Picking a Paris Apartment

 If you've decided to go the apartment route, especially in Paris, it pays to do your homework.

Picking the Perfect Paris Apartment

 

Picking a Paris apartment requires a bit of reading the fine print, not to mention reading between the lines.   There are wonderful places and less wonderful ones.

Many think that apartments are less expensive than hotels.   If you’re staying at least a week, this is often true.   But like hotels, apartments come in all categories, so a deluxe apartment for three or four days will be comparable in price to a deluxe hotel room, and a budget apartment for a few days will cost about the same as a budget hotel.  In between lie all the varieties of size, location, decoration and amenities.

So what do you have to look for?

Size

The smallest Paris apartments are very very small.  Some are smaller than small Parisian hotel rooms.  Lots of listings give size in square meters.   Pay attention to this.

Size – number of guests

“Sleeps four’ often means that two people get a bedroom and two get the couch in the living room.  This might be perfect for you – or not.  (Sometimes there isn’t really a wall between the bedroom and the living room – it’s just a divided space.).  Check those photos and ask questions.

Size – the building

The listing will tell you if the building has an elevator.  If it doesn’t mention one (or a lift, which is the same thing), there’s no elevator.  If the apartment’s on the 4^th or 5^th floor, remember that you will have to carry your suitcases, groceries, purchases -  up.

Location - A

The more desirable the location, the higher the price – just like a hotel.

Most expensive are the center arondissements 1 -8.   Trendy neighborhoods cost more.

Location - B

You will see “a few steps from’ and ‘a stone’s throw from’ in too many listings to count.  Check the map and see how far away the metro stop really is.

Location – C

In general you want to be in a neighborhood where cafés and restaurants aren’t too far away.   Some residential neighborhoods don’t have much commerce (people who live there year round have cars.)   Pay attention to the description about this too.

Amenities

Good apartments come with linens, cooking facilities and equipment, washing machine (French style – an adventure), WIFI, telephone.   There are lots of variables here.   Heat in winter may cost extra.

Amenities B  (for bedding)

Bed sizes are often given, but can be misleading.  Some people advertise 140 cm as a queen bed (it isn’t – at least not in the US). 

Décor

The least expensive apartments are sparsely furnished and testify to the proximity of Ikea.  Some have increased their floor space by putting the bed on the mezzanine, accessible by ladder (something to watch for in the photos.)   Other apartments have gorgeous classic furnishings.  Look carefully and read carefully.

Deposits

Most apartments require a substantial deposit – 30 percent or so, plus the balance upon arrival plus a large damage deposit.   Methods of payment vary, so be sure you have your arrangements in order.

Owners

Apartments are rented by agencies, by groups, by individuals.   Specialty agencies generally inspect apartments regularly.  Individual owners may have one or more properties, and may also be your next door neighbors.   Everyone’s online, but check carefully to see if you can ask questions and get answers.

Sources

Apartment rental agencies abound and are easy to find since the internet arrived.  Google Vacation apartments in Paris (or anywhere else in France) and you’ll get a long list.    I’ve personally used VRBO  (Vacation Rental by Owner  www.vrbo.com)

 with good luck.   They have a sister site as well called Home Away (www.homeaway.com)

Gite.com is a French agency with apartments and house rentals, and often

has special offers for last minute bookings.

http://www.gites-de-france.com/ has an extenisve listing of house and apartment rentals, as well as chambres d’hôtes (Bed and breakfast lodging).   The site is in French only.

Hotels versus Rentals

 Hotels versus Rentals

I often get calls from clients looking for house or apartment rentals in France. It’s easy to be charmed by the vision of your own little home in France, buying your morning croissants at the local bakery, sipping an apéritif on your terrasse overlooking the – fill in the blank – vineyard/red tiled roofs/ Eiffel Tower.   And it can be lots of fun – no doubt.  

The pluses – more space, kitchen facilities, a more residential location, and most of all, the feeling that you’re part of the place rather than just a visitor.   I've rented apartments and even a small house in Paris and in Nice, and a charming house in the Dordogne. 

But it’s not for everyone and not for every trip.

When should you choose a hotel rather than a rental?

On your first visit, or especially your first trip to Europe.

            You have enough to get used to, without keeping house.

If you require or desire someone available for advice, booking restaurants, giving directions.

            Most apartments or rental houses have someone you can call when the plumbing breaks down, but on-site help is quite variable.   Sometimes there’s a lot and sometimes there’s none.

If you’re only staying a few days

            There’s no cost advantage and you’ll spend more of your time dealing with practical matters.

If you like to be waited on

            With a rental, you make your own bed, do your own dishes, tidy up after yourself.

On your honeymoon.

            See above.

If you don’t want to pay a large amount in advance.

            Rentals require substantial deposits and damage deposits – for good reason.

And when should you consider an apartment or house rental?

When you’re staying longer than a week in one place.

            Your fantasies can come to life – you’ll feel part of the neighborhood.   And a rental’s cost advantage becomes stronger with longer stays.

If you’re independent and know your way around the city or region.

If you’re traveling with a big family or group of friends.

            Lots of private space to spread out, easier with children, and a budget advantage for meals as well as housing.  Even if you don’t cook much, having a kitchen available for drinks and snacks is practical and economical.

If the fantasy is just too strong to resist.   Here’s the view out the window on the street where we lived in Nice.  Our neighbor in Vieux Nice was the Palais Lascaris.

In the next post, I’ll give you some tips on what to pay attention to when booking a rental property.