Live Like A Local In A Paris Apartment Hotel

Paris is a favorite destination for food travelers. Filled with cutting edge restaurants and charming cafes, France’s capital is a theme park when it comes to its dining scene. However, some of the best food in Paris isn’t available at the city’s restaurants and cafes.

Instead, Parisian locals shop for wonderful cheese and tasty meats in small shops and bustling markets. They buy takeaway food at neighborhood traiteurs and artisan baguettes for a euro at boulangeries throughout the city.

We’ve long dreamt of living like locals in a Paris apartment with a functioning kitchen. Though we transferred this dream from France to Portugal where we currently live like and eat as Lisbon locals, we recently jumped at the chance to stay at a Paris apartment hotel. Thanks to Cobblestone Paris Rentals, our Paris dream came true during a two-night stay in the glorious City of Lights.

Locals live all over Paris and we lived among them in a cozy one-bedroom apartment on the border of the 8th and 17th arrondissements (districts). Named Le Triomphe Elysees, the apartment, just a short walk to the iconic Champs Elysees, lived up to its name.

Though we typically spend our time in Paris neighborhoods like the Marais and Pigalle, we enjoyed exploring the tony expat-filled neighborhood. We quickly discovered streets like Rue Poncelet filled with local shops as well as favorites like Eric Kayser and La Pâtisserie des Rêves. We then filled our canvas shopping bag with all sorts of edible treats.

Blending old world charm with modernity, Cobblestone has renovated this antique Paris apartment to include all of the perks we expect when we stay in an apartment hotel. However, the owners have retained distinctive features like hardwood floors, chandeliers and crown molding.

This apartment can accommodate up to four guests, with two sleeping on a pull-out couch. However, we were happy to enjoy the space on our own.

Within minutes of our arrival, the kitchen, with a full range of appliances as well as basics like coffee, tea, sugar, oil, vinegar and spices, became our happy place. We also fell in love with the bathroom due to its generously sized bathtub and washer/dryer combo.

Pro Tip
Stop at a market and buy milk if you plan to drink coffee or tea during your stay. You’ll be happy to have fresh milk in the morning.

Checking into the Paris apartment hotel was a breeze. Our greeter met us at a nearby cafe and spent time making sure we were comfortable with all of the unit’s features and equipment. A fellow American, she communicated well and quickly answered all of our questions.

Pro Tip
Pay close attention to the check-in and check-out times since this apartment hotel does not have a front desk. With a 10 am check-out during our stay, we had to make separate arrangements to store our luggage until our flight left later that night.

Designed for comfort and convenience, our Paris apartment hotel included special touches that enhanced our stay. We especially appreciated the bottle of wine, Lindt chocolate bar and complimentary tickets to a one-hour Seine river cruise.

From a technology perspective, the apartment has a flatscreen television, WIFI, unlimited international telephone service, DVD player and Paris-themed DVD movie titles. For those who prefer to get information the old-fashioned way, the apartment also has Paris guide books and French cookbooks.

One of the many things we love about Paris is its walkability. Though just minutes from a metro stop, the apartment hotel is within walking distance to Paris’ most iconic sites including the Arc de Triomphe, Louvre and Eiffel Tower.

This proximity makes Le Triomphe Elysees an ideal base for exploring Paris for the first or fortieth time. Visitors can hit all of the major attractions.

As for us, we didn’t visit any attractions during this Paris trip. Instead, we reveled in the opportunity to live like locals. And it was good.

Have we convinced you to plan a trip to Paris and live like Parisian locals?

To quote the late Audrey Hepburn, “Paris is always a good idea”. Start planning your trip now!

Savvy travelers will find Cobblestone’s booking process to be easy. The real estate company’s website is both user-friendly and filled with information like photos, prices and pertinent details.

Pro Tip
When booking one of Cobblestone’s 26 apartments online, you can remit payment by Visa, Mastercard, Discover, American Express or PayPal.

Paris’ metro system is one of the most comprehensive in the world. Le Triomphe Elysees is just a short walk to a line 1 metro stop.

During our stay, we easily used the metro to explore the city as well as to travel to and from the airport. We also took advantage of a nearby bus stop at the advice of our ‘friend’ Google Maps.

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