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Archive for the ‘Vacation rentals by owner’ Category

Joie de vivre in 2012.

For many, times seem to be getting harder, and the New Year carries a full load of uncertainties.

Still, we wish you many rich and rewarding travels in 2012 and remain committed to providing the best value for your stay in Paris, as a couple, a family or a small group.

But that’s only what we sell.

More important is what we share, and what we’d most like to share with you is joie de vivre…a life full of joys, great and small. The sheer beauty of Paris, and the endless sources of pleasure and enrichment that the city offers, will already give you a dose of those joys. Now, just imagine what it will be like to be greeted and hosted by people who share that joie de vivre with you. Imagine staying in homes with a soul where the joy of living is palpable.

In 2012, we’ll be offering you several exclusive Parisian delights, all selected to make your experience of joie de vivre à la parisienne all the more memorable.  Have a glimpse at some of these,  a few of our favourite things, on our Joie de Vivre photo collection.

Stay subscribed to our newsletter to learn about these new delights as they are revealed, and join us on Facebook to give us your suggestions.

Remember, if you live a life that is open to the world, there will always be two places of joy: one that is  your own and one that is called joie de vivre. Thomas Jefferson would certainly have agreed when he wrote : “Everyone has two homelands, their own and La France.”

Join us for joie de vivre this year!

And here are some recently added joie de vivre places to stay from ParisSharing, just waiting for you. Click on photos to see details.

A home in Paris enjoyed by guests from Sydney

Almost a sixth of ParisSharing guests come from down under. Considering the distance and the expense involved in such a trip, that’s more than we would expect. Our ParisSharing hosts enjoy Australian guests, who always prove to be open, enthusiastic, and respectful of people’s homes.  Their trip to Paris is often a big  and sometimes once-in-a-lifetime event. We are always delighted to make it special for them. Some write back to thank us, and sometimes (even better) write about us in the paper!

This month features an article in the Sydney Morning Herald from one of our guest Australian families who spend a week in the lesser-known Butte-aux-Cailles neighborhood last spring. It describes the experience of having a historically unique Parisian home entirely to one’s family,  a comfortable and convenient base for discovering local life in addition to all the must-see monuments. The only inconvenience: kids like homes with other kid’s toys and sometimes prefer to stick around and play rather than sight-see!

Read the full article here.

About the same time, we had another ParisSharing member from Sydney offer her apartment for a home swap. As you probably know, ParisSharing offers rentals, home exchanges, and B&B. You can have a look at her offer here. Maybe you’d like to go and enjoy the sunshine and the swimming pool?

Paris for Syndey, anyone?

To arrange a swap, all you have to do is register your own home on the ParisSharing website and then submit a request directly to the owner the home you want to swap with. Unlike most home swapping websites, ParisSharing does not charge you a subscription unless you actually succeed in finding an exchange partner. Lastly, we offer self-catering rentals and B&B as alternative approaches to home sharing. This is because home exchange, even though the most economic option for all parties, is not always easy to arrange since it requires finding just the right match in terms of destination, lifestyle, and timing.

Fall brings a new season of exhibitions to Paris museums.  Here is a list of the top five exhibits to see while visiting The City:

Grand Palais -  Of Toys and Men (September 14, 2011 – January 23, 2012)

Of Toys and Men is the history of toys in the western world and highlights the importance of toys in children’s education from birth.  The exhibit is possibly the largest toy exhibit ever featuring thousands of toys from Antiquity to modern day.

Centre Pompidou – Edvard Munch (September 21, 2011 – January 9, 2012)

The Centre Pompidou presents Edvard Munch, l’oeil moderne [Edvard Munch, the modern eye], a collection of eighty paintings, thirty drawings, fifty photographs and a film all shown for the first time in France.

Musee Maillol – Pompei (September 21, 2011 – February 12, 2012)

In 79AD, the city of Pompei was completely buried under lava and ash from the catastrophic eruption of the volcano Vesuvius.  However, the extremely well preserved ruins of Pompei rose from the ashes when they were discovered in the 1700’s.  The exhibit guides visitors through a typical Pompeian home, featuring over 200 artifacts including wall murals, vases and jewelry.

Musee du Louvre – La Cité Interdite – Forbidden City (September 26, 2011 – January 9, 2012)

The Louvre exhibit features 130 artifacts from China’s Forbidden City on loan from the ancient imperial palace museum.  Artifacts range from jade carvings, lacquerware, seals, porcelain and bronzes to personal items previously owned by Ming and Qing Dynasty emperors.

