Van not as new as last time. Some minor defects. Intermittent problems with water heater and fridge. Cooking gear very minimal.

Cannot understand why a van that will sleep 6 only has four seats with seatbelts.

Otherwise would do it all again, as it is an ideal way around the area.

Tom, 22 october 2007
Picked up the vehicle in Paris. Nice, clean and comfortable, however missing were the pots/pans, cutlery, dishes and information about campsites. (Double check for those.) Other than that, great holiday, nice way to see the country.

Ken Ackley and Karen Pope, 18 october 2007
We picked up our RV just outside Paris.
It was in very clean good condition.
We were not too happy with the maps and directions given us - ended up stopping to buy an atlas after hours on the wrong highway !!
No coffee pot was a surprise seems it would be an easy thing to provide. Yes the dishes rattle around.
Sheets were just barely OK - would make a big impression to have good ones.
These complaints aside -- we loved our time in the vehicle ---camped near Samois for 6 days for a Music Festival. Great to be able to fix our meals.
Our return was seamless ...the place is NOT easy to find or get to but -the folks there are great.

Wood Family, 08 october 2007
We picked up at Paris, France, and returned to Lyon, France. Great space in van and we had a good time but a few suggestions for improvement.
1. decent maps included, the camping books were no good for actually locating the camp sites.
2. specially moulded or cut out shelves to hold the crockery to save it crashing around in the
cupboards.
3. depots miles away from anywhere, closer to airports much better. Taxi driver in Paris had no idea hence a very expensive fare!!!
4. our linen was very threadbare and very stained and smelly pillows.we had cold weather in July and one blanket wasn't enough.

pat richter, 03 october 2007
We're a couple of months late with this but, better late than never! Picked up our motorhome in Paris for a 2 week trip through parts of France, the Swiss Alps & Italy in June.It was our first time in a motorhome. Loved it. Would do it again at the drop of a hat. We recommend getting a GPS---worth it's weight in gold!The staff at the Paris depot were excellent, very friendly and all spoke English. However, we feel it should be made very clear that the actual depot isn't in Paris but in a suburb. We had been picked up at the airport and taken to the depot but it was a nightmare trying to return it because we programmed the GPS for the road in Paris(rue du Colonel de Rochebrune) and ended up all over Paris---including going up the Champs Elysees and circling the Arc de Triomphe 3 times!!! We laugh about it now but didn't at the time!The depot is actually in the suburb of Rueil and both it and Paris have a road of the same name but we were unaware of this. We should have programmed Rueil into the GPS. We weren't impressed with the table & chairs that we rented--they were basically falling apart.Other than those 2 minor things, it was a fantastic experience.So easy to just pull off somewhere and eat etc. Doug at Ideamerge answered all our questions very promptly & we'd definitely rent through Ideamerge again. We agree with a previous review--------just doit!(but get a GPS!)We're already thinking about our next trip.

Pat Richter

Anthony Cranny, acranny@compuserve.com, 09 september 2007
We, as a family, were very impressed with the simplicity of pick-up and return of the Motor Home. July and August traffic can be horrendous but it was easy to drive, even around the streets of Paris. It was fun and we were able to see more of France than we normally do. The vehicle was in good condition, and very clean and comfortable. We shall be doing this again in the future. thankyou for a great holiday.

Kerri Ackland, 18 august 2007
Ideamerge were the perfect answer for us, as we were looking to hire a vehicle from one location and drop at another, but further to that we were hiring at very short notice. Ideamerge were extremely helpful and prompt with getting us set up with exactly what we needed and when.

We found the people at the pick up location in Marseille freindly albeit a little disorganised and the people at the drop off depot in paris exceptionally helpful and totally well organised.

The camper was in prestine condition, dishes and pots etc below average, but completely functional.

We did have an accident, which is a very complicated proceedure to work through, especially if your French is only average as mine is. And we did have a mechanical problem, which used a whole day of normal touring time, but the help desk free phone was absolutely as helpful as they could be.

I would definitely hire through Ideamerge again and we have told friends to do the same.

Jay Crystal Merz, 25 july 2007
We picked up our motorhome at Paris South. Drove it through France, Germany, Italy and Switzerland.
Plusses.
Ideamerge personnel were helpful and responsive.
The RV was clean, new, easy to drive and quite spacious for a family of four. We saved a lot of money preparing most of our own meals. Our teenage son loved the flexibility of eating when he wanted to. The bed even fit our 6'4" son. We would do this again in a heart beat. Finding campgrounds in Europe is relatively easy, easier than finding a room every night. There were no hidden fees. The dishes were nice.
Checkout was quick and easy.
Cons
Getting to Avis for pickup was a nightmare. More assistance than "take a cab" would have made it so much easier. We took the train from Gare du Nord. We thought we were walking distance from the Bretigny train station but that was a different station. We walked for 45 minutes. Upon arriving we quickly got our orientation and left.
The promised camping book and map didn't match so they were worthless.
The pans were in poor condition with no lids.
Even though the instructions emphasized keeping the RV level, ramps or jacks were not included.
The instruction manual was incomplete. We were surprised as was everyone else in the campground to find out we had an alarm system.
Again more assistance on getting to the Paris south location would have made the beginning of our trip so much more enjoyable. A taxi from central Paris would definitely have been more than Euro70. The train to Bretigny then a taxi was very affordable.
If you can drive a manual transmission this is a great way to go.

