Happy Saturday, loves! With almost a full month into the new year, I can’t help but look back at some of my favorite moments of 2017, and look ahead with excitement for what 2018 holds. You could say that I have a constant case of wanderlust, and some of my most memorable experiences of 2017 were without a doubt my travels. Top of the list would be my first European adventure to Paris for two weeks this past summer! It was my first time visiting the City of Light, and my first time out of the country actually, and it was such a surreal and unforgettable experience of a lifetime! For those of you that were following my travels, you might remember that we stayed in the most stunning Parisian apartment for those two weeks, and it made the entire experience that much more special. Today I wanted to share some never before seen photos of our Parisian apartment with HomeAway, including some details on why we loved it so much, and highly recommend it! I hope that you find this helpful if you find yourself planning for a trip to Paris!
First off, I want to quickly mention why my sister and I decided to stay with HomeAway rather than a hotel. Given that it was our first time to Paris, and that we were staying for two weeks, we wanted to have a “place of our own.” We wanted to truly have that Parisian experience, and what better way than to have your very own (trés chic!) Parisian apartment? We were able to unpack, bring home food and fresh flowers from the market each day, and have our very own, gorgeous red door to come and go out of each day! The doors of Paris are breathtaking! One of my favorite things was being able to open up those gorgeous windows and sit on the little balcony overlooking the street, while enjoying breakfast or whatever yummy treat we had brought home that day, and listening to the rain showers at night. Everyone had pretty flower baskets on their balconies just as you would expect in Paris, and you kind of got to know everyone’s routine that lived across from you, ha! I loved hearing the neighbor across the street practice their instruments. After a busy day in the city, it was like coming home and having a place to spread out and relax for a bit. It’s the little things like that that you don’t always get to experience in a hotel, and make a trip that much more memorable!
Why did you choose HomeAway?- Before I start, I have to mention that this is not sponsored in any way, although I would gladly partner with them as my experience was 100% positive! I am sharing simply because I loved my stay that much, and hope you find this info helpful! They have rental properties all over the world, in 190 countries. Renting with HomeAway was so easy and reliable, and there were so many wonderful places to choose from.
Where was your apartment located?- We were in the 16th Arrondissement. It was our first time in Paris, so we weren’t entirely sure where the best location was. We were only a 5-10 minute walk from the Eiffel Tower, which was wonderful.
Did you like the location?- Overall, we were pretty happy with the location of our apartment. The area was safe, fairly quiet and pretty! It was easy to get to and from everywhere, and our Uber drivers had no problem picking us up/dropping off on our street (we took Uber everywhere, about 65 different rides the whole 2 weeks, lol!) I loved our actual street, Rue Robert le Coin, it was the perfect, quiet little street! The area seemed to be where people were just living their daily lives, there was a school just down the street, so it was mainly locals in the area. This was nice in that it wasn’t too hectic, but in the future we think we’d like to stay in one of our favorite arrondissements like the 6th or the 7th, closer to some of our favorite places where there is a little bit more going on. Although I would gladly stay in this apartment again no complaints, ha!
How was the price compared to a hotel?- We found that there were so many well-priced rentals with HomeAway that were much more inexpensive than a hotel, especially for that many nights! Our apartment was under $200 a night, which is honestly so incredible, especially when you consider the experience we were getting by staying in such a gorgeous Parisian apartment!
What did you like about your apartment?- Everything, haha! I will mention a few main things though. The owners greeted us when we arrived and were very friendly and helpful. They showed us how everything worked and answered any questions. The entire apartment was very clean, modern and updated. The beautiful windows, the parquet floors and chandeliers, and we had plenty of room. If the two of us had been in a single hotel room for two weeks with no other rooms to wander around in, it would have gotten old fast haha. The bathroom was so cute with pretty tiles, and there was a full, modern kitchen. After a day in the city, it’s hard not to come home with fresh finds from the markets and leftover food, so it was nice having a full fridge and kitchen to store it, as opposed to a hotel you don’t. The apartment was secure and safe, as well.
Tips when searching for a HomeAway rental?- A couple main things. These are more of an issue when staying abroad. Pay attention to whether or not there is wifi included in your place!! Not having wifi wouldn’t have even been an option for us. Also, depending on the season or your comfort levels, make sure there is AC/heating! Most places in Paris, and Europe in general I’m sure, do not have AC! It was in the 70’s-90’s when we were there, so it was so important that we ended up having an AC unit. Make sure you’re aware of whether or not there is a washer/dryer. Given the amount of time we were there, we had to wash towels, etc. and this apartment had an in-unit washer/dryer, along with a dishwasher and all of the basic cleaning/kitchen supplies we needed.
Would you choose to stay with HomeAway again, or a hotel?- I would 100% love to stay with HomeAway again in future locations, but I am also never opposed to a hotel. They both have their benefits. It helps just to take into account what kind of experience you want to have, pricing, length of your stay, and amenities. For us and how long we were there, it would have been too pricey to stay in decent hotels, and as I mentioned, we wanted the Parisian experience, etc. At times it would have been nice not to have to wash towels at night (haha!), but we didn’t mind much and are very clean and tidy people. If you don’t ever want to wash towels, or want room service and cleaning everyday, I would recommend a hotel of course, unless your stay was short enough that you wouldn’t need those things.
All in all, I couldn’t have asked for a more amazing, or unforgettable first time in Paris and I still get the best feeling looking back on these photos. I still can’t believe I got to “live” there for two weeks! I truly hope that you found this information helpful! Hopefully I answered all of your questions, and it will help guide you in planning your next trip to Paris or abroad, especially if you’re considering HomeAway! I can’t recommend it enough. If you have any other questions, PLEASE don’t hesitate to ask!!
Here is the property listing for our parisian apartment with HomeAway if you want to check it out and see more photos/details, or maybe even book your stay! LMK if you do!!
And now, I promise I haven’t forgotten the second part of this post…where I’m going next! I am SO excited to share that my sister and I are headed on our next international trip in just a few short weeks. We are headed to IRELAND! We leave mid March, and will actually be there for St. Patrick’s Day, which turned out to be a total bucket list moment being in Ireland on that day! I can hardly wait and look forward to sharing more travel content, some incredible, scenic photos, and of course, another travel vlog! Plus, I got the coolest new drone for Christmas that I’ve been practicing with to hopefully capture some amazing footage for the vlog! You can watch my Paris vlog HERE and see a tour of the apartment, and make sure to subscribe to my channel!!
See some of my other posts from Paris here and here.
Xo, Rachel
This is a dream!
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It was so dreamy! Such a beautiful apartment!!