Valerie
SBH Insider
After months of planning we finally have returned from our trip to Paris! Our trip was an amazing experience although it did end on a horribly sad note when the Paris terrorist attacks occurred on November 13th. I'm thankful we returned home safely and will continue to keep the people of France in our thoughts and prayers. I also appreciate everyone on the forum that thought of us while we were there.
I thought I would write about our trip in three parts since there is so much to say! First our travel and accommodations. Now just to put this out there, I'm either losing my memory already (at 35!) or I made a bit of a mistake in booking our flights which has never happened before because I double and triple check everything! We traveled using our American Advantage miles from BWI to CDG and then coming home we flew into DCA. I booked our flights back in February so I can only assume flight times were better this way and that I did indeed book us in different airports on purpose! Even if it was a mistake it was easily corrected with two one way rental cars that actually cost less than a week of parking at DCA anyway
Our flight was easy and on time getting us into CDG bright and early at 6:30 am. Immigration and retrieving our luggage was amazingly quick-so much so that we found ourselves sitting at a cafe in Paris enjoying breakfast by 7:30! We booked transportation into the city using Victor Cabs as suggested by Paris Made Perfect and our driver was waiting for us as soon as we excited baggage claim. As they work with Paris Made Perfect so frequently he was aware that the office did not open until 9:00 and dropped us off at Cafe Constant a short one minute walk from the office. I settled in to enjoy the menu petit dejuener while Frank set off to secure Euros from an ATM. The first of many freshly squeezed orange juices and cafe cremes were consumed!
At 9:00 we made the short stroll down to the Paris Made Perfect office to drop off our bags until our apartment was ready for us to check in. For those familiar with Paris Perfect they recently changed their name to Paris Made Perfect and I have to say they are quite aptly named! They were very responsive during our booking process and provide a wonderful guide of tips and suggestions to assist with your planning. Their office is also extremely close to the majority of their apartments which was convenient for leaving bags to begin exploring the city.
At 1:30 we arrived back to the office where we met our lovely greeter and were led to our home for the week-apartment Cassis. I initially asked for one bedroom apartments available with an Eiffel Tower view under 200 Euros a night. From the list I was provided I quickly narrowed our selection down to two choices ultimately deciding on Cassis. This decision was due to the larger kitchen and bathroom which I thought we would appreciate during a week long stay and of course the view of the most beautiful night light ever-the twinkling Eiffel Tower!
The apartment was lovely and staged for our arrival. Our greeter talked us through the use of the various appliances and answered our questions on both the apartment and the area. We were also pleasantly surprised with everything that was already waiting for us-detergent for both the dishwasher and washing machine, soap, shampoo and even slippers! Things I was definitely not expecting for an apartment stay! There was even juice, milk, plenty of Nespresso pods (of course there was a Nespresso machine as well!) and a bottle of wine with the glasses all ready for us to toast our stay in this beautiful city!
And of course, we enjoyed many meals in our little apartment!
We were located on Rue Jean Nicot, right off Rue St. Dominique so we had an ample selection of restaurants and take out right outside our door. It truly does not get any better than being able to run right across the street each morning and grab fresh pastries! Our view is below and the little pink awning in the lower right is PariSeven boulangerie.
Lastly, I have to point out how amazing Paris Made Perfect was in the aftermath of the attacks. Early Saturday morning, well before their office opens, I received an email telling us that if we were unable to travel home that day they had already arranged for us to remain in the apartment until Tuesday. At that time if we still weren't able to get a flight they would help us with additional accommodations as someone else was scheduled to arrive at Cassis that day. Thankfully, our flight left but it was wonderful to know we weren't on our own if we had to stay longer than planned.
I feel like I've already written a novel but there is just so much to say! Next up will be the wonderful food we dined on during the week!
I thought I would write about our trip in three parts since there is so much to say! First our travel and accommodations. Now just to put this out there, I'm either losing my memory already (at 35!) or I made a bit of a mistake in booking our flights which has never happened before because I double and triple check everything! We traveled using our American Advantage miles from BWI to CDG and then coming home we flew into DCA. I booked our flights back in February so I can only assume flight times were better this way and that I did indeed book us in different airports on purpose! Even if it was a mistake it was easily corrected with two one way rental cars that actually cost less than a week of parking at DCA anyway
Our flight was easy and on time getting us into CDG bright and early at 6:30 am. Immigration and retrieving our luggage was amazingly quick-so much so that we found ourselves sitting at a cafe in Paris enjoying breakfast by 7:30! We booked transportation into the city using Victor Cabs as suggested by Paris Made Perfect and our driver was waiting for us as soon as we excited baggage claim. As they work with Paris Made Perfect so frequently he was aware that the office did not open until 9:00 and dropped us off at Cafe Constant a short one minute walk from the office. I settled in to enjoy the menu petit dejuener while Frank set off to secure Euros from an ATM. The first of many freshly squeezed orange juices and cafe cremes were consumed!
At 9:00 we made the short stroll down to the Paris Made Perfect office to drop off our bags until our apartment was ready for us to check in. For those familiar with Paris Perfect they recently changed their name to Paris Made Perfect and I have to say they are quite aptly named! They were very responsive during our booking process and provide a wonderful guide of tips and suggestions to assist with your planning. Their office is also extremely close to the majority of their apartments which was convenient for leaving bags to begin exploring the city.
At 1:30 we arrived back to the office where we met our lovely greeter and were led to our home for the week-apartment Cassis. I initially asked for one bedroom apartments available with an Eiffel Tower view under 200 Euros a night. From the list I was provided I quickly narrowed our selection down to two choices ultimately deciding on Cassis. This decision was due to the larger kitchen and bathroom which I thought we would appreciate during a week long stay and of course the view of the most beautiful night light ever-the twinkling Eiffel Tower!
The apartment was lovely and staged for our arrival. Our greeter talked us through the use of the various appliances and answered our questions on both the apartment and the area. We were also pleasantly surprised with everything that was already waiting for us-detergent for both the dishwasher and washing machine, soap, shampoo and even slippers! Things I was definitely not expecting for an apartment stay! There was even juice, milk, plenty of Nespresso pods (of course there was a Nespresso machine as well!) and a bottle of wine with the glasses all ready for us to toast our stay in this beautiful city!
And of course, we enjoyed many meals in our little apartment!
We were located on Rue Jean Nicot, right off Rue St. Dominique so we had an ample selection of restaurants and take out right outside our door. It truly does not get any better than being able to run right across the street each morning and grab fresh pastries! Our view is below and the little pink awning in the lower right is PariSeven boulangerie.
Lastly, I have to point out how amazing Paris Made Perfect was in the aftermath of the attacks. Early Saturday morning, well before their office opens, I received an email telling us that if we were unable to travel home that day they had already arranged for us to remain in the apartment until Tuesday. At that time if we still weren't able to get a flight they would help us with additional accommodations as someone else was scheduled to arrive at Cassis that day. Thankfully, our flight left but it was wonderful to know we weren't on our own if we had to stay longer than planned.
I feel like I've already written a novel but there is just so much to say! Next up will be the wonderful food we dined on during the week!