Paris: Europe Part Un: Lodging and Eating

[Daniel]

My girlfriend and I have just booked an "in the moment" trip to CDG airport... Besides the date, little else we are concerned with... We both live in New York City, speak zero French (but if drunk will try our best), and have never been to France before.

Having a kitchen is a huge deal to us... So if its an awesome hotel suite, or a nice apartment we are looking for a kitchen... Most likely we want to stay in an apartment.. Get the feel of the city, have a terrace,fill the apartment with flowers and meat and be chill.. So if someone could reco a website for apartments it would be appreciated.. First and foremost, my girl remembers an apartment for rent in the "penthouse" over the Cafe St. Andre that was for rent by an individual owner... If someone knows that place it would be great...

Thanks for your help, once our lodging is done, we will get into the food situation..

Respect...

Edited February 14, 2006 by Daniel (log)

[zoeadler]

try nyhabitat.com (or nyhabitats.com can't remember) they have places in ny and paris

also try craigslist that now has a version for paris - you might be able to find some there too.

zoe

[Felice]

Vacation Rentals By Owner (VRBO.COM) seems to have the least expensive options that I've seen. I recently had a friend rent something through them and she was very happy.

Here is the link to the Paris section http://www.vrbo.com/vacation-rentals/regio...de-france/paris

[filipe]

try http://parishomes.free.fr or maybe http://mapage.noos.fr/dbrc/indexenglish.htm

Edited February 14, 2006 by filipe (log)

[edmundcarver]

These guys are reallly good, haven't stayed at the ones in Paris but the London ones are excellent:

http://www.citadines.com/ukindex0.htm

[pete ganz]

One thing to consider....if you rent an apartment, you will not have a front desk clerk/concierge to make restaurant reservations for you. We stayed in a cheap hotel when we went to Paris, and they were very helpful in this regard. I suppose you could fax your request from the US, but I think having a local call them up gives you a better shot at reserving a table, especially on short notice. Have fun!

[cru]

Please help me find a great hotel in the Bastille area for my parents. It's their first trip to Paris and I want to make them extremely comfortable. Anywhere near Bastille or Place des Vosges only please. And under $180. Nothing corporate. Any help extremely appreciated.

[mikeycook]

It has been mentioned here before, but I would recommend Caron de Beaumarchais, which is located in Le Marais, about 1km from the Bastille. Not sure if this is close enough, but we found the hotel very charming, within a good walking distance of Notre Dame and other sites. At the time (last Feb) I think we paid 160 Euro, but the rooms start around 125 Euro I believe.

Also, if they are going to be close to the Bastille I would also recommend going to Bofinger, which is about as classic a brasserie as you can get and is literally steps from the Bastille monument.

Edited February 14, 2006 by mikeycook (log)

[John Talbott]

A gentle reminder loyal friends and members. We are a Society dedicated to the brutish art of eating. I almost intervened during the other discussion of hotels but let it go because of the reference to big kitchens and making restaurant reservations. Now we've got a nod to Bofinger, so we'll let it run, but let's keep our eye on the bowl. (Sorry)

[cru]

A gentle reminder loyal friends and members. We are a Society dedicated to the brutish art of eating.  I almost intervened during the other discussion of hotels but let it go because of the reference to big kitchens and making restaurant reservations.  Now we've got a nod to Bofinger, so we'll let it run, but let's keep our eye on the bowl.  (Sorry)

←

totally respect that request and agree. However, I should have noted that I'm travelling to Paris on a culinary adventure, towing along restaurant workers, as well as my parents. I respect the society's opinion and wanted to tap these respectable resources as there are plenty. Now back to eating....

[John Talbott]

I totally respect that request and agree.  However, I should have noted that I'm travelling to Paris on a culinary adventure, towing along restaurant workers, as well as my parents.  I respect the society's opinion and wanted to tap these respectable resources as there are plenty.  Now back to eating....

