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Vacation Rentals in Paris: Affordable Luxury for Savvy Travelers

When you think vacation, what first springs to mind? Sleeping in ‘til noon, luxurious bedding, fluffy towels, concierge service, soaking in the sun without a care in the world…

Thanks to today’s somber economic climate, even formerly avid travelers are reluctant to splurge on their own little square of paradise. Two years ago, that privately chartered yachting trip may have seemed like a great idea, but today, lavish trip planning is often viewed as unrealistic—and even irresponsible.

While people are working just as hard as ever, the prevailing “hunker down” attitude has discouraged many from treating themselves to the time off that they well deserve. And for those who do decide to bite the bullet and take a real vacation, “budget” hotels can be less relaxing than simply staying at home: questionable cleanliness, rude concierges, cigarette-tinged rooms, threadbare sheets and towels…
 
Savvy travelers are beginning to realize that they don’t have to sacrifice their hard-earned vacations just because luxury hotels are no longer within their budgets. Fortunately, holiday apartment and villa rentals offer a balance between luxury and affordability, between service and comfort, between “getting away” and feeling completely at home. Hotels simply cannot strike such a balance. 

With 16 years of experience under her belt, Erica Berman, owner of Haven in Paris, has capitalized on that elusive holiday combination:  getaways that mix affordable luxury with the comforts of home, while incorporating a touch of exotic independence. Her high-end vacation apartment rental agency manages a carefully selected portfolio of properties in Paris, Provence and Tuscany, all of which are outfitted with the amenities people are used to finding in luxury hotels (plush and bountiful linens, fresh flowers, complementary wine, flat-screen TVs with international channels, high speed internet, Wifi, Mac computers in most units) for a fraction of the price of high-end hotel stays.

After over 10 years spent honing her expertise in the interior décorating and vacation rental industries, Erica realized that luxury apartments constituted an untapped niche in the marketplace.

“When we finally manage to get away for a vacation, we want to feel that we’re truly ‘away,’ but we also don’t want to arrange our schedule around hotel meal times, maid service, and the limited possibilities of a mini-fridge. I designed the Haven in Paris experience to be the perfect alternative to an anonymous hotel vacation. On arrival, my clients find impeccably clean and beautifully decorated properties in the heart of Paris, Provence or Tuscany with everything they need to make them feel at home: high-end linens and towels, fully-equipped kitchens, luxurious bathrooms and appliances, and of course the incomparable appeal of being in a space that is intimately theirs.”

There are, of course, a plethora of vacation rental services in Paris and throughout the world. Haven in Paris, however, distinguishes itself via its exemplary customer service and the attention to detail that goes into the preparation of every client experience.

The Haven in Paris team is available around the clock to help clients design a vacation experience customized to their individual interests and needs. “Unlike with other companies, our clients do not arrive to find a key under a doormat, a few notes about garbage disposal and an emergency contact,” says Berman. “Each apartment has a fully-vetted apartment manager who welcomes clients into the flat upon their arrival with fresh flowers and wine, and remains just a phone call away for the duration of their stay to make sure clients are happily settled into their apartments and to troubleshoot any issues that might arise.”

In addition to the warm welcome and reassuring presence of their greeter, clients are invited to take advantage of a list of tried-and-true service partners carefully selected by Haven in Paris, including at-home massage therapists, yoga instructors, personal chefs, language teachers, private tour guides and chauffeurs to help make their stay more enjoyable.

Now more than ever, renting an apartment is the ideal choice for travelers looking to enjoy high living standards without shelling out the inflated rates that hotels continue to charge. And with a service like Haven in Paris as an attractive alternative, travelers are entitled to expertly decorated, elegant spaces with breathtaking views instead of four-walls-and-a-bathroom; plentiful closet space instead of a flimsy luggage rack; fully equipped kitchens with state-of-the-art appliances instead of a limited, overpriced room-service menu; computers and free high speed WiFi instead of expensive minute rates for spotty internet service.

With all of these resources available, it’s hard to believe that the cost of a luxurious apartment is still lower than that of a comparable hotel room. So we took a look at the rates of some of Paris’ notable higher-end hotels and compared them to how much one would spend for the same standards of luxury in a Haven in Paris property:

Haven in Paris:
- Average price of a studio (sleep 2): 740 euros/week, or 53 euros/person/night
- Average price of a 1 bedroom (sleep 2-4 people): 1380 euros/week. For 2 person occupancy, that means 98 euros/night/person; if 4 person occupancy: 49 euros/night/person.
- Average price of a 2 bedroom (sleep 4-6 people): 2318 euros/week, or (for 4 person occupancy) 83 euros/night/person

To compare, here is a sampling of rates from a range of luxury hotels with standards and amenities comparable to those that Haven in Paris provides:

- Hotel Montalembert – basic room, 2 people: 340 euros or 170 euros/person/night
- Hotel Particulier Montmartre – junior suite: 390 euros or  195 euros/person/night
- Hotel Costes – basic room, 2 people: 450 euros or 225 euros/night.

With such a stark contrast in prices, it’s no wonder that more and more in-the-know travelers are choosing apartment and villa rentals instead of hotels. And with a service like Haven in Paris offering the same type of amenities and customer service hotel-goers have come to expect, it’s clear that vacation rentals are quickly becoming the new standard in luxury travel. 

Visit: www.haveninparis.com/

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