Negin Posted May 21, 2011 Share Posted May 21, 2011 There's probably nobody here who has stayed at these .... thought I'd ask anyway. If you have experience with this company, can you please share? Rick Steves recommends it in his book, so that's a good sign. Nonetheless, I am concerned. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Negin Posted May 22, 2011 Author Share Posted May 22, 2011 I guess and hope that if Rick Steves recommends it, it should be good, right? :confused: Does anyone have any negative experiences with any Rick Steves recommendations, specifically places to stay? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thescrappyhomeschooler Posted May 22, 2011 Share Posted May 22, 2011 I don't know if I've ever stayed at a Rick Steves recommended place, but I think I would trust him if he said it was nice. Their website looks nice, too. And, hey- if you're in Paris, how much time are you going to be spending at the B&B, anyway? :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MBM Posted May 22, 2011 Share Posted May 22, 2011 Negin, you might want to post your question on Fodor's European forum. Some of the posters live in France and many have travelled there extensively. St. Cirq and ira are two posters who come to mind but there are many others. Enjoy your trip! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Negin Posted May 22, 2011 Author Share Posted May 22, 2011 I don't know if I've ever stayed at a Rick Steves recommended place, but I think I would trust him if he said it was nice. Their website looks nice, too. And, hey- if you're in Paris, how much time are you going to be spending at the B&B, anyway? :tongue_smilie: Thanks for reassuring me a bit. :) 7 nights. Negin, you might want to post your question on Fodor's European forum. Some of the posters live in France and many have travelled there extensively. St. Cirq and ira are two posters who come to mind but there are many others. Enjoy your trip! Thank you. Will go look into that forum also. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Negin Posted July 23, 2011 Author Share Posted July 23, 2011 Just thought to let others know, in case anyone plans plan on staying at a B&B in Paris. We stayed at one of the Alcove & Agapes B&B just over a month ago. We were there for a week. We stayed at property numbers 124 & 125 with Claudine. It looked lovely on the website and we read numerous glowing reviews which raved about the TV, free WiFi, etc. Our stay was not pleasant at all, to say the very least :thumbdown:. 1. It was far too overpriced for what we were paying. We paid $243 US per night. Perhaps if the cost had been half of that, it may, just may, have been worth it. But it's almost impossible to find reasonably priced accommodation in Paris for a family of 4 during the summer. 2. We never felt welcome. In fact, we were in a hurry to leave there in the mornings and not return until very late at night, even though we have 2 children. It was quite obvious that Claudine did not like us to be there. That's the problem it seems with Parisian B&Bs. There really is no privacy. This has not been our experience with B&Bs in the UK or in the US. 3. The breakfasts were extremely minimal and she was very, very cheap. Each person was allowed 2 very small pieces of bread and it would not fill any of us up – not even the kids. The juice (only one type offered) was foul. The breakfasts were not at all as shown in the pictures and described on the website. They were very sub-standard. The site says that we were to receive flaky croissants that she would warm for us each morning. There was none of that. 4. The shower was awkward and very old. Seriously needs an upgrade. The room with the toilet was quite bad also. 5. Our kids’ bed was very hard and uncomfortable. Both of them had backaches every morning. Our bed was nothing to rave about either. 6. The website says that laundry is free for all stays that are longer than 4 nights. When I approached Claudine about it, she went absolutely hysterical and started screaming away about how hard it is to do laundry, and how in France, people don’t wash their clothes very often, etc. Our load was small for a family of four. She said that she would have to charge me 10 Euros. I paid her, while reminding her that the site says that laundry should be free. She said that rule no longer applies. She continued screaming and started throwing our laundry everywhere – underwear ended up in the kitchen sink :lol:, socks on the kitchen floor. You get the picture. It was actually quite comical, but maybe now others will understand that staying at B&Bs in France, or at least, in Paris, may not be the best idea. 7. We were never really able to use the TV, since Claudine was always there watching it first. WiFi was only available in the TV room where she would always sit. WiFI was not available in our bedroom. 8. I honestly don’t believe that this lady in particular is cut for this job. She’s elderly and is unwilling to change. She walks around at night and starts turning off lights while we are using them. She’s of the post-WW2 generation of cheapness, yet the rates are certainly not cheap. We definitely did not get what we paid for. This establishment is stuck in the 70s, but charges 21st or possibly 22nd-century prices. I would never recommend this company and am quite surprised and disappointed that Rick Steves recommends it. Their customer service is good at first, until they receive payment. After that, they really do not care. