Paris Lodging Help?

Linda, In the same situation, I'd book a Hotel as soon as your seats are confirmed, which will likely be a few days before you'll be arriving in Paris. That way you'll have access to your home internet connection and should have time for a confirmation from the Hotel. If time is really short, you could also phone to book a room. Which section of Paris are you planning to stay in? Regarding your Verizon phone, one point to note is that Verizon has a "travel phone" option, and they can provide you with a phone that will work in Europe. Others on the HelpLine have reported that the service works well, although it's a bit "pricey" for those making lots of voice calls. If you use the phone sparingly, it's a good option to consider. Happy travels!

You may be able to use one of the internet terminals in the airport (for a fee). It's going to depend on where you arrive. I'm having a hard time remembering which terminals have them, although I'm positive they're by the Delta gates. You can also look for a TI kiosk and see if they can make hotel reserations for you. There may be a fee involved, and I don't think you'll get an "awesome deal" as you'll pay rack rate.

You didn't say how long you will be staying but many hotels have great discounts for last minute and 3+ day stays. If you can't get on a computer at the airport, consider an internet cafe or a cafe with free wifi near where you'd like to stay. There were several places in the Rue Cler area with free wifi. Many hotels have free wifi so you could drop into their lobby and book them on line. If this isn't what you want to do, you can certainly walk into a hotel and haggle a little for the best rate.

Thanks for all the advice. We will probably call from the runway and hope for the best. Interestingly, the verizon rep told me that my iphone wireless and my itouch wireless won't work over there (Not so - but it made me worry and have to check). They recommended that I had better rent a smart phone.
I guess the only thing I need a phone for is the reservation and you are giving me some good ideas for getting around it. When I return, I will post how it turned out. Thanks again.

Linda, Just for clarification, have you got all the information you need concerning your iPhone or iPod Touch? Both will work in Europe on Wi-Fi, although of course none of the cellular functions on the Verizon iPhone will function. If you're concerned about having a phone and don't wish to use the Verizon travel model, you could buy a cheap GSM phone either from E-Bay or one of the "travel phone firms" (Roam Simple, Cellular Abroad, Call In Europe, Telestial, Mobal). Cheers!

Great info. Thanks.

Just noticed that I didn't reply to an earlier question. I think we will try to stay in the Marais. Has anyone booked through the Alcove and Agape bed and breakfast site? I've gotten hooked on reading the bios of the owners. Sort of like match.com for who do I want to be my Paris friend for a week. Very entertaining.

Linda,
I have traveled to Ireland and Italy and both times used my Ipod Touch exclusively for wireless e-mail and internet and I also rented a global phone via Verizon. It was basically free, except shipping and then you pay .50 to send a text, .5 to receive a text and maybe like a 1.50 per minute to call. Your Iphone internet should work where ever you get internet and then the phone is great to have as a back up and to call or text home. I switched to AT&T when the Iphone 4s came out and I am looking forward to having a working smartphone of my own when I travel in May to France. I would call Verizon, they can overnight the global phone to you.

@Sarah, When you travel to Europe with your new AT&T iPhone 4S, be VERY CAREFUL to avoid data roaming charges, as they can be HUGE! I'll be travelling with my new iPhone later this year, so I'm also considering the best options to avoid data charges. Cheers!

I have a question for the person who just sent me a link to a person named Quentin and his company. Can you recheck please? The link you send for his company didn't work. Thanks.

Well, there's some "optomistic" posting on here in that you will know three days in advance. My friends who fly non rev often don't know until they get on the plane :) Verizon does rent an international cell phone or look around. Before I moved to AT&T I had a Mobal cell phone (I think it's www.mobal.com Phone cost $29 and you paid just for what you used.) Might be worth having a phone to make calls to hotels when you land. Not sure aobut "awesome deals" at the airport, but early January shouldn't be packed at least. I would check budget hotel websites, see what you see available and call when I landed.