This is an amazing area of Paris to stay in. There are restaurants and bars all on your doorstep - the great thing about Benjamin's place is that you cannot hear any of the buzz from below when you want to take a break from it. The apartment is incredibly quiet so a good night's sleep is guaranteed.
Points to note are that, whilst you will have the use of the entire apartment, this is not a holiday rental. It is more like a home exchange. You will have to find space in someone else's wardrobe to hang your clothes.
The apartment comes with enough crockery, cutlery, and space for two people. The dishwasher and washer/dryer come in very handy for the short stay traveller.
This is a very masculine space which would perfectly suit a young couple who are in Paris to enjoy the buzz of the city and plan to use the space for sleeping. There is a table for breakfast and a breakfast bar too.
This would not be a suitable place for anyone with mobility issues or anyone who struggles with stairs as (and this is not unusual for the amazing old apartment buildings in Paris) there is no lift. We counted the steps after a particularly tiring day of walking around the city and there are 66 up to the apartment and another small set of stairs leading up to the bedroom and bathroom. We were both fine with this but did think that this could prove problematic for some. Because the apartment is at the top of the building, the shower over the bathtub is set very low so you will need to crouch to shower. Again, not a problem here but you should be aware.
Benjamin was an excellent host. We did not meet but his communication was excellent. We got a little unlucky with the wi-fi as it went down while we were there. This could happen to any of us at any time (providers can let us down) and, frankly, a couple of days not glued to the internet was what I needed!
I loved this area of Paris. It's not very touristy but very busy with Parisians enjoying great food and drink in the restaurants and bars that spill out onto the pavements. Top tips from me are that there are several vegetarian and vegan restaurants here! Not an easy thing to find in France... check out Janine Loves Sundays (about 5 doors down from the apartment) for amazing all vegan burgers and kebabs with chunky chips.