I recommend renting this apartment from Emmanuel if you are seeking a nice alternative to a hotel.

Emmanuel was a great host and the apartment was as described. The building was in walking distance, or short Metro ride, from Paris's tourist attractions. This was great for me because it was my first time in Paris.

The only drawback was that the restaurants in the immediate area seemed to close earlier than those in other parts of the city. But that could have been due to the timing of my visit which coincided with the traditional vacation season for Parisians. Also, adjacent neighborhoods had restaurants that did stay open later. Since these areas were within a 5-10 minute walk, the lack of restaurants in the immediate vicinity was really a non-issue.