I'm hoping to take our granddaughters (and, possibly, their mother) to Paris in the spring. I LOVE Paris and have been many times - but never needed lodging for 4-5 people - requiring 4-5 beds... An apartment would be best - in a perfect world, in the Left Bank or Marais. I've trolled Air B&B but am a bit hesitant ...
Has anyone found a wonderful apartment (or rental company) that might suits our needs?
Many thanks!!
I took our granddaughter to Paris a few years ago when she was 14. We had a wonderful time. It was so much fun showing her one of our favorite places. We rented an apartment from www.vactionsinparis.com. We have rented from them several times as has our daughter. They are based in New York City so easy to communicate with. They send you the keys before you leave so you don't have to plan meeting up with anyone once you get there. They have lots of different apartments depending how many you need to sleep. Good luck. I'm sure you will have a wonderful experience.
Rosemary the link you provided doesn’t seem to go to an individual vacation listing service. Could you please check the source?
We took our 2 granddaughters to Paris this summer. While we had an easy time in Italy booking legal 2 bedroom, 2 bath apartments we couldn’t find any in Paris that met those requirements + (cost, AC and washing machine).
Paris has begun a system to register apartments for rental and having an official #13 digit number on the information about the apartment is important to assure you are renting a property the city has registered.
In Paris we ended up booking two adjoining hotel rooms for a week. I really wish you better luck (or a higher budget) than we had but go for it, it will be a great memory for all of you!
I had some very questionable experiences with VRBO trying to book in France this summer, but that was also when a lot of changes were going on with cracking down on private rentals in Paris. Other people have had better results with the different companies.
This isn't an endorsement but there is an interesting attempt to split the difference with Staycity aparthomes that rents hotel rooms that are like small apartments. It would still probably take two rooms but at least one would have a kitchen in it which can be a real money saver in Paris. The one in Paris proper is near Gare de l'Est close-ish to the Marais.
If you are looking at a hotel some do have 'family rooms' so maybe a family room and regular room would work. I don't know the dynamics of your rooms and sleeping arrangements but any solution that holds the room count to 2 is probably worth the trouble versus the costs.
Have a great trip,
=Tod
Is this it?
https://www.vacationinparis.com/index.php
The very few I looked at had no registration numbers and were playing the 30 day lease and cancel game. Caveat Emptor here.
Many thanks to you all. I was aware of the new requirements for rental registration and, in checking Air B&B and VRBO, have struggled to find rentals that comply - so many lack the registration numbers - -- the last thing I want is wander the streets of Paris, children in tow, looking for room at the inn... Perhaps the situation will be clearer in a few months.and more owners will have registered, but I know that there probably aren't too many options for us .I also checked Paris Perfect and Adrian Leeds and was gasping at the costs. Cobblestone Paris seems more reasonable (and is recommended by Rick) but I don't know anyone who has used them. Hopefully, someone from the Forum can comment - or wave me away. I just tell myself this is a special gift... and think positive thoughts...and hope to find the perfect place..
Again, thank you!!!
There have been several other threads in the past year about hotels for families as apartment rentals have gotten more difficult in Paris. Here is one recent thread. https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/france/holiday-inn-st-germain-family-of-four
You can also look for apartments as well as hotels for your group on Booking.com. I don't know how they handle the registration number thing for apartments.
look at staying at an aparthotel.. perfectly legal , no hassles.
Citidines and Adagio have them all over..
Also if not fussed about being a fancy place the Hotel Mariganan has rooms for five.. with four beds ( a double and three singles ) .. my step sons mom just stayed there a few weeks ago.. room was very small but they loved the hotel.. it does have a communal kitchen you can use. Location is excellant
Also how old are "children" .. most hotels only consider them children if under 10-12 .. so if you are talking teens then you are looking for a room for four adults as far as many hotels are concerned
Finally check booking.com.. enter you want an apartment.. and check for registration number.
Good luck
One good thing about booking.com is that all their apartment listings have registration numbers. You don’t state your budget or maybe I missed that but if you can swing it, Guest Apartment Services has some nice places with registration numbers in Le Marais. Fair warning: Not all GAS apartments have a registration number.
hey hey crooney
yeah it's tough now days looking for apartments in paris. took me a few days looking for 2 people with certain requirements that we wanted, i did find one in the 14th arr. it's our 4th trip so that was okay with us, some place different., we leave on the september 14 for one night paris, 2 nights geneva, 6 nights annecy then back to paris for 8 nights.
how many total in your party, the ages your granddaughters and budget in euros and dates you want to go? spring will be a busy time and high season with spring breaks and easter. when you find something book it. that's one less stress you have.
aloha
Thank you for all your help - but we really do want an apartment, not a hotel. You see, I'm a bit spoiled - because one of our daughters lived in Paris and we were able to visit often and pretend we were Parisienes. Maybe it's the romantic in me but I love getting up in the morning, heading to my "local" boulangerie for croissants, wandering the Marche for dinner (umm...roast chicken and potatoes...), stoping by the boulangerie again in the evening for a warm baguette and the epicure for pate and the wine store for Sancerre...becoming for - maybe a moment - a resident, rather than a guest.
