New York Habitat Blog

As you pack up the kids to head back to school, perhaps you are feeling a little nostalgic for your own school days.  Why not try and capture some of your collegiate spirit in one of the oldest university towns in Europe, Aix-en-Provence?  You won’t have to live in musty old dorm rooms with a luxurious apartment rental from New York Habitat.

Aix en Provence terrace

Ideally located in the heart of Provence, Aix-en-Provence has been known as a university town since 1409. To this day, its reputation stands and is home to some of the most prestigious, and oldest, universities in France.  But if you’re not all about books and studying, don’t worry; there are plenty of extra-curricular activities in Aix as well.

Museums abound in Aix, especially since the painter Paul Cézanne called this town home for much of his life.  Besides a museum built around Cézanne’s studio, his father’s house, and the surrounding grounds, is now also partially open to the public.  There are also quite a few museums dedicated to Aix’s history, which is quite extensive considering it dates back to 123 BC!  Aix is also well known for its fountains, bell towers, and architecture. Stroll about town, or rent a bike to get you around, and soak up the French atmosphere.  After your day of sight-seeing, head to Les Deux Garçons, a brasserie that’s been around since 1792 and has served such remarkable clients as Cézanne, French author Emile Zola, and American author Ernest Hemingway!

South of France accommodation: 1-bedroom in Aix en Provence (PR-432)

New York Habitat has plenty of terrific accommodations for your stay in Aix-en-Provence.  Some notable choices are:

•    This 2 bedroom rental in the heart of Aix (PR-755).  Located on the top floor of its building, this apartment offers spectacular views, especially from its large balcony.  The apartment itself is nicely furnished and well-equipped.  Best of all, you’ll be steps from the center of town and all the major sites!

•    You can also stay in this 2 bedroom rental in Aix-en-Provence (PR-479), which is also a penthouse apartment, and also located in the center of Aix.  This apartment is a nice mixture of old and new, with gleaming hardwood floors and exposed ceiling beams.  Enjoy the views or dine al fresco style from your two balconies!

•    This 1 bedroom rental in Aix-en-Provence (PR-432) is also available for you.  This apartment, also located in the center of Aix, is very modern but will still make you feel right at home since it retains some of its French charm with its large windows.  Like the other two apartments, this one also has a balcony so that you might continue to enjoy the sights and sounds of Aix even when you’re not in town.

There are plenty of reasons to relive our back-to-school days in the university town of Aix-en-Provence this fall.  Aix is a wonderful city to visit in its own right, but all the schools, universities, and other educational programs located here give Aix a more youthful and fun atmosphere, despite the city’s age. But you don’t have to live like a student with a great vacation apartment rental from New York Habitat.

Have you been to Aix-en-Provence before?  What did you like about the city?  Please share your thoughts with us in your comments section.

If you’re seeking shelter during a typical London rain shower, there are plenty of places to duck into—but big museums will take up the entire day, department stores can cause unplanned damage to your travel budget and we wouldn’t want you to wait out the storm in a crowded chain eatery. After all, on vacation you should enjoy even the soggy moments! So one of the best spots to head for when the rain clouds roll in is the covered plaza in Covent Garden. It’s comfortable and convenient with great views…much like the New York Habitat furnished rental flats available in the area.

London accommodation: 2-bedroom apartment near Covent Garden (LN-566)

Covent Garden was originally a “convent” garden where the monks from nearby Westminster Abbey used to plant vegetables; what has sprung up more recently are unique cafés, craft shops, boutiques and bustling foot traffic. Today, Covent Garden is one of the most popular parts of London for tourists and locals alike—attracting post-theatre crowds and loads of spectators to watch every manner of street performance that takes place there.

When it rains, simply hustle inside the partially enclosed center square—the sides are open so you still get an outdoor feeling without getting drenched. Inside, there is the same variety of shops as well as vibrant coffee bars and restaurants. Street artists want to avoid the inclement weather, too, so you may be treated to impromptu opera, magic tricks, juggling, dance or “living statues” as you keep dry.

