We are a family of four from the US. Thinking of coming to Paris in Nov. Noticing that allot of hotels are mostly for 3 and we really don%26#39;t want to get two rooms. Was looking at VRBO (Vacation Rentals by Owner) for the room and great price.
Wondering if there is a downside for us doing this since we don%26#39;t speak any French and thinking that there might be more help at a hotel for us with someone speaking English. (Explaining things for us, etc??) Thanks!
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Well you have pretty much covered it already.
An apartment gives you more room (plus a kitchen, laundry etc) ususally for less money that 2 hotel rooms. They are great for families or groups travelling together.
However the downside is that often you don%26#39;t have a concierge or front desk to ask those typical tourist questions. You usually don%26#39;t have someone to service the apartment everyday so you may need to make your own bed, tidy your own mess, and if necessary wash and dry your own towels. There is also no room service but that is often missing from smaller hotels as well.
If these facilities are important to you then you may be better off getting adjoining rooms (relatively rare in Paris) or a suite (perhaps expensive) in a hotel.
Another option is to use a chain like Citadines which offer what they call aparthotels. These are apartments all in the one building with a reception desk where you check in and can ask for assistance. Some have breakfast rooms (which I think is a waste when you have an apartment and all of Paris outside!) Sometimes you still need to pay extra if you want the apartment serviced and often the laundry is a few coin operated machines down in the basement.
They are an excellent compromise between a small hotel room and an apartment where you may feel quite isolated.
citadines.com
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One of the downsides is that you don%26#39;t have a concierge however many apartments have a laptop / internet which you can use to look up information and also good apartments typically have a library of guides and books in the apartment. Also, good apartments have guides in the apartment to help orient you.
Paris is pretty easy to get around even if you are not french speaking if you have a guide book. You can also signup for walking tours (eg. http://paris-walks.com/) ...
So look through vrbo and http://www.flipkey.com and glance through the amenities to see if there are guide books (or you can bring your own) or laptop (or at least WiFI if you have your own).
I%26#39;d suggest staying in the 1st to 6th arrondissments.
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vacationinparis.com and homeaway.com Happy Travels!
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You cannot necessarily rely on hotel staff for much more than making restaurant reservations and pointing you to the nearest metro station or bus stop. Not all are fluent in English and how helpful depends on where you stay. They may or may not be useful for %26quot;explaining things%26quot;, particularly if they are busy at the moment and other people are waiting.
It%26#39;s far better to do enough research ahead of time that you won%26#39;t need things explained, which will also save you much time during your visit.
I think the pluses of staying in an apartment far outweigh the minuses.
Many apartments provide extensive and very useful guides - one for everything in the apartment, and another for seeing, doing, dining, shopping, tips for getting around, and so forth.
With a family of four, just having a kitchen can save you a fortune on beverages, breakfast, light meals and snacks. Most neighborhoods are chock full of shops with wonderful pre-prepared foods (roast chickens, for example). It%26#39;s especially nice to have morning coffee before getting dressed and going out (always better and less costly than hotel service to your room). And, a nicer place to relax at the end of the day.
A huge advantage of an apartment is the extra space. Just having seating other than the bed(s) and a desk chair is wonderful. Most have a washer/dryer which means you can pack much lighter! And, many have more TV channels (so you can check the news/weather in English), a CD player, DVD player.
Often, there is no place to store your bags and they may take up what little aisle space there is in a typical hotel room.
Staying in an apartment does require that you be more independent.
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Hi -
I think that you can do very nicely in an apartment whether or not you speak French. The key is, as was posted, read a guide book - or two. I think most of us here on the forum use at least two, and some folks use three. One just doesn%26#39;t seem to do it. I travel overseas often, and I still consult a guidebook before making my arrangements. Also, get a map of the city. I like the StreetWise series and the Knopf City Guides. Many folks here on the forum swear by Paris par Arrondissement. All three of these are available from www.amazon.com . A good map will help you orient yourselves and allow you to plan your itinerary.
I would also invest in a good dictionary and a phrase book.
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Consider checking out www.parisbestlodge.com. These are 6 apartments privately owned by a man named Thierry. He also manages several more for friends of his in the same area. The apartments are really nice and Thierry has gotten very good reviews on Tripadvisor so you feel safe sending a deposit over to him early.
As far as the concierge goes all of Thierry%26#39;s apartments have internet AND a computer so looking up the closest restaurant/cafe or the closest metro only takes a few seconds. And you don%26#39;t have to worry about lugging your laptop around. From what I%26#39;ve read about Thierry he also sounds very helpful and willing to give you any advice u%26#39;d need.
My fiance are planning on staying at one of his apartments next year for our honeymoon and we can%26#39;t wait.
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Thanks SO much everyone.....all this info has been sooo helpful! We will definitely be staying in an apartment...more room and saves money....all right up my alley!
I%26#39;m a definite planner and will read up and have everything mapped out before we get there. I was also going to make a %26#39;cheat sheet%26#39; with popular words and phrases.
Thanks so much again!
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if you decide to go look at agencies vs direct-from-owners, my favorites (to complement the others mentioned) are:
http://www.haveninparis.com
http://www.athomeinfrance.com
http://www.villeetvillage.com
There are lots of agencies and many carry the same apartments even!
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Just thought I%26#39;d add one more thing. At the Carousel du Louvre, under the glass pyramid, there is a Tourist Office. The people who work there all speak English and can offer all kinds of assistance. We%26#39;ve used them to make train reservations, book tours to Giverny, etc. We love staying in an apartment and were worried about the lack of a concierge, etc., as well. But with everything the other posters have suggested plus this Tourist Office you%26#39;re in great shape. Have a wonderful trip!
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You havent said how old your children are or how long you will be staying. If the kids are small 5 and under I would stay at some sort of apt whether an apt hotel (ie Citadines) or a standard apt. If they were older, I would likely not stay as a first timer unless the stay was about a week unless I stayed with the equivalent a a %26quot;full service%26quot; agency (ex Paris Perfect) where the apartments are %26quot;theirs%26quot; with quick back up if no hot water, toilet blocked, no heat leak ect. Why? If you rent an apt where although the agency maybe local but the owner is not and something goes wrong- phone calls hang around for the repairman which can really take up most of a day..so I dont think the decision is quite as cut and dry. Both hotels and apts have the good and the bad but if something goes wrong with an apt can be a major problem depending on owner location and availability. In addition with most apts must prepay at least 50 per cent on booking. With a hotel, often nothing or max 1 night so if anything changes can be costly. Travel insurance is a must but the company dinner party or postponement because of a second cousin%26#39;s wedding will not be a reason for canceling a trip.
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