Searching for the right place to sleep in France
This item appears on page 68 of the March 2009 issue.
by Philip Wagenaar, third of four parts
Last month I wrote about, in addition to specific French hotel groups, the use of Michelin and Logis de France guides in obtaining reservations. This month I will give an overview of homestays, home exchanges and more.
ACCOMMODATION GUIDE (continued)
J. Global reservation services
The following global reservation services can be used for many hotels in France, but you usually pay extra for their services. You also have to watch out for cancellation penalties.
1. Expedia (13810 SE Eastgate Way, Ste. 400, Bellevue, WA 98005; phone 800/EXPEDIA, expedia.com).
2. Hotels.com (10440 North Central Expressway, Ste. 400, Dallas, TX 75231; 800/346-8357, hotels.com).
3. Travelocity (3150 Sabre Dr., Southlake, TX 76092; 888/872-8356, travelocity.com).
K. YMCA hotels/accommodations
YMCA hotels/accommodations are available in the following cities in France (visit www.ymca.int/index.php?id=219).
• In Agon-Coutainville, UCJG Le Core Hostel (blvd Lebel-Jehenne F-50230 Agon-Coutainville; phone +33 2 33 47 21 64, fax 47 75 90, e-mail assocore@club-internet.fr or visit www.core-coutainville.org).
• In Anduze, UCJG Val de l’Hort (1050 Chemin Bas, F-30140 Anduze; phone +33 4 66 61 61 06, fax 66 60 52 07, e-mail valdel hort@wanadoo.fr or visit www.cis-anduze.com).
• In Le Chambon sur Lignon, Le Camp Joubert (F-43400 Le Chambon sur Lignon; phone +33 4 71 59 70 81, e-mail campjoubert@aol.com or visit http://membres.lycos.fr/ucjg/joubert). (Call Jacques Guilbaud at +33-4-71-02-42-28.) Only for groups of 20 people minimum.
• In Paris, UCJG de Paris (14, rue de Trévise, F-75009 Paris; phone +33 1 47 70 90 94, fax 47 79 09 29, e-mail ymca_ucjg.paris@wanadoo.fr or visit http://pagesperso-orange.fr/ymca_ucjg.paris) — open only from June to September.
• In Saint-Bonnet-les-Quarts, UCJG La Cascanide - Les Biefs (F-42310 Saint-Bonnet-des-Quarts; phone +33 4 77 65 77 95, e-mail ucjg.lacascanide@wanadoo.fr or visit www.perso.libertysurf.fr/ucjgloire) — only for groups of a minimum of 10 people.
• In Sainte Marie aux Mines, Centre UCJG de Vacances d’Echery (No. 1 La Petite Lièpvre, F-68160 Sainte Marie aux Mines; phone +33 1 89 58 76 85 or e-mail ucjg.schiltigheim@free.fr) — only for groups of 25 people minimum.
• In Sanary-sur-Mer, UCJG Centre Azur (49 avenue du Nid, F-83110 Sanary-sur-Mer; phone +33 4 94 74 18 87, fax 94 34 79 10, e-mail centre-azur@wanadoo.fr or visit http://ymca-sanary.org).
• In Sauve, UCJG La Fraternelle (F-30610 Sauve; phone +33 4 66 77 50 02 or e-mail bmarion@free.fr).
• In Strasbourg, UCJG CIARUS [Centre Européen de rencontre et de tourisme social] (7 rue Finkmatt, F-67000 Strasbourg; phone +33 3 88 15 27 88, fax 15 27 90, e-mail ciarus@media-net.fr or visit http://ciarus.com).
• In Villeneuve-lès-Avignon, UCJG-YMCA (7 bis, chemin de la justice, BP112 F30400 Villeneuve-lès-Avignon; phone +33 490 25 46 20, fax 4 90 25 30 64 or visit www.ymca-avignon.com).
L. Homestays
A different and exciting way of visiting a country is to stay with a family. A number of organizations and hospitality groups offer these so-called homestays worldwide. Among them are. . .
1. Affordable Travel Club (6556 Snug Harbor Ln., Gig Harbor, WA 98335; e-mail atc@affordabletravelclub.net).
2. AIH Destination Management (Box 1754, Nederland, CO 80466; phone 800/876-2048, fax 303/258-3264, www.aihtravel.com).
3. The Experiment in International Living (Kipling Road, PO Box 676, Brattleboro, VT 05302-0676; phone 800/345-2929, fax 802/258-3428, www.usexperiment.org).
