CombatCritic's TravelValue™: Paris

Showing posts with label Paris. Show all posts

Wednesday, December 26, 2018

Maxim's Airbnb - "Studio" (French) = A Small Room With Toilet And Fridge

Maxim's Airbnb - Studio Gare de l'Est

Gare de l'Est - Paris, France

I know, I know, you get what you pay for. A private studio apartment in central Paris for $65 per night is not a bad deal, but this place could be the exception.

We arrived around 1pm and the room had not been cleaned. No problem. I could not find a check-in time on Airbnb, so 1pm seemed reasonable. I contacted Maxim and he assured me that it would be cleaned soon, but the cleaning person did not arrive until just before 4pm.

The room is small, very small, about 10’ x 12’ with 3 feet of the 12 feet occupied by a tiny bathroom and kitchenette with a two-burner stove, sink, small fridge and a cupboard with plates, cups, silverware and pots and pans. The listing advertises cable TV, extra pillows and blankets, hangers (so you would assume there would be somewhere to hang things), a CO2 and smoke detector, and a fire extinguisher, but none were to be found. There was not even a hook on which to hang a coat or towel anywhere in the room. You have to be very creative to fit two people and two suitcases into this room, taking turns to move around because it was so cramped.

Almost everything worked, except for the “cable TV”, but the Wi-Fi was so slow that it was nearly useless. The window would not even lock properly, so I shut the metal shutters and locked them as best I could. I asked Maxim about the discrepancies noted above:

"Good Morning Maxim,

The internet is terribly slow. Is there a problem? Maybe that's why the TV still doesn't work?

Amenities listed in your advertisement when we booked included: Cable TV, Hangers, Extra pillows and blankets, Fire extinguisher, Carbon monoxide detector, Smoke detector. However, the cable does not work and you will not respond with operating instructions or a plan to fix it, there are no hangers or even a place to hang anything if there were, there are no extra pillows or blankets, and there is neither a fire extinguisher nor a CO2 and smoke detector. This is very misleading as well as dangerous (in regard to the "safety features"). Otherwise, the flat is fine, well located, everything else works, and it is a pretty good value for central Paris.

Please address the discrepancies noted above as soon as possible.

Thank you once again.

CombatCritic"

He responded, telling me that the CO2 and smoke detector were in the hallway outside the apartment, but that was not true either.

The place is on the first floor (second floor in US) and a bit of a dump, but it has almost everything you need (except internet and a coffee maker) for a short stay. They really need to at least add some hooks to hang clothes and towels on and a coffee maker or electric kettle for coffee and tea. The pots and pans are cheap and disgusting and there was only the bare minimum in terms of coffee cups (2).

The photos on Airbnb are misleading, making the apartment look bigger and nicer than it actually is. The stylish chairs, pictures on the wall, and large stainless steel trash can do not exist although there is a cheap chest of drawers not shown in the photos, but the drawers were filthy inside and we had to clean them before use.

The room is relatively safe and habitable, being centrally located near Gare de l’Est and several Metro stops, so it is easy to get around Paris. We found that by buying the 10—ticket book of Metro tickets, the cost per trip (per person) dropped to €1.49 and was cheaper than buying the daily passes.

That being said, do not trust the photos or description on Airbnb and do not expect any personalized service from the host Maxim. He will only respond via Airbnb messages when he gets around to it and failed to resolve any of the issues we brought to his attention in a timely manner. If you are on a budget, this place will do, but if you can afford an upgrade, I would highly recommend it. We stayed at similarly priced Airbnb's in London, Lyon, Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, and Acre (Israel) on this same trip and all were much better than this one. Not much bang for the buck here folks.

CombatCritic Gives Maxim's Studio Gare de l'Est 3 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!

Three Bombs Equates To:

Translation for Civilians: "Situation Normal, All Fucked Up"

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CombatCritic's Travel Value: France

Monday, December 24, 2018

Paris, France: Mussel Your Way In To Cafe de l'Est

Café de l’Est
78 Boulevard de Strasbourg
75010 Paris, France
10ème, Canal St Martin/Gare de l'Est
Phone number +33 146070094
Website: cafedelest.com
Prices: €€€€

A small brasserie just across from Gare du l’Est, this place may not look like much, but the food was good and the price was right. Very basic, but clean, they have an extensive “Entrée Bar” (think salad bar) available at a nominal fee.

