Journal No. 3
In reality I was searching for more than two days. But, when it came to decision time I did spend two whole days! Since I’ve been to Paris before, I somewhat knew the different Arrondissements and where the typical tourist destinations where. Of course we do want to visit a couple of them, but they aren’t the main attraction this time around.
First I had to decide between a hotel and a short term rental. I wanted to stay in an STR since they have more room and I could prepare some of my meals. But, if I were traveling alone I felt like a hotel was a better option. The other factor is luggage. Hotels will usually let you store your luggage before and after check in/out if your flights don’t align. Luckily I will be traveling with a friend so that decision was made.
The next criteria was to find something within my budget, that we could each have our own sleeping spaces. I really wanted a place with a balcony, or at least the tall windows that go all the way down to the floor that we could open to enjoy the view. Next on the want (required) list was A/C. Since we are going at the end of September it probably isn’t needed, but you never know. We also needed either a main floor unit or an elevator since we will be carrying our treasures back and forth. Two bathrooms would also be a huge bonus but it wasn’t a deal breaker.
Those are big asks for the old buildings. Oh, and I also didn’t want anything modern looking. I’m going to Paris for the beautiful architecture and character. I don’t want to feel like I’m at a Holiday Inn Express!
By the end of day one I did get these wants/needs narrowed down to three contenders. On the second day I looked closer at each option. Every one had pros and cons. One was near the Eiffel Tower. Not a necessary location, but I will be going there as many times as possible. If you’ve ever seen it lit up, you understand why! This STR was just renovated by an interior designer so it was gorgeous, located on the main level, and near a bus stop which are all good things. However it did not have A/C. The only issue with this is that if we did need to open the windows, the street noise could make it hard to sleep. We will have long exhausting days, so this one was off the list.
There were two more in the 17th Arrondissement. There was one that I loved. It checked many boxes. Lots of character, a balcony, A/C, two sleeping areas, and two bathrooms. But the exterior photos showed A LOT of stairs to get up to the door. It looked like it was on a corner so it was possible an Uber could drop us off at the door, but even so, the walk to other transportation might be tough.
So we were down to the last one. It’ perfect. It’s in the neighborhood we wanted (I’ll explain more in another post), lots of character, has A/C, on the main floor, 2 sleeping areas, AND two and a half bathrooms which is unheard of in Paris! Oh, and a washer and dryer. I’m excited for this as we will be shopping for some vintage clothing so we will be able to wear our purchases!!
So after two whole days of searching neighborhoods, locating transportation, researching the types of places we will be going, and comparing amenities, I finally booked it. And I immediately felt like I made the right choice for this trip. I plan to go many times so if this ends up not being “the one”, I’ll try again next time.
~Jamie
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