GUESTS REVIEW: Nos lettres de remerciements.
( Remerciements très honorés par notre hôtesse.)
Dear Liliane
I know that David has already written you, but I wanted to add my thanks and enthusiasm for what turned out to be a memorable trip. The apartment was wonderful for us, and we particularly appreciated the spaciousness and light from the many windows. We are telling friends, and hope that we ourselves, may make a return visit. Thank you for all your very helpful information and attention to detail-that made the arrival and settling in so easy!
Sincerely,
Barbara G., Austin, TX
______________________________________________________
Dear Liliane:
What a marvelous experience! Staying in your wonderful apartment in Paris for the month of August was the closest thing to becoming a Parisian. The location was terrific. Close to boutiques, markets, restaurants, Metro, taxis and the train. The situation, directly on the square, was tranquil and picturesque. I look forward to staying there in the near future and recommend it wholeheartedly.
Regards,
John Fazio (and friends)
San Diego, California
______________________________________________________
Dear Liliane- Just writing to let you know how much we all enjoyed your lovely apartment. It worked out extremely well for us. Mme A. was very kind and helpful….We really appreciated all the space and complete furnishings in the apartment, and the location was ideal for the metro and for shopping at Rue Lepic. We’d love to go back sometime in the future, if you plan to continue renting it.
With best wishes and many thanks for all your help,
Pat A., Charlottesville, VA
______________________________________________________
Dear Liliane- The end is in sight. I will be sad to leave, for many reasons, not least of which is that I will miss my wonderful apartment. But glad to get home into a new apartment (which has taken over a YEAR of renovations -- it was supposed to be done before I left NY) and to a normal schedule.
……Fine, thanks very much. Again, a great apartment…a great time…if TERRIBLE weather!
Best,
Prof. Martha H-W., New York City, N.Y.
______________________________________________________
Dear Mrs. Borsuk- Well our month in Paris is quickly coming to a close. We leave Sunday. The apartment has been wonderful and we have enjoyed our stay immensely and the location provides us with excellent connections by bus or metro to everywhere in the city.
The wine, bread and fruit on our arrival was very thoughtful…. The meeting went well and we have been exploring Paris every since. We have a wonderful book of 10 "off the beaten track walks" and we try to do one about every day. They are all walking and each one last about 5 hours.
Have enjoyed the opera, many evening concerts at the cathedrals, and some of the museums. Since we have been to Paris a few times previously we had done most of the usual tourist things and the major museums. It was nice to avoid most of the crowds and go into the side streets and backstreets with our walking guide. Went to Vaux Vicompte for a day, Giverny, Chantilly and Senlis and tomorrow head for Laon to see the old town and the Cathedral.
We have had no problems with the apartment. There were only a couple of wine glasses that were not cracked or chipped so we bought some new ones and are leaving them for subsequent guests. Otherwise everything else we needed was available. We have used a lot of your suggestions which were very helpful. We even found a couple of new local restaurants that we liked very much that were not on the list.
Will contact you when we arrive back. We have heard from the N--- and they arrived safely back in Minnesota. They and all of our friends who visited us during and after the meeting were charmed by the apartment.
Dr. Herbert C., Chapel Hill., N.C.
______________________________________________________
Merci Madame!
...for sharing Le petit palais Place Adolphe-Max. Best/most eventful memories: watching the children in the park jump over the fence meant to keep them off the grass (heaven forbid that anyone should walk on the grass in a park in Paris), our flowers reflecting in the mirror over the marble fireplace, inviting friends for dinner in the elegant dining room, an American's gourmet lunch consisting exclusively of ten cheeses & three wines (courtesy of the fromager in rue Lepic & nearby Nicolas), relaxing in a real living room with coffees or teas to hear each other's stories of the day, & proudly announcing how many flights of steps we walked up before stopping for breath.
Tips and resources we used:
--the buslines book. MERCI. We are bus transport converts.
--the 2 binders with the phone, etc, information. But I needed more detail to
outsmart the washing machine.
--the Giverny SF Chronicle article. We happily rented bikes to go the 4 miles from the Vernon RR station to Giverny. Future travelers might want to arrive early enough in the day to get bikes which actually shift, & keep the air in their tires. As the ride is flat, the marginal equipment was more amusing than an issue. Also, there is a secret bike path just beyond the bridge, about a block further than the right turn which is the highway route to Giverny. The Musée Marmottan renovation is formidable - upstairs we saw several rooms of works by Berthe Morisot, quite a treat.
Food:
So many great restaurants nearby. We used your suggestions, & want to add a few:
I hope the Cs’ gave you the address & walking directions to "Le Restaurant," as it was our best meal with them - sauces "to die for." The little crêperie opposite Van Gogh's house on rue Lepic (not the restaurant
inside the "Y") got rave reviews, as did the boulangerie Lepreux and the fromagerie in rue Lepic, and the personnel at several local bars.
At Place Clichy, we were happy with the service at the Wepler for lunch, disappointed in the service at the couscous restaurant, enjoyed an excellent seafood choucroute & creme brulée at the Petit Bofinger, and shared the best (if most expensive) meal of the entire trip at the funky mirrored Charlot. Mérite le détour.
New tips & info:
-As the guidebook said, the nearby Musée de l'Art Erotique is tasteful and interesting, and worth the visit. I missed it, but it's now on my "return" list.
--The "Airport Express" shuttle service, $18 per person, Paris<->CDG with no additional charge for luggage, is a best buy for transportation. You must reserve 48 hours in advance, but there are toll-free numbers for both the US & France, they speak English (entre autres langues, no doubt), the service is prompt, & the dispatcher calls 5 mn before the van arrives, so you can stay in the apt. until the last minute. Merveilleux. Dr. C. has the contact numbers.
The best part was being in a real neighborhood, & having a hostess who was as pleased to have us come as we were to share her home. Merci mille fois de la part de nous tous - j'attends avec impatience le plaisir de retourner chez vous.
Sharon & Bill N. aka C-N clan
Minnesota
P. S. to Herb & Karen C.:
Could you please send all of us:
1) the title of your walking tour book
2) the 800 # for the Airport Express
3) confirmation of reservations at Adolphe-Max again, any time {:)
______________________________________________________
Liliane- Thank you for your note. I did use the phone to contact my work (through a local Paris number that connects to an international network) and so there will be some phone charges.
We had a very good time in Paris in your beautiful apartment. It worked out very well for us as far as sleeping arrangements. We had quite different priorities and interests in our family as you might expect. Also it was the first time my children had been out of the US. So we had an interesting time deciding what to do every day. However it was very enjoyable to be able to spend more time together as a family and that was a pleasant surprise since everyone enjoyed it and we normally don't have so much time together.
Everyone eventually found their favorite things to do and see but we came to the conclusion that one week in Paris is not enough time to adjust to the time difference and be able to do everything we wanted to do. Perhaps we'll try to do it again for longer.
The furnishings were excellent, the large windows were beautiful and made the rooms very pleasant with lots of light, and we enjoyed the quiet location although close to both metro and bus connections to anywhere in Paris. We would love to stay again if we came back to Paris.
Sincerely,
John McF., St Louis, MO.