My wife and I both had the Moules Frites (€11.90 each), a large portion (about 500g) of fresh mussels in a sauce made with white wine, cream, sautéed onions, and parsley. There was a South Asian flavor in the sauce, maybe coriander or curry, I was not sure, but it was tasty nonetheless. Not the best mussels I have had, they were very good and a great value. Dinner for two, including 50cl of Cote du Rhone, cost us a grand total of €32.

Our server, Roumaissa, was extremely friendly and her English excellent. The owner, Mohammed, was also very kind, having offering us an after dinner drink on the house.

CombatCritic Gives Cafe De l’Est 7 Bombs Out Of 10 … More Bombs Are Better!

Seven Bombs Equates To:

Translation for Civilians: "Shits & Grins"

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CombatCritic's Travel Value: France

Wednesday, December 12, 2018

Paris, France: Bouillon Chartier - The Gold Standard For Value And Elegance In Paris

Bouillon Chartier
7 rue du Faubourg Montmartre
75009 Paris, France
9ème
Metro: Grands Boulevards and 2 more stations
Phone number +33 1 47 70 86 29
Website: bouillon-chartier.com
Prices: €€€€

Euro for Euro, this place is probably as good as it gets in Paris. A very good three-course meal for three in a historic restaurant, including 50cl of wine for €60 ... now that's a TravelValue folks!

Founded in 1896, Chartier, as it is known, has been serving quality food at reasonable prices to Parisians and tourists for 122 years, First of all, expect a line, a long line when you arrive, but do not feel dismayed because the queue moves very quickly thanks to the massive dining room with dozens of staff. They even have a wine station at the halfway point in the queue where you can get a cup of sangria, mulled wine, or their wine o' the day for just €1.

No screwing around here y'all, you had better be ready to order post haste and the same goes after you pay - get the hell out so the next party can get on with their meal. The waiter's know their shit and do not mess around, so if you are not decided on what to order, do not waste their time because they have 10 other tables to worry about.This is not Italy where meals are at a leisurely pace and you have the table for the whole night - this is Paris and Bouillon Chartier!

I had half a dozen escargot (€7.30), steak au poivre with pommes frites (€11.50), chocolate mousse (€3.10) and a glass of wine. The snails were scrummy, having mopped up the excess garlic butter and parsley with a crust of baguette or two just for old times sake. The steak was not the best cut in the world and it was not particularly tender, but the taste was spot-on as were the peppercorn gravy and hot, crispy French fries. The mousse was thick, rich and chocolaty, just the way it should be.

My wife had a mixed green salad (€2.30) for her entree, the roasted pork loin with boiled new potatoes in a reduction sauce (€8.80), that was as good if not better than mine, for her plat, and the mousse as well. The salad was fresh, the three large slices of pork tender, and the potatoes well cooked.

The best dish of the night was the traditional veal stew and white rice (€11.20) with big chunks of veal, carrots and potatoes in a thick, creamy white sauce reminiscent of a wonderful meal I had at a little roadside place in the South of France many years ago. The veal was tender as a whore's heart and the sauce divine. Unfortunately, I did not order it, our friend did, but it will be on my radar the next time I eat here, because, as MacArthur said: "I shall return!".

What a great place! The massive dining room is typically French and ornate with an art deco vibe given the fact that the place is over 100 years old. The food and service are both top notch, especially for the price. Where else can you get a tasty three course dinner for €20 and get thrown out by the waiter - in a nicely roundabout way - when you are done eating? Only at Bouillon Chartier folks ... HOOAH!

CombatCritic Gives Bouillon Chartier 9 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!

Nine Bombs Equates To:

Translation for Civilians: "U.S. Marine Response To A Verbal Greeting Or As An Expression Of Enthusiasm"

When in France ... Follow Me To TravelValue on my new page:

CombatCritic's Travel Value: France

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Wednesday, December 26, 2018

Maxim's Airbnb - "Studio" (French) = A Small Room With Toilet And Fridge

Monday, December 24, 2018

Paris, France: Mussel Your Way In To Cafe de l'Est

Wednesday, December 12, 2018

Paris, France: Bouillon Chartier - The Gold Standard For Value And Elegance In Paris

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