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted July 23, 2011 Share Posted July 23, 2011 I'm sorry that it was a bad experience for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Negin Posted July 24, 2011 Author Share Posted July 24, 2011 Thanks so much, Jean. BTW, I have missed you and everyone here very much. :grouphug: The rest of our trip was great. We had a fabulous time in Paris nonetheless :D. I just thought that I should warn others in case they ever wish to consider this company :thumbdown:. I had mistakenly thought that because Rick Steves recommends it, that it must be good. Not always the case. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted July 24, 2011 Share Posted July 24, 2011 Thanks so much, Jean. BTW, I have missed you and everyone here very much. :grouphug: The rest of our trip was great. We had a fabulous time in Paris nonetheless :D. I just thought that I should warn others in case they ever wish to consider this company :thumbdown:. I had mistakenly thought that because Rick Steves recommends it, that it must be good. Not always the case. I wonder if they were on better behavior for his sake. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Negin Posted July 24, 2011 Author Share Posted July 24, 2011 I wonder if they were on better behavior for his sake. I thought the same thing :confused:. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom in High Heels Posted July 24, 2011 Share Posted July 24, 2011 Bummer! Maybe you should contact Rick Stevens via his website and let him know of your experience. I'm sure his website readers would appreciate the heads up, especially about the b'fast and laundry (I would have hit the roof). I can't believe you paid that much! Holy cow! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeri Posted July 24, 2011 Share Posted July 24, 2011 to the woman who ran this business! We live in Europe and follow lots of Rick's suggestions for travel and I think his research is so spot on that he would be horrified to hear how you have been treated! Jeri Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mothersweets Posted July 24, 2011 Share Posted July 24, 2011 Aww, Negin, I'm so sorry it turned out badly for you. I agree with the pps who said to contact Rick Steves. I sure wouldn't want this horrible woman getting any more business. I've been reading David McCullough's new book The Greater Journey: Americans in Paris and am thoroughly entranced. If you feel like sharing about the rest of your trip, I'd love hear about it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Negin Posted July 25, 2011 Author Share Posted July 25, 2011 Bummer! Maybe you should contact Rick Stevens via his website and let him know of your experience. I'm sure his website readers would appreciate the heads up, especially about the b'fast and laundry (I would have hit the roof). I can't believe you paid that much! Holy cow! Thank you. Yes, I am planning on contacting RS. I never, ever wanted to pay that much. I couldn't get anything cheaper for a family of 4 in Paris during the summer. Seriously. I spent 2 months trying to find accommodation. Nothing. Paris is very expensive. Of all the other places we visited - various places in the U.K. and Israel - Paris was the most costly. to the woman who ran this business! We live in Europe and follow lots of Rick's suggestions for travel and I think his research is so spot on that he would be horrified to hear how you have been treated!Jeri Jeri, yes, thank you. I will most likely send a copy to the woman who runs the company. She's already given me a voucher that expires within a year for 25 Euros because of the laundry. But I don't want to ever stay in a B&B in Paris again. From what I've heard on other forums, Parisian B&Bs, on the whole, are not what they are in other places. My mistake. I had no idea. Aww, Negin, I'm so sorry it turned out badly for you. I agree with the pps who said to contact Rick Steves. I sure wouldn't want this horrible woman getting any more business.I've been reading David McCullough's new book The Greater Journey: Americans in Paris and am thoroughly entranced. If you feel like sharing about the rest of your trip, I'd love hear about it! Thank you. You're sweet. :grouphug: That book sounds interesting. I'm off to search it on amazon. :) The rest of our trip was great. We did soooo much in Paris - went to most of the sights we wanted to, in fact, all of the ones we'd planned on. London was crowded and we didn't have enough time there. I usually love London, but because the rest of the family wasn't too crazy about it, it was less enjoyable than usual. The Cotswolds is, by far, the most beautiful place I've ever visited in the U.K. and I've been to lots and lots of places there, having grown up there. We should have spent a bit longer there. Wales was our least favorite part and we won't do that again. Mainly because of the weather, but other reasons also. There were some elements of nostalgia, visiting my old home and schools, etc. But we were happy to leave. Israel was our absolute favorite. Love the food, culture, people, weather, you name it. I've always loved Israel. Mind you, we do visit a very peaceful part. Hope I didn't bore you ... ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mothersweets Posted August 5, 2011 Share Posted August 5, 2011 Not boring at all! It sounds like you had a wonderful trip (except for the crazy Paris broad)! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Negin Posted August 6, 2011 Author Share Posted August 6, 2011 Not boring at all! It sounds like you had a wonderful trip (except for the crazy Paris broad)! Laura, thank you. You're sweet. :grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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