Latitia and Bruno’s fabulous Paris home was a lovely, inspiring retreat for three friends on a week-long birthday holiday. We couldn’t have picked better lodgings, location or hosts.
Offering the best combination of history and modernity, their remodeled, 1860s-era, 2-bedroom Maison is spacious, elegant, very comfortable and spectacularly clean. Antique marble fireplaces, lofty ceilings with crown molding, original wall-tall windows, charmingly squeaky parquet floors, and window boxes blooming with geraniums exude Old-World ambiance.
Modern comforts include a beautifully remodeled “farm” style kitchen (fully stocked with gourmet cooking accoutrements), excellent beds and bedding, large-format TV, speedy WIFI – and amazing water pressure! We also appreciated their extensive library of history, art, literature and botany books. Though our May weather was unseasonably warm, the (un-air-conditioned) interior space remained cool (thanks to the thick, tree-shaded exterior walls), and the room fans and abundant windows ensured very comfortable indoor temperatures, day and night.
The apartment’s location is superb - just two blocks south of the Seine, and within easy walking distance to the Louvre, d’Orsay, Rodin, Invalides and Orangerie museums. The Eiffel Tower, Champs Elysees and the Bateau Mouche quay are a leisurely half-hour stroll. Two major Metro stations, plus a Carrefour grocery and excellent boulangerie are just down the street, and a lively sidewalk café occupies the ground level. The apartment is on the first floor, one flight up an elegant central staircase (which wraps around a perfectly functional but hilariously tiny retro-fitted elevator); the building has good security, and the neighborhood is busy, upscale and safe.
Above all that, we were also SUPER-impressed with the Lady of the House, Latitia, an expatriate Californian - mellow, friendly, thoughtful, and an excellent communicator. She even spoiled us with flowers, birthday Champagne, and the most beautiful chocolates I have ever seen! All around, we couldn’t have asked for a better Paris experience – my first Airbnb rental in Europe! All the best, Marjorie