Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Paris Vacation Rentals

During my previous two vacations in Paris I opted to rent an apartment for the duration of my stay opposed to booking a hotel, and might I say, it comes highly recommended!

There are many benefits to renting an apartment in Paris.  First and foremost is the cost.  You can rent an apartment in Paris for the same price as a hotel, if not much cheaper.  Plus, with an apartment you have the added benefit of extra amenities like a kitchen and a washer/dryer.  This is turn will help you save money on dining and dry cleaning costs, not to mention boosting the authenticity of your Parisian vacation as you shop for bread at the boulangerie or purchase groceries at the Monoprix.  Also, apartments in Paris, although not huge, tend to be quite a bit larger that the standard hotel room.  


Websites that I used in my search to find the perfect Paris apartment were Haven in Paris, HomeAway and VRBO.



When searching for the perfect vacation rental, I always keep a couple of things in mind: contact, deposit, location, photos, price & reviews.

Contact: Ensure that the owner is accessible from your initial interaction until your final payment is made and beyond.  Be sure to have a phone number that the owner can be reached at in case you encounter any problems upon your stay.

Deposit:  Most rentals require a deposit in case the apartment is subject to any damage as a result of your stay.  Make sure that you review the apartment before the owner (or agent) leaves the apartment so as to make note of any problems (ex. scratches in the hardwood floor) that may be brought up at a later time.  The amount of money required as a deposit will vary depending on the price of your rental.  Most can be paid via cheque (the cheque will be returned to you upon review and departure) or PayPal (money refunded to your credit card upon review and departure).

Location:  This will vary from person to person.  Do your research to determine the best location for your stay.  Prices tend to be cheaper towards the outskirts of the city.


Photos:  Listing for apartments should have lots of pictures.  Review all of the photos before making a final decision.  A photo should be present for each room in the apartment.  If photos of the bathroom or kitchen are missing, be skeptical as to what those rooms may actually look like.

Price:  Investigate nearby apartments or hotels for prices before you commit.  You want the best bang for your buck, and if you can find that elsewhere, perhaps that apartment that you had your eye on isn't all it is cracked up to be! Keep in mind that when renting an apartment, unlike hotel rooms, prices are negotiable particularly if you plan on staying for longer than one week.

Reviews: I won't rent an apartment unless there are reviews.  I think this point may be the most important because you can see what other travellers, like yourself, thought of the apartment and may give you a better perspective as to what the apartment is really like.

Interested in what apartments I stayed at? Click here for my 2010 and 2011 vacation rentals.

I hope this helps in planning your perfect Parisian stay!

xo Ceilidh

3 comments:

  1. I had no idea you guys did this! Such a great way to travel. I am definitely going to do this whenever I go to Paris next :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. A big thanks for the efforts you have put into writing this article. Greetings from Montreal!
    peru travel packages

    ReplyDelete
  3. Great tips on renting an apartment in Paris, or anywhere, for that matter. I'm planning to book an apartment for my next trip to Paris, so these tips are timely for me.

    ReplyDelete

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.