Cobblestone Apartments

Did you do a search? Pretty sure this company has been discussed on this forum in the last couple of years.

@ihcal,

we rented from them last September, and I will use them again.

We were 5, and our trip was a postponed trip from Easter 2020. So when it looked like things would allow us to go at the same time (two came from the States, and 3 from Spain) we booked with them. As the day drew near and all seemed as if it would finally happen, I got an email from Cobblestone saying that the place we had reserved had suffered a leak and there was water damage and the apartment wouldn't be ready in time for our arrival.

I have heard of different platforms where this seems to be something that happens with some frequency, apartment unavailable, but there is a substitute. After a few emails back and forth, we were willing to believe that it was legit, and they were working in good faith. We accepted their apologies and their offer.

We had a great time, and the new apartment, the Seine Penthouse, really worked out well for us. So yes I would recommend booking with them.

Over the last several years, two things affecting apartment rental have occurred:

1. For much of that time, the city was closed to tourists because of Covid concerns, causing overall rental numbers to drop.
2. The apartment rental picture has dramatically changed due to new short term rental laws.

Referencing the former point, if there are no visitors to Paris, there will be very few to no apartment reviews.

The latter point has probably had more overall effect on the total number of apartment rentals. Early last year, the city won a final challenge to the government's short term rental laws, bringing into full force penalties to owners operating illegally and restrictions to what type of rental activity may occur.

Basically, there are only two types of legal, short term rentals; those offered by owner/occupants while they are away or those apartments which have met the government's very strict rules qualifying them to be rented short term. Owner/occupants probably list their homes through Airbnb, VRBO, PAP, le Bon Coin or any of the on line platforms. Apartment rental agencies such as Cobblestone might focus more on commercial apartments, of which there are only a few hundred in the entire city of Paris. As short term apartment rental activity is down, expect reviews to reflect that loss of overall activity, a notable change from what one saw just a few short years ago.

Ok - good feedback - thank you - but I am trying to draw the correct conclusion.

Is Cobblestone less likely to be available to the tourist trade?

Obviously, my concern is to make sure that this company is legal - there is no indication of a 13 digit code - I read necessary to show the apartments are legal..

How do you know if the apartments shown on booking.com are legal?

Just when I think I have made a decision - there is a curve ball thrown in ..

I really don't know what to do and how soon to book - given the fact that if the Covid restrictions in Paris continue to be reduced -and if the number of legal apartments has been reduced - how easy is it going to be to book anything - if the number of tourists visiting Paris increase and so the competition for lodging.

I really want to make a decision and that's that ..

If your trip isn't until October 2023 as you've indicated, I think you're considering lodging a little too far out. A lot can change between now and then. I have been renting apartments in Paris for many years and the landscape has indeed changed. It was already changing pre-pandemic but it has changed even more now. Since a trip in October 2019 to my most recent trip a few weeks ago, some rental companies have disappeared. Some apartments that used to rent by the week are now only by the month. I don't have any personal experience with Cobblestone, however I have seen positive remarks about them on the forums. I would not use Booking.com for anything other than a search -- book directly with a company/hotel. Have you looked at Guest Apartment Services? I have had experience with them and can highly recommend them as reputable and reliable.

Some apartments that used to rent by the week are now only by the month.

Correct. However, monthly rentals have qualifiers and tourism is NOT one of them.

As another person said, you are way early on this, much can change.

I would not bother with an apartment rental for anything less than a month long stay. It is my understanding that apartments rented by the month are not subject to the same legal limitations as the shorter term stays through airbnb and other sites.

We have not rented an apartment in Paris since Dec 2016. Back then, before the government cracked down, AirBnB had literally thousands of listings - for a visitor, it was great.

Since then, we have stayed in hotels, and will continue to do so.

I have rented two places from them 2016 (Le Diamant en Isle) & 2019 (Le Merlot du Marais) and will most likely to it again on my return in 2025. The only reason I did not book with Cobblestone in Nov/Dec 2021 was due to my mothers limited mobility so I wanted a unit that had elevator access, which we rented from Apartments du Louvre, https://www.apartmentsdulouvre.com.