←

So, this sounds great, what info are you seeking, what resources can we put at your disposal, how can we help?

[LindaK]

congratulations on the trip, very exciting! On my infrequent trips to Paris I always sublet a place because I want the kitchen. It makes all the difference, as far as I'm concerned.

Something to keep in mind: kitchens in Paris are not going to be spacious. American-style kitchens, unless you plan on spending a lot of money, are rare. From what I've seen in Paris, a full range (with oven) is a luxury. Also, if you're renting a place that isn't someone's home, that is always rented, don't expect a well equiped kithen, just the basics.

Since you'll be shopping, check out some of the market threads I've noticed here. Food shopping in Paris is so much fun.

[mrbigjas]

Something to keep in mind: kitchens in Paris are not going to be spacious. American-style kitchens, unless you plan on spending a lot of money, are rare. From what I've seen in Paris, a full range (with oven) is a luxury.    Also, if you're renting a place that isn't someone's home, that is always rented, don't expect a well equiped kithen, just the basics.

on the bright side, you can use that as an excuse to go buy yourself some fancy cookware at dehillerin!

[bleudauvergne]

Or an excuse to eat in restaurants in Paris, rent a car and do a little touring through the countryside... I have stayed in Self Catering Gites with kitchens.

[Busboy]

Or an excuse to save money for a better wine at the three-star by conducting an in-house cheese, charcuterie and baguette-fest. Or the one dish I craved for the twenty years between my first trip to Paris and my second (admittedly, mostly because they looked so cool): oefs en gelee, available from your local traiteur.

(If you're from New York, how bad can a Paris kitchen be?)

[Hest88]

We just went through this process. I have a number of apartments I was looking into in the 6th and around the Marais. Do you have a price range? One of the apts I was interested in that was unavailable is:

www.sant.com

[menton1]

I, for myself, cannot picture going to Paris as a visitor for a short time and

"cooking in" . Actually, there are never enough restaurant meal opportunities for me on a vacation in France. Something like going to the Caribbean in the winter and staying in the room watching TV. Paris is restaurant heaven!! How long are you going for?

[docsconz]

I, for myself, cannot picture going to Paris as a visitor for a short time and

"cooking in" .  Actually, there are never enough restaurant meal opportunities for me on a vacation in France.  Something like going to the Caribbean in the winter and staying in the room watching TV.  Paris is restaurant heaven!!  How long are you going for?

←

But it is also food market heaven with ingredients that are at best difficult and at worst impossible to find in the US. If one enjoys cooking and one has a reasonable kitchen, it is a fun alternative to restaurants at a fraction of the cost.

[Bux]

This has been an on going discussion between Mrs. B and myself. She would like to stay in a house (in the country) near a great market town and cook. I have been so thrilled by the inns of France that I am content to wander the markets and order from a menu in the evening. We do stay with friends in the Languedoc from time to time. There, on occasion, we cook a meal or two and generally shop with our friends in the local shops, or at the market on the two days local villages have market days. I enjoy it, but mostly for all the things peripheral to the actual dinner. I never seem to cook as well in someone else's kitchen as I do at home with my familiar tools and the knowledge of what and where to shop. I do enjoy the shopping and the banter with shopkeepers, not that my French is all that useful in understanding the complete conversation. In a small town at least, the shopkeepers are patient and enjoy their metier and the other customers don't seem to mind waiting. Indeed, rather than showing impatience, they are more likely to offer recipes. That however is in the provinces. I don't know about Paris.

The one drawback to cooking in an apartment as opposed to eating in restaurants is that one gets to know the raw materials, but not how they are prepared by French cooks. Eating out has been the preferable learning experience for me. Of course one can do both and one needs to tend to one's own needs.

I've not seen a lot of Parisian kitchens, but they often look like toys compared to NY apartment kitchens. Americans like to bake and Parisian patisseries, epiceries, charcuteries and traiteurs still outdistance our delis when it comes to making less work for mother. From what I've seen, the French don't spend as much time in the kitchen as do Americans.

