Who runs Parismarais.com? Parismarais web site was created by a group of friends, and professionals of advertising and hospitality who have lived in Le Marais for over 20 years and know it by heart. We all speak English fluently and want to welcome you to Paris like long-time friend! Our policy is that we only recommend the best places to stay, whether they are private flats, guest rooms, rental agencies or select hotels. Do your flats have lifts or handicapped access? Unfortunately most of them don't. Le Marais is an historical district where by law nothing can be changed. Our flats are located in buildings built in the 18th century, some of them even earlier… so there is no room to install an elevator in their staircases. Most flats are on the second, third, or fourth floor, which is not too far to climb. We can always help you with your luggage if you need a hand. Are the flats non smoking flats? All the flats are owned by non smoking residents. We request that our guests refrain from smoking in the flats as well as in the staircases and lobbies for security reasons. You will find smoking areas in restaurants and cafés, but please don't forget that smoking in many public places is forbidden by law in France. When is the low season and high season in Paris? Paris is the most visited city in the world with over 26 millions visitors per year. That is to say the city is almost always sold out and always in high season! But there are two months where you can find the best rates because they are a bit less busy : january and august. So if you choose to visit in january and august, you’ll be sure to have at least a 20% discount on rentals ... you'll also enjoy the sales with 50% discounts in most of the shops! Can we get a discount? We are willing to give discounts in specific cases, such as: Why do we need to send a deposit check? Would you give the key to your own property without a minimum guarantee to get it back in good condition? We believe that trusting our guests for their honesty is the best way to have them respect us and our properties. That is why we only ask you for a small deposit equivalent to one or two week's rental. This is little compared with the value of the flat's contents. In our recent rental experience we have always had very well behaved guests and have never needed to cash the deposit... Do we have our own telephone line? Yes, each line is equipped with a meter: a single call to France Telecom on your departure day allows us to establish exactly how much you've spent since you've arrived. We will charge you only your own consumption at cost. If you wish to bring your laptop with you, you will be able to surf the internet in our flats. Is telephone expensive in France? Telephone service in France is one of the cheapest in the world. Indicative prices are: 15 € cents per minute to the United States, between 15 and 25 € cents per minute to other European countries, 10 € cents for 3 minute local calls. Calling cell phones (numbers starting with 06) is more expensive: around 30 € cents per minute. Of course you can always use your personal phone card if it offers you a better deal. What do we do when we arrive at the airport? Do not take the RER Train or airport bus if you have lots of luggage. Do not buy your train ticket from anyone other than at the official counter of the Métro with an RATP sign, which is the Métro company. If you take the bus, you can buy a ticket from the driver. If you have several pieces of luggage you're better off taking an official cab with a Taxi sign on its roof- avoid the private limos that will overcharge you. A regular cab will cost you around 50€ from Roissy Charles de Gaulle, 35€ from Orly. How do we meet to get the keys and do the check-in? The owner of your flat or one of our agents will welcome you personally. Normal check-in time is 13.00 (1 p.m.). It can be earlier if your flat is available. For late arrivals, we kindly ask you to do your best to arrive before 22.00 (10 p.m.) in order to respect the privacy of your neighbors. Once your booking is confirmed, you'll be given an appointment to rendezvous at your flat. Please do your best to be on time as there is no reception desk, we meet you at the flat. If your plane or train is late, please call us to fix another time to hand over the keys and welcome you. What about checking out? We are very flexible about check-out times. If you have a late departure and your flat is not required, we allow you to stay in the flat later than the normal noon check-out time. We'll meet you personally on departure, check out your phone bill and the condition of the flat. If everything is fine and clean, as it usually is, we'll give you your deposit check back with a warm thank you. We can also, with advanced request, arrange for a reliable taxi company to pick you up at your door and take you to the airport or train station.
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