Also housed in the roofed piazza is the manageable sized London Transport Museum, which allows visitors to simulate the experience of driving an Underground train (navigating through those narrow tunnels is a lot tougher than you may think!). The gift shop sells an abundance of “Mind the Gap” goods as well as items emblazoned with the iconic tube map of London. If you’re looking for souvenirs, though, the piazza’s Savage store sells tons of fashionable and un-touristy graphic t-shirts or ones with simple London place names across the chest in retro style (including one for “Covent Garden, which you may want to commemorate your stay).

London accommodation: 2-bedroom apartment Covent Garden (LN-337)

Close enough to sprint to and not get soaked is the nearby Photographer’s Gallery, which occupies two neighboring spaces and always has small but excellent exhibits, in addition to a well-stocked bookstore and café. If the play’s your thing, the local Theatre Museum holds enough must-see memorabilia to occupy you until the sun shines once more.

If you can experience so much in this area in just a brief respite from the rain, imagine what actually staying in a Covent Garden accommodation would be like! New York Habitat provides you with plenty of options, including:

•    An incredibly chic, modern 2-bedroom accommodation in Covent Garden, Westminster (LN-566) on the second floor of a renovated building on small and charming Shelton Street. It is located near the main avenue, Long Acre, which is packed with places to shop and eat.

•    A bright, airy 2-bedroom rental in Covent Garden, Westminster (LN-337) on the third floor of a traditional building between Long Acre and the Strand.

•    A third-floor, decorative 2-bedroom vacation rental in Covent Garden, Westminster (LN-401) on West Bedford Street, only a short walk from the piazza.

A stay in Covent Garden may just convince you to leave your umbrella at home!

Let us know your thoughts about the vibrant Covent Garden area below, or which street performances you have seen there, and be sure to check out New York Habitat’s upcoming number three spot for shelter from the storm.

Paris is a city of the fine arts. From the masterpieces of The Louvre to the performances at the Opera de Paris and on the Metro platforms, visitors are submerged in French Art from the moment that their plane lands on the runways of Charles De Gaulle. Until September 7th the streets of Paris will liven with an array of performing arts thanks to the Tréteaux Nomades Festival, an annual celebration of theater, music and improvisation. As always, New York Habitat has dozens of apartments available before, during and after the public performances.

Paris Accommodation Studio in Republique (PA-1941)

This theatre festival, organized for some ten years by the Compagnie du Mystère Bouffe, will be staging open-air performances throughout the capital with, as a natural backdrop, the Cour de l’Hôtel de Beauvais, the Arènes de Lutèce and the Arènes de Montmartre among others. After all, what could be a better stage than the City of Light itself? Guest companies revisit the repertoires of classic and contemporary writers and reveal theatre that is comical, colorful, touching and accessible to all audiences. Of course, all performances will be conducted in French, so Anglophones should have their French-English dictionaries handy. But, as theater goers already know, the beauty of the performance is often in the music and movement, not necessarily the words.

Theater lovers looking for a Parisian flat to set the stage for their French vacation should look no further than these New York Habitat gems:

Paris Apartment: studio (PA-858)

-This 2-bedroom rental apartment in Luxembourg, St Michel-St Germain-Notre Dame (PA-3793) features bold colors, with a particularly French vibe.

-This Studio accommodation in Republique, Opera-Le Louvre (PA-858) is completely remodeled with exposed wood beams and shiny hardwood floors. This romantic space is perfect for a couple.

-This whimsical and fun Studio in Saint Germain des Pres (PA-1941) is surely worth a look, and a stay for anyone searching out an original vacation space.

If you make it to the Tréteaux Nomades Festival leave your comments below about your favorite parts of the festivities.

