This is the place to stay if you're looking for an authentic Parisian city experience. The quiet 6th floor apartment (for which, Eve was wonderful at reminding us of the walk-up aspect), was the perfect, quintessential image one might have of living in Paris. A moody spiral staircase (for which climbing/descending became a fun part of the day!), views of the timeless sloping grey-slate rooftops, a small courtyard which all of the neighbouring apartments surround all made for a real-feel trip. Simply, our stay made us want to up and move to Paris there and then. Do yourself a favour: leave behind the overpriced hotel culture this capital city has developed - and make an inquiry with Eve.

If you haven't already guessed, we seriously cannot speak more highly of our experience. Eve was just fantastic. She was very quick to respond to emails, went out of her way to let us into the apartment despite the later arrival of our flight - and even took interest in our lives as musicians. She and her husband greeted us warmly and set the precedent for us to make the place home for our time there. They reassured us their family were nearby should there be any problems (which there weren't).

The recently renovated apartment was spotlessly clean, with all new fixtures, fittings and furniture. At the same time, the apartment felt very homely. Eve and her husband have done a brilliant job at keeping the space clear of lots of personal belongings - whilst offering everything else you would need for a stay. Clean linens; extra towels; washing machine and drying racks; detergent; dishwasher and dishwasher tablets; fresh soap; a vacuum (the list continues!). Oh, and for a city that we've both had some ropey shower experiences in, this was the best shower we'd ever had in Paris!! The water pressure was REAL!

Subsequently, this area now become our favourite quarter of Paris to stay in. It's clean, feels very safe, young, buzzy - and (most importantly) very French! Having previously chosen to stay in mainly the 9th/10th/17th arrondissement's of Paris, staying here in the 5th arr. carried a collection of lovely surprises - without the craziness of many other districts. An 8 minute walk to Ile de la Cité (and Saint-Michel Notre-Dame Metro), we had reliable connections to Gare Du Nord, Paris Orly and the whole city. Le Jardin du Luxembourg, the Pantheon and the Paris Catacombs were just three of the things on our list which were perfectly walkable (which we always prefer to do) in well under 25 minutes. Two of our favourite aspects of the area were: grabbing our fresh pastries every morning just up the road at Boulangerie Le Parisienne (28 Rue Monge) and stocking up on our French fancies at the Marche Maubert (Place Maubert - open Tues, Thurs and Sat mornings until around 2.30).

Quite simply: This is the Parisian Penthouse experience...without the Parisian Penthouse cost.

Our score: eleven out of ten.