Paris Hotel/Apartment advice from people who have stayed there.

I've used VRBO.com to rent apartments in Paris. Check out their listings. a lot of people on this site also recommend VacationsinParis. Apartments in the center of the city are fairly pricey, but you will be glad you are there. the Marais is great but so are virtually all the other central areas. I think 8 days for first time in Paris is wonderful!

It is in the Latin Quarter (5th arr.), not the Marais, but I loved staying at vrbo.com #5967. We were there for 10 nights. The apartment is very comfortable and had everything we needed, including a washer and dryer. In my opinion there is no such thing as too long in Paris, so I would say 8 nights is not too much time. Are in in Danville, CA? The owner of this apartment lives in the Bay Area. You pay in U.S. dollars, not euros. If you would like more information please feel free to message me. Sorry I haven't provided an actual link as you requested...I am not tech savvy enough to to that!

Try the apts listed in this one: http://www.jeudeclefs.fr/ The owner, Isabelle Feron, is a pleasure to deal with.

In Oct 2008 two couples of us stayed at a wonderful apartment in Montmartre ("Prestigious Montmartre) booked through www.feelslikehomeinparis.com. We had 2 bedrooms, 1-1/2 baths, modern kitchen, nice living room w/computer, and small balcony overlooking a little park. Great location, easy Metro access to major sights, nice walk to center of colorful Montmartre area. Compared to hotels with their pricey, skimpy breakfasts we did much better in an apartment where we could get fresh bakery items nearby. Also we "dined in" a couple of evenings with rotisserie chicken, salad, bread, wine. Lots of fun! We had 4 nights there and felt that was a decent amount of time, though you could easily fill a week. Paris is very expensive, but a magic city. Just follow Rick's advice for sightseeing, and be very careful of scammers on the street (we had one). Bon voyage!

We have stayed here for 3 years and will stay again this summer. Nadine GIBLIN Studio 30 sqm Paris 9e near Montmartre E-mail : locationparis9@numericable.com
Website : http://locationparis9.canalblog.com

Eight days would certainly not be too many for Paris, you could enjoy weeks there, not just seeing "the sights" but absorbing the atmosphere and exploring the neighborhoods. Last year we stayed nine nights in a little one-bedroom apartment in Montparnasse (14th arrondissement), around the corner from a nice shopping/eating street and the Pernety Metro station: http://www.homeaway.com/vacation-rental/p310989. It was a third-floor walkup, theoretically slept four but only two comfortably, reasonably priced (for Paris). The bed was way better than a futon! As someone else noted, the advantages of an apartment are space, ability to eat in, and a feeling of living more like people really do. The disadvantage is no daily housekeeping or nearby front desk (though there's normally a way to get help with things that might go wrong, like the bathtub drain we couldn't figure out!). We had most of our breakfasts in the apartment, bringing in croissants from the corner bakery, and we had some takeout Asian dinners with the help of the microwave. Montparnasse isn't in the "center" of Paris, but a nearby Metro makes it easy to get anywhere from anywhere. We've also stayed in a nice hotel in the Latin Quarter, the Hotel des Grandes Ecoles:
http://www.hotel-grandes-ecoles.com/. Haven't stayed in the Marais but we'd like to -- I'd be careful about street noise at night, and it will be more expensive. In addition to VRBO and the other services others have mentioned, you might try Homeaway.com, which lists apartments all over Paris of various sizes and prices. We've had good luck with them in the US as well as France.

We, too, have had great success with vrbo.com. We spent a week in the Latin quarter, and would've loved another week at least.

When we rent apts in the EU we usually use VRBO and Homelidays.com. Homeaway is another member of that team. When we stayed in Paris two years ago, we were looking for an economical apt in a good location. Economical was hard to do! But "good location" is easy; you just make sure that you are a near a Metro stop. We found a very good deal on Homelidays.com. The one bedroom apt we rented (#68359) was at the top of the 15th; within walking distance of the Eiffel tower, in a quiet neighborhood, not too many stairs, with lots of nearby shops and restaurants, and there were two Metro stops within a couple of blocks. If we leaned out the window, we could see the Eiffel tower! We even walked to the tower one night to see the twinkling lights and have desert in the Maris area. For only $90 EU/nite we were delighted with what we found.

We stayed here in 2009: http://www.vrbo.com/121794 We loved it...8 days is a great amount of time for a first visit...my next visit will be 1 month, someday :) You will not regret this apartment, I promise you! Find time to just sit and relax at any cafe, park, boat, or anywhere in Paris for that matter. Good Luck!

We stayed here last October. It is in the Latin Quarter, right around the corner from the Rue Mouffetard, a wonderful street market, and a one minute walk from the Metro: http://vacation.lodgis.com/en/paris/details/10510132-rue-censier-apartment/ Eight days/nights in Paris will be a delight. That gives you time to just absorb the city as well as seeing the sites. Be sure to take a day trip out to Versailles; it will leave you breathless.

Hi, We have used www.rentalfrance.com with success. They have lots of apartments - we rented 37 Rue St Paul and cannot speak more highly of it. Close to St Paul metro, supermarket, shops, and within easy walking distance to Louvre, Notre Dame, orangerie etc.
Happy travels.