Notre appartement, Le Pansy, était très, très marveilleux!
Let me start from the beginning. When our family decided to plan a summer vacation to Paris, I decided to do some research. I downloaded Robyn Webb's book, "The Paris Vacation Apartment Guide". It mentions the particular Pansy apartment in her book, along with others. When I reached out to her by e-mail, she helped me narrow down my possible choices to one apartment, The Pansy. I'm grateful she did.
From the moment Vincent (our driver, set up by Guest Apartment Services) picked us up at the airport (me, my husband, and 8 y.o. daughter), we were swept away! He had many candies for our daughter and waters for all of us. We were taken to the rental agency to pick up our keys, sign last minute paperwork, and then were driven directly to our apartment. Vincent made sure we got in, delivered our luggage, and we were allowed to check-in early by 10:30 a.m. What a relief after a long trans-Atlantic flight!
Now, as for the apartment itself, it is truly a palace in the heart of Paris! 1400 square feet of space in Le Haut Marais, 3e! The Pansy has Old World charm with all of the modern conveniences. Included is an upstairs bedroom and full bath, a downstairs converted bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, study, kitchen with all amenities, large foyer and living room, and washer/dryer area. The interior design is classical and romantic with beautiful art throughout. The high ceilings, large windows and glass atrium/courtyard (outside the apartment, visible through the kitchen window), allow sunlight to stream into the living quarters. Free wifi and local and international landline phone calls, kept us in close contact with our family and friends back home. Our daughter loved having her own study to read (her copy of the "Wizard of Oz" purchased at Shakespeare and Company), and her own room to play with her dolls and try on new clothes, after a busy day of sight-seeing.
Our only two concerns were the lack of air conditioning and lack of 24 hour hotel management. The a/c was not a problem as the temps were in the 70's during the day and the hotel walls are very thick providing insulation from the heat. But, we were assured that we could rent a portable cooling unit, if desired. As for the second issue, it was also a moot point as Christophe jotted down his personal number for emergencies, day or night. Liliane gave us a walking tour of the apartment, explaining appliances and rules. She made multiple restaurant reservations for us, which we might not have secured otherwise. She also called to give us updates and check on our stay/comfort while there. Lovely!
Location, location, location! The Pansy is one street parallel from the elegant park, Place des Vosges (former home to Victor Hugo for the literary set). There are breathtaking art galleries, great restaurants (Carette – for pastries, croissants, and café crème – great for watching people stroll by the park, Le Petit Marché – excellent, Ben and Jennifer Affleck dined here this summer excellent, and Chez Janou – serving the largest chocolate mousse in history….to name a few), and a métro station (Chemin Vert, line 8), steps away. Not to mention the market shopping on Rue St. Antoine and the clothing and museums on Rue des Francs Bourgeois! We were there during the "Soldes", and enjoyed many summer sales purchases. The lively Bastille area and métro is nearby too.
To quote Audrey Hepburn, "Paris is always a good idea"! To take that one step further, "Booking an Apartment in Paris with Guest Apartment Services is always a good idea too"!
Sally West
