My friend and I will be spending new years Eve plus 5 days in Paris.
I know a hotel/apartment is probably going to be expensive.
A friend is a member of some travel club and he booked us hotels
in madrid and Barcelona with his points(free for us). He said for us to wait 60 days
from now and he will see if he can book us a room with his points.
Right now he says the points are too high so far in advance.
Im wondering should we wait and see if he can get us a room ?
or should we start booking now Im worried that we wont be able to
get a place in Paris on such short notice or that if we do it will be so expensive.
Posted by
Seattle, WA, USA
784 posts
Time is of the essence at this point, so my advice is to check a site such as Booking.com to see what is available for your dates and book a hotel room that allows you to cancel without penalty. Then if your friend comes through for you, you can cancel with no out-of-pocket, but if not, you'll still have a place to sleep. I wouldn't wait another minute to book a room at this late date for Paris. Good luck!
Posted by
New York, NY, USA
11294 posts
I agree you should book a room now, just in case your friend can't get one for you. But make SURE that you can cancel it without penalty. Every place is free to set their own cancellation policy. Make sure you read it and understand it. If you don't like it, don't book that place - period.
Posted by
Albuquerque, New Mexico
46 posts
I will also be there for New Years Eve, and this is how I planned it:
This is my fourth trip to Paris, and I usually stay in hotels. However, there are three of us this time, and a triple room is harder to find, and more expensive to boot.
I looked around, and I found an apartment for lease in the Marais district. Divided by the three of us, it will be cheaper than staying at any reasonable hotel anywhere within the Peripherique. And, the pluses are that we don't have to eat out for each meal; we can go to the local patisserie/boulangerie or even buy some local groceries and cook what we want! Plus, a washing machine is available, too.
I originally booked an apartment in June, but last week, I was notified that the apartment owner sold his unit, which was unknown to the management company that was handling this apartment. But, with a lot of searching, I found several web sites, and I finally found a place for the three of us to stay, and it happens to be: an apartment, in the Marais, and cheaper than a hotel.
If you plan on using points, you're probably out of luck. And, with Paris, the later you wait, the much more difficult it will be to get a place that isn't cost-prohibitive. Paris is probably the most popular destination in Europe for New Years Eve. So, find a place and reserve it (read the fine print - most places will not charge/will refund 100% of deposit if you cancel within a certain date. I have until December 1 to cancel my reservation penalty-free.
Good luck - maybe we'll see you come NYE!
Lisa