[John Talbott]

I've not seen a lot of Parisian kitchens, but they often look like toys compared to NY apartment kitchens.

←

Ah Bux, be careful of sweeping generalizations. We had our kitchen completely renovated and while we don't have a Viking oven, we have sufficient space and modern appliances to do almost anything. And, there are apartments for rent that do too. Not to get DocSconz's PM mailbox flooded, but the place he rented last year had a splendid open kitchen with great eqpt; it resembled a loft in SoHo (US) more than a flat in La Boheme (Left Bank). I think the trick is to view photos and know the size of the rooms before one decides. Also, not to be too chauvinistic but Americans, Scandanavians and others in Paris for a few years often get their kitchens renovated because they're used to cooking in bigger spaces and couples need elbow room to pass when cooking ensemble.

[docsconz]

I've not seen a lot of Parisian kitchens, but they often look like toys compared to NY apartment kitchens.

←

Ah Bux, be careful of sweeping generalizations. We had our kitchen completely renovated and while we don't have a Viking oven, we have sufficient space and modern appliances to do almost anything. And, there are apartments for rent that do too. Not to get DocSconz's PM mailbox flooded, but the place he rented last year had a splendid open kitchen with great eqpt; it resembled a loft in SoHo (US) more than a flat in La Boheme (Left Bank). I think the trick is to view photos and know the size of the rooms before one decides. Also, not to be too chauvinistic but Americans, Scandanavians and others in Paris for a few years often get their kitchens renovated because they're used to cooking in bigger spaces and couples need elbow room to pass when cooking ensemble.

←

Thanks John The apartment we had did indeed have a great kitchen. Here is the link.

[Daniel]

One thing to consider....if you rent an apartment, you will not have a front desk clerk/concierge to make restaurant reservations for you. We stayed in a cheap hotel when we went to Paris, and they were very helpful in this regard. I suppose you could fax your request from the US, but I think having a local call them up gives you a better shot at reserving a table, especially on short notice. Have fun!

←

I was nervous about not having a concierge as well.. But a lot of the apartment providing companies, thanks to your websites, are based out of America.. They offer all the ammenities that a concierge would.. From reservations to picking us up at the airport..

[Daniel]

congratulations on the trip, very exciting!  On my infrequent trips to Paris I always sublet a place because I want the kitchen.  It makes all the difference, as far as I'm concerned. 

Something to keep in mind: kitchens in Paris are not going to be spacious. American-style kitchens, unless you plan on spending a lot of money, are rare. From what I've seen in Paris, a full range (with oven) is a luxury.    Also, if you're renting a place that isn't someone's home, that is always rented, don't expect a well equiped kithen, just the basics.

Since you'll be shopping, check out some of the market threads I've noticed here.  Food shopping in Paris is so much fun.

←

Thanks Linda.. I will take this into consideration...

[menton1]

But it is also food market heaven with ingredients that are at best difficult and at worst impossible to find in the US. If one enjoys cooking and one has  a reasonable kitchen, it is a fun alternative to restaurants at a fraction of the cost.

←

Perhaps, but the poster has been mysterious about the length of his stay in Paris. I suppose if it were 2 weeks or more, I might have more of an understanding about cooking in. It also seems daunting to find a well-equipped kitchen in Paris for a short-term rental. Sure, in the "Campagne" larger equipped kitchens might be easier to find. And then there is the issue of kitchen accessories, pots, pans, utensils, and small appliances.

If I were doing 10 days in Paris, my thoughts are... that's 20 terrific restaurant experiences, and 10 great " coffee & tartines". But of course, "chacun a son gout!"

[bleudauvergne]

Wow, John! What a super looking rental! You must have felt like a movie star! What did you cook in that kitchen? I've been browsing through their list to see if there were others with kitchens.... It looks like there is a whole list of one bedrooms with kitchens.