| At the breakfast table |
| Front entrance to the Rue Cler Delight apartment |
But I digress. Back to the apartment. It has one bedroom with a king-size bed and a queen-size sofabed in the living room, so it easily sleeps a family of four. (I know, I know, I’ve blogged about how my kids don’t like to sleep together in the same bed anymore, but occasionally they have to.) The apartment is small, so it's a tight squeeze to get into the kitchen when the sofabed's open, but it's maneuverable. The air conditioning is a portable unit, kind of large and clunky, but works adequately well, especially on a continent where A/C is still in its early evolution. The kitchen is clean and modern and well-stocked, and there’s even an (almost) American-sized refrigerator! When traveling with kids, the ability to throw together a pot of spaghetti after sightseeing all day, instead of sitting in yet another overpriced, foreign-food (“mom, why don’t they have french fries?!”) restaurant, is priceless. And speaking of price, at the time of this writing, the apartment is only $185/night for four people during summer season. A hotel room for four people in Paris would be hard to find at that price, and certainly wouldn't have a kitchen.
Lastly, I researched numerous holiday apartment rental services, but was most impressed with VIP. The company, based in New Jersey, offers the reassuring courtesy of sending you the Paris apartment keys before you leave on your trip. The huge benefit here is not having to meet with a stranger somewhere in Paris when you arrive, or find a management office somewhere in Paris, to pick up the keys. No appointments, no hassles, just go straight to the apartment and let yourself in. The directions and arrival information are impeccable. If you should have a problem while at the apartment, a management team is available in the city. When I called them to ask about a funny noise the washing machine was making, I received an immediate response by a native-English speaker. All contact I had with the VIP staff was professional and friendly. I highly recommend using Vacation in Paris Holiday Apartment Rentals on your next visit to the City of Light.


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