Hi everyone, you were all very helpful in my planning of a trip to Disney Paris for some relatives, so I thought I'd return with some feedback. I meant to take pictures but alas, I was not that organised! I can't comment on Disney directly, because I didn't go (left that to the aunt, uncle and kids), but I can give some thoughts on the Pierre & Vacances self-catering apartments and the general area they're located in.
In a nutshell:
Upsides -- clean, cheery, reasonably close to Disney, taxi from Eurostar station is cheap (15 euros for a 7-seater van), grocery store very close by, aquarium too, helpful staff
Downsides -- not terribly well appointed, some people sleep in living room, area is a construction sight at moment, very "American" area with French flavour definitely lacking, hotel could be hard to find first time, few morning shuttle buses
Now in more detail:
The apartments themselves were quite nice. Very clean, bright and colourful. The furniture was fairly decent, no major problems although if you're planning on using all 7 beds you might find it inconvenient to have people sleeping in the living room on sofas and pull-out bed if you want to get into the kitchen and they're still dozing.
The kitchen was decent as well, but not spectacular. Certainly suitable for light meals with a microwave and stove but no oven so don't plan to bake anything. Kitchen tools are sparse: pots and pans, a couple knives, just enough plates, glasses and cutlery. No cutting board and no cleaning up supplies at all so plan to bring dishwasher tablets, soap, dish rag etc with you.
The pool was a definite bonus. It only opens in May so if you arrive through the winter don't count on it. It was heated and even though we visited in early May a swim was very pleasant.
I would go back to the hotel itself, but have more reservations about the area. This may change in time, but at the moment it is essentially a construction site. There are buildings going up everywhere! The noise didn't bother us but we couldn't have slept with the windows open as they started work quite early in the morning.
As a result it is not very pretty to look at, if this is a concern to you, and you have to be prepared for some noise and dust.
The area was also distinctly American-style. One huge shopping mall (great if you need to shop but not very atmospheric) and a handful of restaurants (not more than 1/2 dozen) near the train station. We like coffee in the morning but the only French cafe we could find was in a betting shop next to the RER. Don't go to the Brioche Dore in the mall, it is very bad coffee!
The hotel could also be hard to find the first time. It is a few streets away from the RER, about a 10-minute walk. I would take a taxi first time to save hassle. Finally, remember you will have to either make your own way to Disney or get up for one of the 3 shuttle buses in the morning. If you miss those (last one at 10:15am), you're on your own and it's probably going to take you 1/2 hour either by walking or train. There is no obvious walking route but I guess you can kind of find your way just by setting your sights on Disney (which you can see from the area) and heading in that direction.
Hope that is all useful! Feel free to email me with any other questions.
In a nutshell:
Upsides -- clean, cheery, reasonably close to Disney, taxi from Eurostar station is cheap (15 euros for a 7-seater van), grocery store very close by, aquarium too, helpful staff
Downsides -- not terribly well appointed, some people sleep in living room, area is a construction sight at moment, very "American" area with French flavour definitely lacking, hotel could be hard to find first time, few morning shuttle buses
Now in more detail:
The apartments themselves were quite nice. Very clean, bright and colourful. The furniture was fairly decent, no major problems although if you're planning on using all 7 beds you might find it inconvenient to have people sleeping in the living room on sofas and pull-out bed if you want to get into the kitchen and they're still dozing.
The kitchen was decent as well, but not spectacular. Certainly suitable for light meals with a microwave and stove but no oven so don't plan to bake anything. Kitchen tools are sparse: pots and pans, a couple knives, just enough plates, glasses and cutlery. No cutting board and no cleaning up supplies at all so plan to bring dishwasher tablets, soap, dish rag etc with you.
The pool was a definite bonus. It only opens in May so if you arrive through the winter don't count on it. It was heated and even though we visited in early May a swim was very pleasant.
I would go back to the hotel itself, but have more reservations about the area. This may change in time, but at the moment it is essentially a construction site. There are buildings going up everywhere! The noise didn't bother us but we couldn't have slept with the windows open as they started work quite early in the morning.
As a result it is not very pretty to look at, if this is a concern to you, and you have to be prepared for some noise and dust.
The area was also distinctly American-style. One huge shopping mall (great if you need to shop but not very atmospheric) and a handful of restaurants (not more than 1/2 dozen) near the train station. We like coffee in the morning but the only French cafe we could find was in a betting shop next to the RER. Don't go to the Brioche Dore in the mall, it is very bad coffee!
The hotel could also be hard to find the first time. It is a few streets away from the RER, about a 10-minute walk. I would take a taxi first time to save hassle. Finally, remember you will have to either make your own way to Disney or get up for one of the 3 shuttle buses in the morning. If you miss those (last one at 10:15am), you're on your own and it's probably going to take you 1/2 hour either by walking or train. There is no obvious walking route but I guess you can kind of find your way just by setting your sights on Disney (which you can see from the area) and heading in that direction.
Hope that is all useful! Feel free to email me with any other questions.
