The representative at AirBNB has been most helpful and gave me the address to Le Jardins Eiffel. We drag our bags (you'll hear this again) around trying to find it but cannot. We finally decide to get a taxi and he get us there. We get inside the hotel...not the right hotel. Apparently in the 7th arrondissement there are 3 hotels with a similar name, but the correct hotel was only across the street and 3 doors down.
We get to the hotel and get a room. The room has 3 twin beds, internet, cable and a/c! By now, my itinerary is pffttt, so we get our bags settled and decide since we're already in the 7th arrondissement that we'll walk to the Eiffel Tower. It was a short walk, the weather was nice and we get there just at 11pm and they are not taking any tours but the sparkly lights have started. YAY!!! My son is excited now. Neither kid has been impressed since we arrived at the apartment. They want drinks and order Sprites, which actually taste different in Paris, so they called the Frites (French Sprites). There are lots of people out and the mood is festive.
My daughter tries to find a spot where she can get close enough to lick the Eiffel Tower but they have too many barriers, but we do see a bust of Gustave Eiffel. We stay about an hour before going back to the hotel. We walk back to the hotel, take our showers and go to bed.
Day 1 in Paris is over!
The next morning the AirBNB rep calls me saying that they have not been able to get in touch with the landlord but cannot refund my money as long as the apartment is as listed. We go have our free continental breakfast then go back to 'the apartment' to wait for further instructions. About noon I hear from AirBNB and they said they are not supposed to do anything without at least talking to the landlord first. That they had emailed her and would keep me updated. We can only wait, so we decide to try to do part of the itinerary and go visit Les Invalides.
I hadn't had a chance to visit Les Invalides on my first visit to Paris, so this was very educational, impressive and the kids enjoyed it. We then went to the bus stop and caught the free bus (due to metro repairs) and got off at St. Michel. The environment was totally different here. The kids asked, "why aren't we staying over here?". Huh, I tried, it was my first choice too. I took them to see the Louvre (outside only that day), we read the historical markers, took some pics then I took them to see Notre Dame and we walked around the city. When it start getting late, we went back to the dreaded apartment took showers and tried to relax. My daughter and I took the futon, my son a mattress on the floor. It was hot in the apartment so we opened the window. Walkers-by kept looking into the window and then came the mosquitos. We had to choose between being hot or being bit by mosquitos. We chose the mosquitos. The AirBNB called again and they said they finally hear from the landlord and sayts they told her that she has until noon the next day to have the internet and cable working in the apartment or she would be guilty of false advertising and in default of the rental agreement. We spend a restless night...and I'm burning up data because I don't have internet.
The next morning we have breakfast and at noon the AirBNB rep says that they will refund me all of my money and would help me find somewhere else to stay while I'm there. They were very conscientious of the fact that I was a single woman there alone with 2 kids. I told them about the hotel I stayed in the year prior and told them I would call them when I got there. We caught the bus to St. Michel, the metro to Les Halles then went to the Citadines; they had no rooms available. Next door was Novotel and they did have rooms available. I secured a rooms for the kids and myself then we went back to the apartment, got our bags, dragged them to the bus stop, went back to St. Michel, metro to Les Halles, back to Novotel and settled into our permanent hotel room (with cable, a/c and internet)....in the 1st arrondissement, where I wanted to be all along.
Tips:
- AirBNB was great. A 3rd party in-between was a perfect decision.
- Do not rent from Sofie in Paris.
Got it. No Sofie for me. I've used AirBnB before in NY, but it was a good experience. This person sounds like a maniac. So happy thatAir BnB finally helped you guys out.
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