Paris apartment rentals

Parisbestlodge.

They are reliable .. a small agency of owners.. the manager( who is also an owner) is wonderful to deal with, speaks and writes perfect english. The apartments are clean, well equipped and in good safe areas. I used them two years ago, recommended them to a friend, she used them.. and she had a great experience too( she was solo also, and while Thierry was full up he recomended she rent from Isabelles apartments and she loved the place she got in the Marais)

While in Paris we saw three other of his apartments.. two were between customers being cleaned so he showed them to us.. and one the lady who rented it let us come in and look around as we had chatted to her a few times before. Every apartment we saw was exactly as pictured . They are not not large luxury appartments but they are so well kept , modern clean bathrooms, and the ones in our building had great views of Notre Dame ( we stayed in the Esmeralda) .

Plus Parisbestlodge does not make you pay some massive up front fee like some agencies.

I have stayed in hotels for decades before renting an apartment. I have relatives and friends in Paris and have spent months there. so the appeal of an apartment so I could pretend to live like a local had no appeal to me.. but my relatives er.. have died off , I only have two left there now and they are in their 80s.. too old to put out by staying with them, but when I took my boyfriend to Paris he really wanted to try one. So we did and it was great. ( but yes. I MISSED the maid coming in and making bed and tidying up while we were out.. I don't care what people think,, a maid is wonderful!) but this year we are doing a mix of hotels AND renting another apartment from Parisbestlodge.

One issue now may be he will not have a vacancy. He has been around for a long time and has a very good reputation, I booked my apartment for July a few weeks ago and he only had two choices open! yikes.

You can also try ParisPerfect, Vacation in Paris or Guest Apartment Service. I highly doubt that any of Thierry's places will still be available for a summer (peak season) rental but it is definitely worth a try. Check out the Esmerelda apartment at PBL. It is too small for my family but people I know who have stayed there loved it.

I've used Vacation in Paris multiple times and always been very satisfied. They're very responsive to emails/calls, located in US so you pay in dollars, they mail you the key in advance so you just walk in (but also have local contacts for problems), have many listings of various sizes/costs/areas, etc. We're using ParisStay next Fall since we needed a large place and ViP doesn't have many of those. But for studios, 1 and 2 bedrooms - check out ViP!

I looked on many of the sights listed here on the web site, including VRBO, Homeaway, Airbnb. I think they are all pretty reputable. I rented through Homeaway and the owner has been very responsive to my emails and very professional. I think you just have to spend time looking though all of the possibilities online after you have chosen a neighborhood and price you are comfortable with. I emailed about 10 different apartment owners and had replies from about 5. I took the first two quick replies and decided they seemed more attentive and responsible, so I went with one of those. So far, so good with communication, but my trip isn't until June, so then we'll see how it goes. Also, look for decent reviews.

Brenda, I would also give a vote to vacationinparis.com.

We used vrbo and found a great place on the Canal St Martin. We've used vrbo for other vacations, too, and we've never had a problem.

Another vote for Vacation in Paris!

Thank you all so much for the references and ideas.
I don't worry too much about being pampered by maid service,
but cleanliness and location are of upmost importance. I will
check these out. I think i might be able to stay in Paris longer for
less money in an apartment and, although i love Paris restaurants,
i can probably gain less weight on the trip if i do some
small meals at "home." :)
I just LOVE Paris and think I would enjoy the feel of "living" there
for a few weeks.

I have used Vacation in Paris twice both 79 and 249! Both were great! Nothing but good to say about every detail!

Another vote for Vacation in Paris. We rented from them last year and will be in one of their apartments again this year. Really like having the keys before we leave home so don't have to worry about meeting someone at certain time in Paris. We also had free wifi, free phone calls to the US and a bottle of wine waiting for us when we arrived.

I like VRBO and Homeaway. For this years trip I am also checking out airbnb.

Check out this company. I plan to stay in one of their cute apartments next time in Paris.

http://cobblestoneparis.com
https://www.facebook.com/CobblestoneParis

We've used http://www.apartmentparis.fr/index.php for 5 years, and have been very satisfied. (Click on the British flag (upper right) for English.) They have mainly studio and 1 bdrm apartments, and offer weekly/monthly discounts. Their apartments aren't fancy, but we've found them roomy and comfortable. In contrast to hotel living, you'll pay a cleaning fee (for after you've left), and sometimes a damage deposit. These are set costs, so staying longer spreads these costs over more days. You pay half when you reserve, and the remainder upon arrival. This is a French company, so we pay via their website, with a debit card. (This avoids the Paypal surcharge, and all currency conversion costs.) BTW, if you're worried about summer heat, you might request a place with cross ventilation, as most Parisians don't have AC. We've greatly enjoyed the switch from hotels to apartments!

My Apartment in Paris is an excellent company. http://www.my-apartment-in-paris.com/ We stayed in a Paris apartment on Rue du Bac for one month using their service. Arrangements were made by the internet and payment by Master Card. Utilities for the month were extra and ran $ 14 Euros. My wife and I went with them after reviewing 3300 apartments and five agencies in advance.

Hi Brenda,

We used Parisperfect and they were a wonderful agency to work with. My husband and I visited Paris for the first time last August/September (12 days). Our apartment (Fleurie) was exactly as pictured. Parisperfect has an office site right in the 7th, very close to the apartment we rented. When we got to the airport, we used a cab service they recommended, which was waiting for us right outside of customs. The cab service called ahead to see if our apartment was ready. It was still being cleaned so we were dropped off at the office, where we left our luggage until the apartment was ready. We walked around Rue Clere, and about an hour later we were called and a very friendly young man took us to our apartment. He guided us through appliance usage (we had a washer and dryer in the apartment, which allowed us to pack light for the trip.) Also, the apartment was extremely secure and in a wonderful location.

If we ever get the opportunity to return to Paris, I would definitely contact this service again.