4. Friendship Force International (233 Peachtree St., Ste. 2250, Atlanta, GA 30303; phone 800/554-6715, fax 404/688.6148, e-mail ffi@thefriendshipforce.org or visit www.thefriendshipforce.org).
5. Office of Citizen Exchanges (ECA/PE/C) (Bureau of Educational & Cultural Affairs, US Department of State, SA-44, 301 Fourth St. SW, Washington, DC 20547; phone 202/453–8181, fax 202/453-8168 or 8169, http://exchanges.state.gov and click on “Resources For” and “Quick Links”).
6. Seniors Abroad International Homestay (12533 Pacato Circle No., San Diego, CA 92128; phone 858/485-1696, fax 858/487-1492).
7. US SERVAS, Inc. (1125 16th St., Ste. 201, Arcata, CA 95521-5585; phone 707/825-1714, fax 707/825-1762, e-mail info@usservas.org or visit www.usservas.org).
If none of these homestays suits you, you can locate many more by typing “American + International + Homestays” in Google.
M. Home exchanges
Perhaps you would rather do a home exchange, if you don’t mind people residing in your domicile. For help in arranging these swaps, contact. . .
1. ExchangeHomes.Com (1104 Churchill, Greenville, TX 75402-3508; 877/256-3323, www.vacation-homes.com).
2. Global Home Exchange (www.4homex.com).
3. Home Base Holidays (7 Park Ave., London N13 5PG, England; phone +44 20 8886 8752, www.homebase-hols.com).
4. HomeExchange.com, Inc. (Box 787, Hermosa Beach, CA 90254; phone 800/877-8723, fax 310/798.3865, www.homeexchange.com). There is a separate website for seniors at www.homeexchange.com/seniors.php.
5. HomeLink USA (contact Karl & Katie Costabel, 2937 NW 9th Terrace, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33311; 800/638-3841, www.homelink.org).
6. International Home Exchange Network (118 Flamingo Ave., Daytona Beach, FL 32118; phone 386/238-3633, fax 386/254-3425, www.ihen.com).
7. International Vacation Home Exchange Network (202/470 2424, www.ivhe.com) — a somewhat unusual exchange program, working with credits.
8. Intervac (Jessica Jaffe, PO Box 590504, San Francisco, CA 94159; 800/756-4663, www.
9. Seniors Home Exchange (www.seniorshomeexchange.com).
10. Green Theme International Home Exchange (www.gti-home-exchange.com).
N. Home, villa, condo, cottage and apartment rentals
Perhaps you would rather rent a place than open up your home to others. (The French word for “rental” is location, or you could look for signs with “á louer,” meaning “for rent.”) The following international agencies might whet your appetite.
1. Abritel.fr (2 rue Grignan, CS 62033 - 13201 Marseille, Cedex 01; phone + 33 4 91 95 62 14, fax 91 50 48 85, www.abritel.fr/uk/cacrit.php).
2. At Home Abroad, Inc. (phone 212/421-9165, fax 212/228-4860, www.at homeabroad inc.com).
3. Barclay International Group (3 School St., Glen Cove, NY 11542; 800/845-6636, www.barclayweb.com).
4. Bed and Breakfast Accommodations in France (fax +44 1603 763550, e-mail branddev.guesthouse.france@dial.pipex.com or visit http://dspace.dial.pipex.com/branddev.guesthouse.france/fcgindex.shtml).
5. Cottages 4 You (Spring Mill, Earby, Barnoldswick, Lancashire, BB94 0AA, England; phone +44 1282 846136, www.cottages4you.co.uk/c4y_homepage.html).
6. Doorways, Ltd. (800/261-4460, www.villavacations.com).
7. Drawbridge To Europe, Inc. (98 Granite St., Ashland, OR 97520; phone 888/268-1148, fax 541-482-7779, www.draw bridgetoeurope.com).
8. France By Heart (83 Sunrise Ave., Mill Valley, CA 94941; phone 415/ 287-3256, fax 415/366-2333, e-mail josette@francebyheart.com or visit www.francebyheart.com).
