Unfortunately, we believe this may be this unit’s first review, since at the time of our booking we saw no reviews (lesson learned), we hope we are giving “valid” criticism because we believe this could be a really good AirBNB property to stay in.
The Good: The unit is spacious ,and is located in a great area. It’s quiet, and we always felt safe. The building is well maintained, with easy access to the RER, The Metro and Bus lines. There is convenient shopping and good restaurants, all within 5-15 minutes walking distance. There is adequate closet space and lots of hangers, besides a great shower.
HostinParis, the management company for this property, were great to deal with. Both Diane and Veronique were extremely helpful and responsive to all our needs. They answered all our questions and concerns quickly and followed up on any issues that we were having.
The Bad: Hopefully this is a work in process unit. For a monthly rental we thought the kitchen lacked some basic utensils, like measuring cups and spoons, knives (only one 12” Chef knife and a bread knife), only one frying pan and not even a corkscrew in a French kitchen. It had a working printer & some paper but no ink or desk, the printer was on the floor, as were some pictures that were not hung yet. There was only one side of curtains in the Livingroom area and no “sheer” private draperies at all. They only provided a half roll of toilet paper for our stay in the apartment and not even a toilet paper holder to put it on. The soap was half used and no shampoo at all. HostinParis subcontracts out for someone to check you in and out. They are to give you the keys, which you have to sign for, as well as signing for the condition of the unit. They are also to educate you on how all the appliances work, besides answering any questions you may have. The unit can sleep 4 people, but came with only 4 institutional type bath towels, one hand towel and 3 pillows. When we asked for additional towels and a pillow, we got one additional bath and hand towel, and no additional pillow and all were delivered a week later. Unfortunately, the third party did not know how to operate any of the appliances in the kitchen and there were no instruction manuals in the apartment for them. Thus, we could not effectively use the oven and didn’t use the dishwasher at all. All the knobs on the washer/dryer were of course in French and we would have expected some written instructions on how to use it.
Thing to be aware of: There was no basic info about the area, like restaurant menus, supermarkets or general Paris tourist info in the apartment. The bathtub is elevated, and you need to clear about 24 inches (61cm) to enter it, which may be difficult for short or elderly people. Also, it has no rubber matt to prevent slipping. One set of keys for the apartment was very difficult to open the door with. The white rug in the living is very soiled and, in our opinion, should be either discarded or replaced. The sofa has some soiled areas and has several cigarettes burns especially when you open the sofa bed.
All in all, we enjoyed our stay, but feel that we did not get our perceived value for this unit.