Archive for the ‘Vacation Rentals’ Category
Paris Vacation Rental – Montmartre
Our Montmartre vacation rental
We’ll always enjoy hotel stays, but the embracing nature of vacation rental experiences delivers a sense of belonging that transcends mints on the pillow and coffee in the dining room. We’ve had the good fortune to try several vacation rentals in France, in the incredible City of Light, in the country and in small villes. Each and every time, the experience was rich, memorable and superior to hotel stays.
Take Paris, for example. How could we hope to ever become a resident of Montmartre with the stunning sight of Sacre Coeur around the corner, the endless bolts of French fabric along every street and the soft throb of local life among the never-ending tourists flocking to the highest point in Paris? Frankly, we would NOT have entertained such a dream, until we found our sophisticated apartment, completely renovated at the hands of its owner, the daughter of a diplomat and successful Parisian executive.
Our rental was beyond imagination, with elegant silk drapes flowing from the high ceilings, intimate seating areas, a cozy sleeping loft with soft, down-filled bedding and every conceivable convenience, including Salle Climatesse, air conditioning! Certainly, that was an unexpected but welcome benefit in the warm month of June.
Well-equipped, comfortable Paris apartment
Did I mention price? We paid 1300 Euros for a month or about 45 Euros per night with no extra charges! Two-star hotels with little space and zero extras start at 100 Euros a night, and even that is a bargain!
That was just our Paris vacation rental experience. On future trips, we were quick to parlay our knowledge into wonderful stays in the Loire Valley, the Alps and the countryside near Toulouse.
Each rental offered the freedom, comfort and convenience, the benefit of parking and the hospitality of hosts and neighbors that we simply would not have experienced in hotel stays. And there’s always the lure of attractive savings on lodging and food, on parking and laundry.
We’d love to hear from you! swsheridan@luxeeuro.com
Copyright © 2005-2013, LuxeEuro, LLC. All rights reserved.
A Château in Languedoc France
Canal du Midi, France
Sometimes you want to plan a retreat for an entire group of family or friends, and I know just the place – the very elegant Château Ventenac. The ‘castle’ borders the Canal du Midi and is right next door to the 13th-century church of Ventenac-en-Minervois in the Languedoc region of southern France.
Drive along the narrow D26 through miles of carefully-tended vineyards, and suddenly you round a corner and – voila! The canal, the village, the Château and the little ancient bridge come into view. The six-bedroom gîte is beautifully appointed, with gardens and terraces overlooking the canal and just waiting to deliver a self-catered getaway for you and your friends or family.
The little village has the necessities of life … croissants from the boulangerie and wine from the Château de Ventenac Wine Cave, now a co-opérative that makes and sells wines using grapes from the same vineyards you pass on your way into the village. A couple of times a week, mobile market vans visit the village to sell fresh local produce. There’s even a chicken van, and the Mairie announces the van arrivals over a loudspeaker system –village culture at its best!
Peaceful paths lining the Canal du Midi
But, here is my favorite part. On the Château grounds, there is a lower gateway that provides access to the Canal du Midi. The gate is locked with a padlock – a la the Marcel Pagnol story and film, Le Château de ma mère (My Mother’s Castle) – but the code is kept in the kitchen. You can slip through the gate and meander for miles along the tree-lined Canal. Merveilleux! We’d love to hear from you!
Copyright © 2005, LuxeEuro, LLC. All rights reserved.
Discover Haute-Savoie Gîtes & Lodging
Hearty mountain cuisine in the Alps
Sometimes we are so fickle in cherry-picking our favorite memories and places or in evaluating what we might have done differently in traveling through France. Annecy is just one example of an incredibly charming lakeside city, in which we wish we had spent more time…like settling in for a week of exploring the Alpine countryside.
C’est la vie – after a day and a night, we sought out the local office of the Gîtes de France for help in reserving a room in the area. If you are not familiar with the organization, the Gîtes de France developed the first European network of ‘homestay’ accommodations and celebrated 50 years of service in 2005. They focus on rural areas and promote hospitable and comfortable tourist stays. Their latest count of offerings was 43,000 French homesteads that open their unique homes to welcome tourists.
Gorgeous Alpine villages near Chinaillon
The GDF helped us to reserve a charming room in the little village of Chinaillon, just up the road … or mountain from Annecy. Though we vowed to return to that gorgeous city, the Alpine countryside began to weave its’ spell around us.A couple of roosters welcomed us in our ‘car park’, and a few hikers passed by on trails up the hillside looming behind our gîte. The owners – Isabelle and Jean Louis – were very pleasant, and each morning we joined with other guests (5 or 6) for a nice breakfast, before taking to the local roads to explore.
Over a three-day period, we simply wandered … along winding roads that rose to offer spectacular, flower-framed views, before dropping down into one charming village after another … through artisan hamlets and chapel-centered bourgs… over to the Mont Blanc tunnel, where we emerged in Aosta, Italy and wound our way back to our little village for a warm café meal.
When you plan your adventures in France, we heartily recommend you stay a bit in the Haute-Savoie region. For all of the other benefits, surely the Savoyard cuisine and famous regional Reblochon cheese will reward your decision for all time!
We’d love to hear from you! swsheridan@luxeeuro.com
Copyright © 2005-2013, LuxeEuro, LLC. All rights reserved.
“My Little Home in Paris”
Our favorite apartment in Paris
Take just a few steps from Place Contrescarpe at the top of the famous Mouffetard market street. Enter your door code, pass through the courtyard and up the stairs, and you’re “Home”. That’s how easy and delightful your stay can be in a vacation apartment in Paris.
“My Little Home in Paris” in the Latin Quarter is one of your many apartment choices in this fabulous world capital; and it delivers huge value over a comparably-priced hotel room.
With a full bath, attractive furnishings, wi-fi and free phone service, well-equipped kitchenette and more, your “little home” provides the comfort and genuine experience of living as a Parisian. To top it off, your owners will greet you with chocolates or wine and acquaint you with the area, shopping choices, metro stops, restaurants and favorite spots to visit.
Copyright © 2005-2017, LuxeEuro, LLC. All rights reserved.