Last summer turned out to be a rather sodden affair in London, what with eight rainstorms in two weeks’ time. This year has turned out to be quite a bit better and brighter—but the wary locals still carry their brollies (umbrellas) with them just in case. To be on the safe side, New York Habitat is bringing you the five best—indoor—places in London to wait out a rainstorm…in addition to your New York Habitat rental accommodation, which goes without saying. Let’s start with number five on our list, The Orangery in Hyde Park.

London accommodation: 3-bedroom apartment rental (LN-359)

As most Londoners will tell you, nothing beats a spot of tea during a proper downpour. As luck would have it, The Orangery provides some much needed shelter in the midst of Hyde Park’s open expanse. It also serves some of the best afternoon tea in town, complete with finger sandwiches, scones, clotted cream and bite-sized pastries. The whole experience is so lovely, it will almost have you hoping that the rain won’t stop.

Of course, it’s only fitting that The Orangery’s interior is spacious and gorgeous since it was originally built as the Queen’s private sun room. Even without the sun, though, it’s still quite spectacular to see, as are the park surroundings.

What puts The Orangery on our list, however, is also its proximity to High Street Kensington, an area pulsating with people, shops, cafés, restaurants and nightlife. You can practically make it from one interesting establishment to the next without getting hit with a single raindrop.

If you start from the park and go left, you’ll pass Royal Albert Hall, the Royal College of Art and the Albert Memorial, a golden spire of a monument first unveiled in 1869 to honor Queen Victoria’s beloved husband. If you head right from Hyde Park, you’ll pass Kensington Palace, St. Mary’s Abbotts Church and Babylon rooftop restaurant (a place to set aside for a not so rainy day), as well as a whole plethora of choice eateries, fashionable chain stores and one-of-a-kind shops, before you reach Holland Park and the Holland Park Theatre.

High Street Kensington is the place where many tourists hope to stay during their trip to London—but with hotel prices in the area being astronomical, many miss out. Fortunately, New York Habitat has a host of affordable accommodations that will allow you to stay on the High Street in style, while still saving up for a rainy day.

Hyde Park in the rain: London, England

Some top choices include:

• An elegant 3-bedroom rental in Kensington-Chelsea (LN-359) just off High Street Ken. Located on the third floor of a period mansion building with elevator and porter, the apartment boasts a decorative fireplace and plenty of seating.
• A 3-bedroom rental in Kensington-Chelsea (LN-246) that makes you feel at home on Kensington Court, between Kensington Road and High Street Ken. The apartment has a terrace, laundry and decorative fireplace, as well as a master bedroom with a queen size bed, another with a double bed and the third with twins. A client testimonial says about this accommodation, “The apartment in which we stayed in London was very nice and comfortable. It was very clean.”
• A 1-bedroom furnished apartment in Kensington-Chelsea (LN-37) off  High Street Ken, located on the first floor of a luxurious Edwardian mansion building with elevator and laundry. This rental has all the amenities plus a light and cheery décor to combat any weather outside.

So don’t despair if you see a few rain clouds in the sky—it’s all part of the true London experience…and a great excuse to linger in your New York Habitat home or while away the time over afternoon tea at The Orangery.

What are some of your favorite places to duck into along High Street Kensington? Please tell us below and be sure to check next week’s number four spot for where not to get soaked in London.

The French love film. They obsess over Jean-Luc Goddard and follow Woody Allen more closely than his own country men. Finding that little theater in Paris and watching an independent European film is simply an experience one can’t enjoy stateside. Long after Cannes film festival and the Paris Film Festival are over, Paris embraces yet another form of film with the Silhouette Festival, an ode to the short film. New York Habitat has accommodations in every corner of Paris, many within steps of wonderful old movie houses.