Anthony Willis, twil9899@bigpond.net.au, 24 july 2007
Ideamerge were efficient and wonderful.
We collected our motorhome from Nice, unfortunately arriving from the airport to find the place closed for siesta and nowhere for us to even sit while they ignored us outside the gate. The depot was a filthy shambles and obviously a very distant cousin of Avis. We explained that the main door of the van didn't seem to work properly, for which they gave little attention, but failed to understand that it wouldn't open from the inside. In the end after days of frustration I 'fixed' it with a bit of wire. The back seats were torn and shabby. They provided us with one empty LPG gas bottle and a quarter full one. The fuel tank was provided on a quarter full, which eventually meant we had to turn back from our intended route because we couldn't find any open gas stations. There are only seat belts in forward facing seats. They were unable to provide a camping table and seats as booked, so we brought our own.
However Avis at the Paris end, reimbursed us and COULDN'T have been more helpful, courteous and professional.
Having glass and china crockery is a constant annoyance (on every corner). Surely melamine is a cheaper, quieter and better option. Otherwise the vehicle was pleasant to drive, economical and comfortable. It would have been helpful to have electrical converters provided for each country, as we had trouble in Switzerland. It took some getting used to the width of the vehicle, especially when our GPS took us into ever narrowing streets. In all a wonderful way to see Europe.

sam Robbins, sam.robbins@gmail.com, 07 july 2007
We picked up our RV at the Paris Avis location and apart from a
brief downpour as we did our outside inspection of the vehicle
everything went well. We had some logistical issues both picking
up and dropping off the RV at the Avis Paris location. It couldn't be
more distant from CDG airport if they tried! Our real problem was
that we had too much luggage (we are musicians and along with
our regular bags we were carrying three musical instruments). It
really is our only quibble with the Avis situation - the staff were
very competent and helpful but the location for most international
travellers is not great - a location at Roissy en France would be
much better.
We had booked one of the smaller RVs but I could see that look of
fear and apprehension in the eyes of others who were waiting to
take possession of larger units knowing that they would have to
navigate the 'beast' out of a very cramped yard and down some
fairly narrow streets.
Anyay back to us. The RV was fine and just as described. We drove
south through the Loire, Dordogne, Provence and down to the Med
and then crossed into Italy and eventually Slovakia and Croatia
(which is very beautiful). The gas (diesel) mileage was fine and the
vehicle (Citroen) performed flawlessly for the whole trip.
I am used to driving in Europe and so didn't have too much trouble
adapting to the road conditions and despite what others may say, if
you know what to look for, campsites are very easy to find -
especially in France.
I would highly recommend the experience to anyone - but I would
also suggest that they get themslves a GPS (or rent one rom AVIS)
Bon voyge

Paula Rich Beckwith, pbeckw1044@aol.com, 31 march 2007
We picked up and dropped off the RV in Paris in March 2007. Picking up and dropping off was considerably easy and very pleasant. We booked the first and last night at the Camping du Bois de Boulogne, which is only about 15 minutes from the RV place, I would recommend it. Great location to catch the bus to the metro. The RV was like new with no problems. We ordered the pickup and drop off at the airport option, the drop off went wonderful, the pick up was very confusing especially considering it was 6 AM, we had to call 2 times and then had to walk to an outside car rental area. Overall the whole trip went off without a hitch. This is our second RV rental from this company, last year we picked up in Frankfurt, Germany. We would surely rent from them again in a different part of the country. They were very helpful and informative. Thanks again

LEE, OKKYOUNG, 22 january 2007
I had enjoyed a wonderful journey with a wonderful motorhome of Avis-Caraway(Paris Depot of Ideamerge). I can't forget their kindness and hospitality. We had no trouble during our journey as long as 40 days. It gave us a lot of interesting and beautiful memories. Also, I strongly recommend the motorhome if you have a baby. My 18-month baby can manage 40 days journey with motorhome, otherwise she couldn't do it.

Brad Brioux, 25 october 2006
The unit we got was brand new a Citroen Pilote model D2, their were three guys and it was perfect. Very easy to drive with an excellent turning radius, and super fuel efficiency, excellent interior layout very efficient use of space and comfortable sleeping arrangements. We went from Paris to the 24 hours of LeMans and stayed at the camping area they provide. After that we went to the Loire valley and camped in various areas near the river. On the way home prior to having to return the RV we stayed at the Boise de Bolgne camping area and it was super. In fact after we returned the RV we went back their and stayed in one of their mobile homes they have for rent which was very reasonable. All in all the trip was fantastic and thanks for helping us out with the superb RV rental.