9. French Country Guesthouses (www.bed-breakfast-france.com).
10. HomeAway.co.uk (http://www.homeaway.co.uk). Book directly with owners.
11. Hideaways Aficionado Club (767 Islington St., Portsmouth, NH 03801; 800/843-4433, www.hideaways.com).
12. Homestyle Apartment & House Rentals (PO Box 22067, Seattle, WA 98122; phone 206/325-0132, fax 206/328-3673, www.francehomestyle.com.
13. Interhome, Inc. (2860 State Rd. 84, Ste. 116 PMB 241, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33312; phone 800/882-6864, fax 954/791-8522, www.interhome.us).
14. LuxuryRetreats (877/993-0100, www.luxuryretreats.com/ destinations/europe/france) — offers upscale villas.
15. New York Habitat (307 Seventh Ave., Ste. 306, New York, NY 10001; phone 212/255-8018, fax 212/627-1416, www.nyhabitat.com) — lists vacation rentals, furnished apartments and B&Bs.
16. The Dmoz.Org Open Directory Project (ODP), billed as the most comprehensive human-edited directory of the Web and compiled by a vast global community of volunteer editors, provides a long list of agencies providing vacation rentals in France at www.dmoz.org/Regional/Europe/France/Travel_and_Tourism/Lodging/Vacation_....
17. Provacances (Sjællandsgade 10 B, 7100 Vejle, Denmark; phone +45 96 70 60 00, fax +45 75 71 20 66, www.provacances.com).
18. Provence West, Ltd. (PO Box 3146, Evergreen, CO 80439; phone 303/674-3726, fax 303/670-8696, http://provencewest.com) — specializes in villas on the French Riviera, the Dordogne and the Provençal hill towns.
19. Untours (888/868-6871, www.untours.com) — offers an entirely different approach, with hassle-free trip planning and a stay in private apartments in selected locations.
20. VacationRentals.com (office at 3801 S. Capital of Texas Highway, Ste. 150, Austin, TX 78704; www.vacationrentals.com/vacation-rentals/France.html — but contact must be made directly with the property owner).
21. 450 Vacation villages can be found at Loisirs de France (8 rue César Franck - 75015 Paris; phone + 33 1 42 73 13 74, fax + 33 1 45 66 69 90, www.loisirsdefrance.com). The website is entirely in French.
22. Villa Holiday Lets — an advertising company listing vacation home rentals and sales direct from owners at www.1001-villa-holidaylets.com/Villas/France.
23. VillasOftheWorld.com (888/72-VILLA, http://villasofthe world.com).
24. Ville et Village (2124 Kittredge St. #200, Berkeley, CA 94704; phone 510/559-8080, fax 510/559-8217, www.villeetvillage.com).
25. Visitfrance.co.uk (www.visitfrance.co.uk) — Internet only. Lists hotels, self-catering, camping, B&Bs and cottages.
26. Worldwide Vacation Rentals (17 Fox Ln., San Anselmo, CA 94960; phone 800/221-2260, fax 415/451-8204, www.villasintl.com).
Specialized rentals
27. Families Abroad (194 Riverside Dr., Ste. 6-D, New York, NY 10025; phone 212/787 2434, fax 212/799 8734, e-mail families abroad@aol.com) — offers vacation rentals from a minimum of two weeks to 12 months (good for sabbaticals). There is no website.
28. To find accommodations for the handicapped, go to www.pidf.com (click on «Disabled People»).
29. For furnished rental apartments in Paris, go to. . .
a) Paris Apartments Services (20, rue Bachaumont, 75002 Paris, France; phone +33 1 40 28 01 28, fax 28 92 01, www.paris-apts.com).
b) Paris By Heart (83 Sunrise Ave., Mill Valley, CA 94941; phone 415/738-0961, fax 415/366-2333, www.parisbyheart.com).
30. Bed & Breakfast Paris (800/872-3632, parisbandb.com). The website presents more than 100 private family residences throughout Paris. A minimum 3-night stay is required.
31. The Paris Convention & Visitors Bureau (phone +33 8 92 68 3000 [note: calls cost €0.34 per minute] or visit http://en.parisinfo.com/paris-hotels/other-places-to-stay-1/furnished-re...). This bureau also presents a long list of B&Bs in Paris at http://en.parisinfo.com/paris-hotels/other-places-to-stay-1/bed-breakfas... and youth hostels at http://en.parisinfo.com/paris-hotels/other-places-to-stay-1/young-paris.
I will continue my discussion next month with an outline of the French gîtes, camping in France, youth hostels and more.