prove very useful to me. Which arrondissement are you staying in? Bonnes Vacances!

VacationInParis.com is the web site. I'm staying in the 5th, with universities all around. It is a U.S. run agency (based in New Jersey) and payment is in U.S. dollars.

Thanks Mike! As a non-US person, I reckon that paying in dollars will probably be disadvantageous but I look forward to checking the site.

You're very welcome. I'm sure you can pay in any currency you like, as they accept PayPal and will ship keys worldwide.