Ideas for what parts of London & Paris to stay and apartment rental sites?

Heather, for London, I would choose South Kensington. The South Kensington tube stop is very convenient for central London as it is on Piccadilly, Circle, and District Line. It is also a lovely residential area. A Waitrose grocery store is conveniently located one stop away at the Gloucester Road tube station. There is also a huge Sainsburys on Cromwell Road. There several small restaurants in the area. The Science, Natural History, and V&A Museums are all located within walking distance of South Ken tube. The Science and Natural History are great for kids. You are also within walking distance of Kensington Gardens.

For Paris, we like VacationInParis.com. It is an American company with apartments all over Paris. One advantage of using them is that you pay in dollars with a credit card---avoiding the issues of wiring money in euros to a private party, with the consequent expense and conversion fees. They are very professional and easy to deal with.

As for location---we stayed in the 7th Arr. between Rue Cler and the Eiffel Tower. Rue Cler, one block away, would offer you the bakery, grocery store, produce stand, etc. for you groceries, with the added advantage of being a car-free pedestrian street---safer for the children. As for a park nearby, you have the Champs de Mars a few blocks away. According to one website I found, "At the eastern end of the Garden of Champ de Mars, in front of the Ecole Militare, is the Monument to Peace, constructed in 2000. The word "peace" is written in 32 languages on 32 columns. A computerized keyboard inside the monument allows visitors to leave their personal message of peace.

"There is also a gazebo for Sunday afternoon concerts in the park, a marionette theatre, children's playgrounds and even donkey rides are available here."

We rented the Eiffel Hideaway, a one-bedroom 2-bath apartment, and there is a studio apartment with garden/patio downstairs in the same building. Maybe that would work for you--giving you enough room and a little privacy for your parents?

I've also rented from vacationinparis.com and I was quite happy with their service. I rented in the Marais. The agency is very helpful so you might ask them what might be suitable.

We've used homelidays.com with good success in several cities, including Paris. It's a clearinghouse, so you deal directly with the owners. Lots of photos, and lots of reviews from people who have stayed there.

VRBO (actually, its parent company, HomeAway, Inc.) offers an "insurance" option on its site. Have any of you used it? It looks like it would run $25 to "insure" a booking of $1,000.

Is it worth it (for the "peace of mind" factor) ... or is it one of those things that, if ever needing to be invoked, winds up being just another battle with a different party?

We were very happy with feelslikehomeinparis.com. They are a much smaller operation, however, with a limited number of properties. But very easy to work with and the apt. was great (and as promised)!

This past December-January when we visited Paris again, we rented a studio from CooperParisflats. It is located on the Ille de Cite about 50 yards behind Notre Dame Cathredral in Paris. Great location! Next door is a small convenience food store, and 2 doors down is a police precinct. Walking distance to everything you love to see in Paris. Very safe neighborhood, too.

Don't forget to eat in the gourmet cafeteria at Galleries Lafayette. It's a bit of a walk, but a taxi ride back is inexpensive.

To answer Heather's question about renting an apartment near Le Bon Marche -- I think this is a very good area.

Another good area with your kids in mind, would be the 5th and 6th arrondissement, near the Luxembourg Gardens. It's an exceptionally great park for adults and kids. They have an amazing playground, carousel, donkey rides, puppet shows, music on weekends, cafes, bocce ball, basketball, tennis, great/comfortable chairs, clean bathrooms, plus much more. And, both the 5th and 6th are great areas to be in.