Reading the reviews of Pierre’s flat, it was easy to have high expectations. Suffice to say, we’d stay again on our next trip!
The details...
The location: something for everyone. If you want to do all the tourist stuff, the Metro is a city block away. Even during the strikes, line 1 was open and that helped us get to all the major museums and landmarks on our must-see list. If you want to experience less touristy stuff, there’s ample opportunity for that nearby and a well-furnished full kitchen in which to prepare meals. Markets and grocery stores are also a block away. If you might be jet lagged, some neighborhoods are better than others for late night food and this is one that has many options until 2 am.
The apartment: The one concern we had from some of the reviews was noise: it’s above a bar cafe and nearby to some nightlife. We live in a city and are accustomed to noise but nonetheless, we didn’t know what to expect. It wasn’t bad at all! We heard people in the street at night and the buzz of neighboring apartments doorbells, but that’s partly why we chose to stay in a flat rather than a hotel: experience the city. Also, I had been staying in hotels for a week on business before we came to Paris and really needed a washing machine in the unit to allow me to travel lightly, especially during the winter. The bathroom had excellent water pressure and was stylish with ample functionality for a traveling couple. WiFi was stronger in the living room, which turned out to help us sleep as we were less inclined to be on our phones or tablets.
We didn’t interact much with the host apart from checking in, but due to the train strikes we were actively chatting in leading up to our visit. The flat felt like our home in Paris and we’d definitely stay again.