If you are looking for a quiet place with great local amenities this place is perfect. We love San Martin, from here it is easy to walk to Bastille, San Germain, the louvre, Sacre-Coeur, Gard Du Nord etc etc... Plenty of great places to eat but admittedly eating out in Paris is expensive. However, staying in San Martin there are a lot of local affordable options. Rather than the tourist 5 euro a coffee, we were getting two coffees and a croissant each for 7.80 Euros - cheaper than London!! Paris has become as second home to us, we have friends here and love it. And French food is out of this world.