Paris accommodation: 1-bedroom rental (PA-1489)

Since its first edition in 2002, this summer event has been staging free evening showings of short films on a large screen, in the bucolic setting of the Parc des Buttes Chaumont, one of the city’s most magnificent manicured spaces. For this year’s edition, the festival is focusing on eastern European countries and will feature documentaries, fictional works and activities of all kinds. The film showings will be preceded by jazz, rock, and pop concerts. The Festival Silhouette will also take place indoors (admission fee) at the Bellevilloise and in the 19th arrondissement town hall.

Those in town for the Short Film Festival will find that New York Habitat is long on Paris accommodations. Here are a few nice flats available during the Parisian festival:

Paris accommodation: 5-bedroom apartment in Montemarte - Sacre Coeur (PA-2077)

-The vacationing family will fall in love with this kid friendly 5-bedroom apartment rental in Sevres Babylone, St Michel-St Germain-Notre Dame(PA-2077).

-This 1-bedroom rental accommodation in Montmartre-Sacre Coeur (PA-3387) has more than a bohemian and artistic touch, thanks in part to the faux bearskin rug.

-This 1-bedroom apartment rental in Marais-Les Halles (PA-1489) has a South-of-France feel due to the open, summery feel.

Films that aren’t in French will have French subtitles. Still, those with even the smallest French vocabularies shouldn’t labor too much with translation, after all, most films are over in less than 30 minutes!

Are you a film buff? What do you think is France’s greatest contribution to World Cinema? What is your favorite French film? Comment Below.

Bayswater is located on the north end of Hyde Park, a plum spot not too far from central London yet on the outskirts enough to retain its own identity as a haven for student and budget travelers. What makes it an attractive place for those trying to save a few quid is its proliferation of low-cost but high-quality ethnic eateries, its £1 an hour Internet cafés and cheap international call services, its bustling streets and vibrant neighborhood feel. New York Habitat has some choice studio apartments in the area to help you experience everything the city has to offer without having to wire home for extra cash!

London accommodation: studio apartment in westminster (LN-391)

Okay, so Bayswater isn’t exactly known for its nightlife. No worries. It’s less than a ten-minute walk to Hyde Park, where so many free shows and concerts are being held this summer. Also in the park is this year’s Serpentine Pavilion, designed by renowned architect Frank Gehry. Admission to the pavilion’s art gallery is free; the Friday night screening of the 1970s’ Two-Lane Blacktop requires tickets but is definitely worth seeing for Warren Oates and the retro factor alone, especially in an open-air setting that echoes the film’s feel of the open road.

Each Sunday for more than fifty years, the gates near Kensington Gardens on Bayswater Road have acted as the site of an outdoor art sale with hundreds of works lined up for public viewing. Although you can find some pretty good deals on painted scenes of London’s landscapes, which make for one-of-a-kind souvenirs, looking is always free and it’s a good introduction to the city’s many museums, most of which also have no admission fees and are accessible by foot from the front door of your rental flat.

Leave Bayswater Road, with its nice selection of used bookstores and vinyl shops, cross through Hyde Park and you’re on High Street Kensington, full of summer clearance shops and chain stores, and only a few blocks from London’s museum mile (the V&A, Science and Natural History Museums). Or head east on Bayswater Road past the majestic Marble Arch, and before you know it, you’ll have j

London Accommodation: studio apartment Bayswater (LN-538)

oined the throngs on busy Oxford Street.

Aside from its prime location, perhaps the biggest attraction in Bayswater is its abundance of Chinese, Indian, Middle Eastern, Trinidadian, Greek and Eastern European restaurants/storefronts. After all, one can’t survive on fish and chips alone, even in London. You can pick a different country’s cuisine to sample each evening of the week for less than five pounds—best of all, many of the establishments are open all night, which means that after a hard day of sightseeing, you’ll have a snack to bring home to your New York Habitat studio flat and enjoy.
We have a good selection of clean and cozy studios to choose from:

• A sleek, nicely detailed furnished studio in Bayswater, Westminster (LN-538) off Bayswater Road. This studio has two separate sleeping areas—a double bed and a double sofa bed—as well as laundry facilities in the building, blonde wood floors, a heated towel rack in the bathroom and a wooden bar.