Regards Brad Brioux

Nigel Dick, nigel@nigeldick.com, 09 october 2006
With 30,000km on the clock the RV was still in very good condition with a external few bumps and grazes we had to agree on before I left the yard. Though the truck (based on a Renault chassis) was the smallest on offer it was still the biggest vehicle I've ever driven but quite sprightly and I soon got used to driving down tiny lanes and narrow streets. It also sported much more storage than I expected.

On returning the vehicle I got a heavy reprimand for parking outside the gates while waiting for the operators to get back from lunch (there was no place else to go!) and that leisurely 2 hour lunch-break effectively added another day's rental onto my bill.

Apart from that it was a great experience and my only other advice is: The campsites in Florence and San Gimignano are wonderful but the one in Siena was closed and, with the closest alternative 40 km away, there was a long line of RV's outside cursing the owner of the place. I expect his karma balloon will be badly deflated when he returns next summer!

Dirk and Dixie Havlak, HavlakRD@comcast.net, 24 august 2006
We rented in France. The motor home was easy to drive for a big vehicle and was a fun way to travel. Considering that we had 6-7 adults in it, it was well designed and although crowded, fun. There was enough storage space. Although almost new, it was in need of better repair and maintanance. One of the bench seats collapsed when two people sat on it at once, a problem since we needed it for our big group. One of the big drawers had a latch that didn't work and flew open on turns. The refrigerator latch didn't always work, and we couldn't get the refrig to run for the first two days until we met some Germans with a similar rig. It never did work on one of the electrical options. The dishes and glasses provided were glass, a terribly impractical option as they rattled around the entire time. The blankets were wool, also a terrible option as it was very hot and they were hot and scratchy. There was AC in the cab but not in the back of the vehicle and it was very hot inside, so we slept with mostly no covers.

The training video in English was good, but did not show us where the electrical outlets were and we could not find them so were unable to charge batteries, cameras, etc., which was aggravating.

Driving near Paris is scarey and difficult, especially if you are inexperienced, and better instructions and maps for driving and for taking public transportation would have been useful.

In summary, I would recommend motor home travel and the arrangements made through IdeaMerge worked well, but I would seek a better rental agency (than Avis Car-Away) if there were other options in the Paris area.

Diane, 24 august 2006
We had a great holiday in our motorhome. We were picked up from our Paris hotel and taken to the depo to collect our vehicle which whilst daunting at first sight proved a doddle to drive. We headed south west to Bordeaux and to the coast. It provided a comfortable wasp free retreat after long days of surfing and sunbathing. The down side: the state of pre booked picnic table and chairs was shoddy to say the least, broken and rusty. I would recommend checking that sort of thing over carefully before taking posession. Sadly finding the depo on the way back into Paris was a nightmare and took an hour and a half longer than expected leaving us without our pre-booked taxi! He'd left without us. So there you are. I would definitely do it again though. Thanks.

Simon Cox (Hong Kong), coxs@netvigator.com, 21 august 2006
We hired a 6 berth van (for a family of 5) out of Paris, and headed west to the Loire Valley, up to Brittany and Normandy and back to Paris. Probably the best family holiday we have had. Will certainly do again. IdeaMerge were efficient. The van was new'ish and very comfortable. Avis staff in Paris were helpful. No vehicle problems. Although if our kids were a bit bigger we would take a bigger van next time, to avoid having to convert the dining table into a bed. I also recommend buying your own bedding on arrival rather than renting. We took an iPod travel kit with us to plug into the vehicle, so the kids could listen to their music - recommend that. Out of all the campsites we visited, the only one we didn't like was the most expensive, being the crammed Bois de Boloigne in Paris, just near the Avis van depot - avoid it.

YH Lee, 26 july 2006
I had a good time with camping car. I rented it in France. Staffs were kind. Thank you.

Neil Wilkinson, 28 june 2006
Just a quick notre to say that we had a fantastic time with the Motorhome which was our first time. The Motorhome was almost brand new which was a great start and the staff were friendly on arrival. The only negative is that the pick up point in Paris was very very hard to find!!

kang namil, 11 june 2006
It has really been a unforgettable journey in our lives, driving thru 8 countries such as France, Spain, Switzerland, Belgium, Netherland, Germany, Czeko, Austria in Europe for 29 days. The campervan had been in good condition and the joys and funs were always with us. We miss the beautiful sceneries thru the windows of campervan and we are already looking forward to next journey with the campervan as soon as possible. Many thanks for kind hospitalities rendered to us by
your staff in Paris.