Les Arts Decoratifs – Goudemalion – Jean Paul Goude Retrospective (November 11, 2011 – March 18, 2012)

Les Arts Décoratifs welcomes this grand retrospective of Jean-Paul Goude, the French graphic designer, illustrator, photographer, director and art director. For over 40 years, Goude has been one of the advertising world’s leading “image makers”, who is best-known for his campaigns for such brands as Perrier, Citroën, Galeries Lafayette and Chanel.

Fall is one of the best times of the year to visit Paris, and it’s an excellent time to take advantage of some of ParisSharing’s wonderful apartments at special fall prices.

While another global economic crisis is lurking, we at ParisSharing are intent on making travel to the city of lights an affordable proposition in spite of it all. During the second half of August, we are offering our guests the following freebies:

A free night’s stay in a real Parisian self-catering apartment.

This offer is valid for a stay of at least 5 nights. Otherwise, you will receive a 10% discount off the normal price. There are currently numerous choices available and you can see a list of these by making an availability search on www.paris-sharing.com.

Free lunch at a selected ParisSharing eatery

We’ve gone to some length to find great value eateries. So, if you happen to be traveling with kids, or are on a tight budget, you can still enjoy eating out as well as eating in (since your ParisSharing apartment provides you with a splendid kitchen!). You can see our list of eateries by clicking here. The free lunch is valid for a value of 12€. If you don’t think it’s possible, just check our list. In addition, if you find another eatery worth sharing, write up your experience for our website and we’ll reimburse you the 12€.

Free bottle of white wine (Domaine de Tariquet classic)

Did you know that the Uni Blanc grape used by the Domaine de Tariquet, grown in Gascogne, is the same used to produce Cognac? It’s a dry, rather acidic wine, great with seafood. Savor it with a view over the roofs of Paris from your ParisSharing apartment, such as this one.

Free drinks on the beach

The city of Paris, in an effort to better communicate on the excellent quality of the city’s tap water, is serving up syrop-based drinks, where you fill your glass in a nearby water fountain. Passion fruit, apple, and more. Drinking tap water is better for the environment. It reduces the the production and disposal of plastic bottles. The drinks are served on the Paris beach (Paris Plage) at the “Bar à eau” near the Pont Marie metro stop.

Free jazz manouche

Gypsy-style jazz at a trendy café-restaurant near Bastille. The concert is free (and worth the listen).

You just have to buy a drink at the regular price. l’Atelier Charonne 21b rue de Charonne 75011 PARIS 11EME ARRONDISSEMENT

Plan d’accès

Free moonlight cinema

For the 11th consecutive year, Paris’ Image Forum offers Parisians and visitors a taste of great French films under the moonlight and across the city. Watching such a movie while sitting outside in a famous place will give you that uncanny feeling of being both here and there.  Click here for the list of French films an a schedule of showings. Yes, the films are in French!

Free entrance to the Petit Palais and the Musée Carnavalet

As it turns out, these two museums are free for the public, except for special exhibits. But for many it is a well-kept secret that we are sharing with you! For more info on the Petit Palais, which is no less than the fine arts museum of the city of Paris, click here. The Carnavalet Museum in the Marais covers the history of Paris. More information about the museum is also available on Guide2Paris.

To benefit from those freebies offered directly by ParisSharing, you do need to do the following:

1/ register as a member on www.Paris-Sharing.com and agree to receive newsletters

2/ become a Facebook fan

3/ Reserve one of our self-catering apartments for a stay beginning on or after August 12th and by August 31st at the latest.

Even though some of these freebies are obviously available to anyone and not just ParisSharing guests, by wrapping all them into one package we demonstrate that we are dedicated to your total Paris experience.

Maybe you know of other freebies in Paris during the month of August. We’d love to hear about them on our Facebook page.

We’re running a contest on Facebook!  Enter to win a FREE night’s stay at a ParisSharing apartment!

Contest Details
Can you guess which ParisSharing apartment features this lady’s image just around the corner?  If you can provide the name or title of the apartment and are the first to post the correct answer on our Facebook page, you’ll win one FREE night’s stay in the very same apartment! The prize is valid for one free night in August 2011 when you book at least 5 nights in that apartment. If you aren’t coming to Paris in August, you can still participate in the contest and transfer the FREE night to a friend. You will simply need to register as a member on our website and sponsor your friend to register as well.

Go to our Facebook page and start guessing! The first correct answer that’s posted will win the award.  If you need some help, check out this map of all the ParisSharing apartment locations.