• A homey furnished studio in Marble Arch, Westminster (LN-391) on the lower ground floor of a building just off Bayswater Road. This studio has a single trundle bed with a second bed that pulls out underneath and a double sofa bed. A recent client testimonial raved: “The London apartment we were in is delightful for the right people”—meaning anyone who wants a great deal and doesn’t mind close but comfortable quarters.

• A self-contained studio in Bayswater, Westminster (LN-471) on Inverness Terrace just a few yards from Hyde Park. This studio is one of eighty units in a newly refurbished six-story terraced building with a reception area and thoughtful, make-yourself-at-home touches such as a power shower head.

To really make the most of London—and make your money go a long way—take advantage of New York Habitat’s Bayswater accommodations. It’s the perfect place to stay near the center of the city, yet off the usual tourist-trap map.

Share your stories about your Bayswater stay below…and be sure to include the best late-night and bargain eateries!

There’s always plenty to do in the South of France in the fall.  Grapes are beginning to be harvested and the first drops of the year’s Beaujolais nouveau are being tasted, both events celebrated with festivals across the region.  But did you know there are also two bullfighting festivals in the South of France in September?  Held in the cities of Arles and Nimes, which are not far from each other, these festivals are sure to add a bit of the exciting and the extraordinary to your next vacation.

Arles, South of France: Ampitheater

The first such festival is the Feria du Riz, held in Arles, from September 12th to the 14th. Each day begins with a running of the bulls followed by the main events in the majestic Roman amphitheater.  Special parades, called abrivados and bandidos, are held to usher the bulls in and out of the arena.  Matadors do battle with the bulls one-on-one and on horseback.  Live musicians play traditional Spanish music throughout the festival as well.  The combination of Spanish traditions, taking place in Roman ruins, surrounded by the beauty of Southern France is indeed a one in a lifetime experience!

After the Feria du Riz, spend some time exploring other sites in the Provincial countryside before making your way to Nimes, a city that dates back to the Bronze Age, for the Feria des Vendanges.  Beginning on Thursday September 18th with a nighttime bullfight, or corrida, this festival will host two fights, one during the day and one at night, throughout the rest of the weekend. The events of Friday and Saturday night will feature one matador against six bulls, a spectacle that has to be seen live to be believed!

New York Habitat has some wonderful accommodations to offer near Arles and Nimes.  This 2 bedroom apartment in Arles (PR-815) offers everything one could want while staying in the South of France.  There are many charming decorative touches, such as wooden wainscoting around the living area, fireplaces in the living room and one bedroom, and tiled floors, combined with modern amenities in the kitchen and bath.  Best of all, this apartment is right in the center of town; walk to the Roman amphitheater to catch a fight or watch the running of the bulls from your bedroom window!

South of France Accommodation Beaucaire 4-bedroom rental (PR-107)

oh good so its moving fast

You can also stay in the town of Beaucaire, conveniently located between Arles and Nimes.  This 4 bedroom villa in Beaucaire (PR-107) will make you feel right at home.  The large property includes an outdoor terrace and in-ground pool.  The luxuriously-decorated home, featuring tiled floors and French doors throughout, is far better than any hotel room.  The large kitchen is perfect for preparing your own French meals at home with food bought from the local market.  The master bathroom feels like a spa with its marble and separate large tub and shower.  This property is the perfect place to relax after all the day’s action.

If you’re looking for something out of the ordinary for your next vacation to the South of France, these bullfighting festivals in Arles and Nimes might be just what you’re looking for. Mixing Spanish traditions with the sights, sounds, and foods of Southern France is sure to be a memorable experience….especially with a fabulous vacation rental from New York Habitat!

Have you ever been to a bullfight? Share your experiences with us in our comments section.