In a perfect world, I'd like to find a 2 bedroom apartment (one double bed, two twins) - and maybe a sleep sofa. The plan is for me to take two 10 year olds and I want them to each have their own bed - so we can all get some sleep. One of their Moms (my daughter) is mumbling that she would love to come, too, so the party may expand, We're thinking of late March but we'll see...
crooney55 -- I sent you a private message with an idea.
I don’t understand your hesitancy in renting an apartment. We have rented two in the Marais and are returning in November to an apartment in the 7th. In Paris I have used Airbnb and have had great results. As with buying anything online, I pay particular attention to the reviews. If you wish beds for 5 people you will find it, and you will pay accordingly.
This is a situation where you might want to go through a travel agent. Here's a helpful article from the Wendy Perrin website with information about agent options.
https://www.wendyperrin.com/tips-perfect-paris-apartment-rental-family/
"This is a situation where you might want to go through a travel agent."
Why? I'm just wondering what about this trip would suggest that one needs a travel agent.
@crooney55, you can do all the things you like to do (wandering to the boulangerie, etc.) while staying at a Citadines or another aparthotel. I happen to like the Citadines Bastille Marais on Blvd Richard Lenoir. They have a one-bedroom option that sleeps four that has a balcony. You get a kitchenette and a dining area. What you do not get is interesting decor or 4-5 beds. You are going to have get a pretty big (expensive) apartment to get 4-5 beds. Often in Paris there is a sofa bed which is counted as sleeping space for two people. You may want to take a look at http://patiosdumarais.com/. I have never stayed or been there but I have heard good things about it. We once reserved an apartment and an additional room at the Hotel Residence Henri IV on Rue des Bernardins. We ended up canceling the room because our party shrank down to four. The apartment had AC and a kitchenette. We had twin beds in the bedroom for our children but we could have had a single large bed and for us (the parents), we used the sofa bed in the living room. I checked my trip notes and we paid 305€ per night for the apartment in 2015. We have also been to the little house at La Maison Saint Germain at 158 Blvd Saint Germain and you may want to look at that place. Unfortunately, we went there before I started keeping trip notes in a Google doc so I can't find the details of that stay. I have a feeling based on your description of your prior trips to Paris that you will like this place. But again, you will not have 4-5 beds even in their largest apartment. Also, it is not the most spacious place that I have ever been to.
hey hey crooney55
we all want to be spoiled haha
booking.com (filters in for apt and people, they want ages of kids) read the fine print carefully. what floor and if lift/elevator to carry luggage up, key exchange, if too early for checkin where to store bags or if early is allowed, cancellation policies, minimum stayed wanted?
some of the places we looked at, double bed unless ask or request twins and sofa bed is considered for 2 people. check it is one bedroom, not bed and sofa bed all in one room along with kitchenette and living room, like a studio, look a pictures and read reviews.
cross-pollinate.com
airbnb.com what ever you're looking and hoping for. in description "read more about place" click and registration number starting with 75, if there legal if not keep looking.
may not be exactly where you want, unless budget not a concern, there are shops, bakeries, restaurants, roaming around the areas
the couple places we stayed in before, one is no longer on site and the other went to a 30 day rental
minimum, that's why we ended up in the 14th arr.
adagio and citadines, like others have mentioned.
maybe your daughter that lived there still has a friend with knowledge of something
trying not to preach to the choir, it just took a lot of time for us and i was determined. have a great trip and good luck
aloha
Why? I'm just wondering what about this trip would suggest that one needs a travel agent.
Didn't say she "needed" a travel agent, but this is a situation where specialized knowledge can be helpful. Travel agents that specialize in Paris are able to help identify and book legal apartments that meet specific requirements as the OP indicates, without her having to go through all the research herself, if that's appealing to her.
We have friends who stayed at the Cobblestone apartments in Marais last year and plan to use then again next year. It was their first time in Paris any they loved the accommodations.
We start a Citadines in London and enjoyed it. There is a lobby and a 24 hour front desk. The room was smallish, but we were out and about all the time, anyway.
I stayed in this building (not this apartment) with this company about 5 years ago. https://www.myfrancevacationrentals.com/vacation-rental-home.asp?PageDataID=84306
It was a nice location with a bus stop right outside the door (really, I had to make sure I pulled the outside door shut as the bus stop is right at the doorstep). A much more local area, with a short walk to Rue Mouffetard, which is heavenly for food purchasing. The Monge market was close too.
The company was reliable. Not sure it would work for you. I am staying in a Citadines apartment hotel this October, but they may only have one bedrooms with a sofa bed. search on their site as there are numerous Citadines in Paris; I was searching for a studio apartment and did not note if there were 2 bedroom ones.
Have a good trip.
June
Many, many thanks to everyone! Based on your suggestions, I now have several possibilities from several different agencies - and can simply say 'merci'.
Try a website cobblestonesparis.com, apartment rentals
Good luck
