I first heard of the Haven in Paris apartment rental agency from Jon Maroto and George Nunno of Flair Home who often stay in their properties. I didn’t have the opportunity to rent from them until this past trip but I will definitely be renting from them from now on. For a nine day trip, an apartment seemed like a great idea especially since Michelle Adams and I thought we might have a third friend joining us. I actually looked at another company as well but I kept coming back to Haven in Paris. They had a really chic selection of apartments in great locations. We settled on a two bedroom, two bathroom apartment in Saint Germain just a block away from the Seine with great interior design, called Rive Gauche on their site.

From the beginning, it was very easy to work work with Haven in Paris. They answered all my questions quickly and once we paid, we were sent an 18 page guide that went over every single thing in the apartment and the neighborhood.  While Haven in Paris is based in the US, we were met at the apartment on arrival day but a greeter who would be available to help us with anything we needed in Paris.  We actually didn’t need to contact her because everything was so well organized.

Before you decide to stay in an apartment instead of a hotel, you have to decide if you are fine without daily housekeeping services, room service, and other hotel amenities. Although,I think they do have maid service available for longer stays.  I loved that we had a washer and dryer so I didn’t have to pack as many layering pieces.  It was the first trip that I didn’t come home with a suitcase full of dirty clothes too. This particular apartment had been renovated so it had great lighting, showers, and closets.

Most Paris apartments do not have air conditioning but I did see a few that had it if you visit in the warmer months.  I will also tell you that Paris apartments can also be cold in winter so pack accordingly.  You may want to inquire about whether they could supply you with a space heater if you rent one of their properties in the coldest months.

We were on the fourth floor and had a small elevator that fit two people or one person and luggage. I did see some apartments that had an elevator but required you to walk up one flight to the apartment. You might want to make sure you look for this if you don’t want to lug suitcases up stairs.

In the interest of full disclosure, we were given a discount on this apartment in exchange for a post but I can honestly say this was my favorite place I’ve ever stayed in Paris. It was a beautiful apartment and the entire process couldn’t have been easier.   As you know, I would never recommend a service I didn’t stand behind 100% and I know you will be just as impressed with Haven in Paris as Michelle and I were last week.

There was a lot of great design inspiration in this rental apartment as well as practical ideas for those who may be thinking of renting out your homes. The dining table had a thin sheet of plexiglass protecting the wood from scratches that didn’t hide the beauty of the table.  This is a great idea for homes with children too.

I forgot to take a photo of all the great lower pull out storage drawers.  I love the clean lines they created in the kitchen.  On the right is roll up door that hid a laundry hamper and shelves because there wasn’t room for a real door.  The closet beside it held the easy to use washer and dryer. Not shown are more closets on the other side of the door to the living room. 

We were lucky enough to receive beautiful flower deliveries from Cartier that we displayed in the kitchen.  While the owner of this rental had an enviable art collection, there wasn’t anything on the back wall so Michelle displayed a vintage photo she bought on the trip.

The apartment had great light and even a stack of interior design magazines. 

The sofa pulled out into a bed so it could have slept more people. You can filter the rental apartment listings by number of bedrooms and the number of people it can sleep.

There was a television but we didn’t watch it once.  It felt good to be outside everyday walking in the beautiful weather after our cold and snowy winter in New York. 

I loved this dresser and abstract artwork in the living room. 

We had the use of an iPad during our stay too. 

A stack of clean towels and perfectly made beds awaited us in each of the bedrooms. 

My new Celine Trapaze bag from Colette felt very at home in this bedroom too.  Did I mention that it cost $1000 less in France than it would in the US?  The falling Euro is also making shopping in Europe favorable again. My currency trading friend thinks it might get to 1:1 soon and even .80.  You might want to start planning a trip soon. 

As you can see in this photo, the farthest right two closet doors have keyed locks on them.  This is a great idea for anyone who wants to rent out their home while keeping personal items private and safe. 

The closet space in this bedroom was great.  I unpacked my suitcases the first night and felt at home the entire trip. 

I will definitely miss waking up to this view every morning. 

There was a large ensuite bathroom attached to my bedroom with a deep bathtub and rain shower head. It had a full window that let in lots of light but there was no door on the room.  It was fine since I slept in the room alone but might have been weird if my male friend joined us. You should also remember that the hot and cold water handles are reversed in France. The cold or froid is on the left and the hot or chaud is on the right. 

Michelle stayed in the other smaller bedroom that also had great light. All the closets had push latches so they were flush with the walls. 

There were a few more personal items in this room like French books. 

Michelle’s bathroom was just outside her bedroom and had a large shower stall not seen. The only draw back was that it was hard for her to wash her face in the small sink so she occasionally used the sink in my bathroom. 

Because we were on the fourth floor, we had great views of Saint Germain and lots of light. 

My advice to avoiding jetlag is to get as much sunlight and fresh air the day you arrive.  Do not under any circumstances take a nap and try to stay up until 10 or 11:00pm if you can.  Before bed, I take a bath and one whole over the counter French sleeping pill, Donormyl, the first night so I sleep. I can take half a pill the other nights if needed.

I loved the tiled floor and green paint on the outside of our door and that it complemented my Hartmann luggage and my other new Celine bag.  Yes, I went crazy and bought two in Paris. (Happy early Birthday to me.) Keep in mid that French doors do not follow the “righty tighty, lefty loosey” rule.  They lock to the left and unlock to the right. We had two keys to the apartment but you’d have to check if you could get more have more people staying with you. French keys are very expensive to copy unlike American keys. 

Due to privacy concerns since this is a private home, I can’t tell you exactly where our rental apartment was located or show you the outside door. I can show you the pretty courtyard that you enter to get to the door to our building. We felt very safe since there was a code to the outside door, inside door, and the elevator.  I recommend putting them all in the notes section for your Haven in Paris contact in your phone so you can easily refer to them.

As I mentioned, this was honestly my favorite place I’ve stayed in Paris and I guarantee you will love Haven in Paris too. Oh, and they also have rental properties in London, Provence, and Tuscany.  I think I may have to plan another trip soon.

Photos by me via Canon EOS 5D Mark II and iPhone 6.