London and Paris accommodation for the budget conscious

Despite the woes of the dollar it is still possible to stay in good accommodation in both London and Paris for under US70 per person per night. How? By staying in a vacation rental rather than a hotel. Coach House Rentals has a number of properties that are affordable in these difficult times.

For example in London there's:

Ref: RCT. River Court
- spacious and practical flat, ideal for sight-seeing or the city - sleeps 3. From £105 (US$210) per night.
Ref: SGS. St. George's Square
- bright and airy apartment in convenient Pimlico location - sleeps 5. From £155 (US$310) per night.
Ref: PET. Peterborough Road
- comfortable 5 bedroom house in convenient location - sleeps 7/9. From £225 (US$450) per night.

And in Paris we can offer:

Ref: PFRT. rue Frochot
- great value studio in a colourful area of Paris - sleeps 2/3. From €125 (US$195) per night.
Ref: PFRC. rue Francoeur
- comfortable modern apartment in genuinely "Parisian" Montmartre - sleeps 5. From €185 (US$285) per night
Ref: PMHB. boulevard Malesherbes
- charming family residence in the upscale 8th arrondissement - sleeps 5/6. From €255 (US$395) per night.
Ref: PCSP. Cour St Pierre
- large family house in private gated street, a rare find - sleeps 7. From €250 (US$385) per night.

And remember you can save even more if you cook and eat in some nights, something you can't do in a hotel. And you'll have the fun of shopping for food in the local markets and delicatessens!

For details of these and other properties, a comprehensive description of our services - what we do and how we do it - and suggestions on how best you can spent your time in these great cities visit our web sites http://www.rentals.chslondon.com and http://www.rentals.chsparis.com.

Book NOW for not-to-miss London events

It's no use arriving in London and expecting to get into events that have been sold out months ago. Tickets are available NOW for these not-to-miss late spring and early summer events.

The Chelsea Flower Show 20-24 May. This is one of the events of the year - not just for garden enthusiasts but for socialites and anyone who loves beautiful things. http://www.rhs.org.uk/WhatsOn/Events/chelsea2008.htm.

The Queen's Birthday Parade (Trooping the Colour). This is a colourful ceremony and parade with music, pageantry and the massed bands and troops of the Household Division, to celebrate the official birthday of Her Majesty The Queen. The parade starts at 11.00am. and lasts approximately one hour. There are 3 parades, first rehearsal - Major General's review on Saturday 31 May, second rehearsal - The Colonel's Review on Saturday 7th June and the real thing on Saturday 14th June The Queen taking the salute. You can't get tickets for the Saturday 14th June but they are still available for the 31st and the 7th. http://www.trooping-the-colour.co.uk/

Beating Retreat - 4 and 5 June - is a musical spectacle of sound and colour. On two successive evenings London's famous Horse Guards Parade resounds to the stirring sounds of the Massed Bands of the Household Division as they perform Beating Retreat - one of the major spectacles in the capital's ceremonial calendar. The event starts at 6:30pm with the salute being taken by Her Majesty The Queen or another member of the royal family. Tickets via http://www.trooping-the-colour.co.uk/retreat/

For details of many more London events go to: http://chslondon.com/vr/suggestions.htm.

Dates for your Paris trip

21 June. Midsummer Music (Fête de la Musique)
On midsummer day every year, Paris comes alive to the sound of music! Known as the "Fête de la Musique", musicians from all over the world are invited to perform free concerts in venues all over Paris. Paris takes on a truly carnival atmosphere with amateur and professional musicians lining the streets, all becoming stars for a day. An equal place is given to all kinds of music from jazz to rock and electronic to classical and it is hard to avoid the vibrant sounds of salsa bands, string quartets, and steel bands parading the streets.

Midsummer Fireworks - 24 June.
Every year on 24 June a huge array of rockets and pyrotechnics are fired off from the upstream tip of the Ile Saint-Louis as hundreds of people watch from the nearby Quai Saint-Bernard. The display, which celebrates the shortest night of the year and honours Saint John the Baptist, is free to watch. The nearest Métro stations to the action are Jussieu and Gare d'Austerlitz.

14 July - Bastille Day
This is France's most important national holiday. It commemorates the storming of the Bastille, a notorious high security prison, and marks the beginning of the French Revolution. Celebrations and huge firework displays take place all over France but none greater than in Paris. On the eve of what the French call "14 Juillet" you can dance the night away on the Place de la Bastille. On the day itself the crowds line the Champs Elysées where a large military parade makes its way from the Arc de Triomphe to the Place de la Concorde lead by the president. Festivities continue all day and in the evening the city is illuminated by fireworks. The largest of these displays can be seen at the Eiffel Tower where crowds gather on the Champs de Mars. Be there if you can.

For 101 things to do in Paris go to: http://www.rentals.chsparis.com/101.htm

Coach House Rentals - New York

We now have a representative in New York and are seeking properties suitable for short stay rentals.

If you live in New York and you're regularly out of town for 3 weeks or more, or have an under-used pied-à-terre in the city, your property could be earning you extra income while you're away. Full details at http://www.chsnyc.com/owners.htm.

If you know someone with a suitable property who might be interested? Or maybe one of your friends knows someone? For each property that we take onto our listings we will pay both you and your friend $$$! Details at http://network.chsnyc.com.

Coach House Rentals - London and Paris. We are always looking for more properties in London and Paris, and have a similar reward scheme for introductions there too. Details via http://www.chslondon.com and http://www.chsparis.com.

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