I've stayed in so many Airbnb apartments (while traveling) for about 10 years now, and I've always been wary of and avoided booking a listing that's new and does not have any reviews yet. I make it a point to choose only apartments and hosts with at least 4.8-star ratings. And I scour through the reviews (sometimes going many years back) to make sure there are no issues with the listing.
I took a chance on Michel's listing because I fell in love with the interior design of the place (from the photos) and the location (it's a few steps away from Moulin Rouge), many great restaurants, and so many points of interest in Montmartre. I am so glad that I did! Michel was such a gracious host! He treated my daughter and me like his own personal/social guests. He lives with his wife in the adjacent unit, and before showing us into the Airbnb, he first welcomed us into his home, offered us coffee or drinks, and chatted with us for a bit. He spent time getting to know us and he also told us a bit about himself, his family, and the property. It was not a rushed, impersonal transaction, but a warm, gracious welcome.
And when he let us into the Airbnb, we were almost surprised that the unit was exactly as it was in the photos--maybe even better! Sometimes the pictures can be tricky and deceptive. They might make the apartment look bigger and nicer than it actually is. Michel's apartment was as beautiful as it was in the pictures. Although it's in a very busy area of Montmartre, it was so peaceful and quiet, since it's inside a lovely compound with a wide paved walkway and so many plants and trees all around the buildings (it felt like a park!). There was a bottle of champagne waiting for us in the fridge, and then later in the day, Michel left a pack of bottled water and some flowers for us at our door! What a treat! Oh, did I mention the 85-inch TV screen? It's real, and it's great! My daughter and I watched a few movies and shows on it in the evenings, before retiring to bed. The lights in the toilet are motion-activated, so don't panic if it turns off after a while. Just wave your hand and it will come back on. The dining room table (which is supposed to double as a conference table) is also huge, which was perfect for my daughter and me, since we are freelance medical editors and digital nomads (working from anywhere we may be, in the US and in other countries), and we used it as a working table and still had space left for food--if we wanted to snack or eat some plats à emporter (takeout food). We did a little bit of work while we were there, and there were enough outlets to hook our laptops and portable external monitors to, and the Wi-Fi was super fast.
About the location: Since our plan during that stay was to explore as much of Montmartre as we could, we did not need to take the Metro or Uber at all. We walked to all the places we wanted to see, every day for the entire week we were there. It's walking distance to so many places of interest, like Amelie's Café des Deux Moulins, the Maison Rose, Moulin de la Galette, Sacré Coeur, Rue des Martyrs, and so many great restaurants. As I mentioned earlier, it's a few steps from Moulin Rouge, so you can go and watch a show and not even have to take a taxi or Uber to the theatre!
I am so conflicted about writing an honest, glowing review of Michel and his apartment, since selfishly, I don't want it to be so popular that I may have a hard time booking it when I return for another visit to Paris. But he and his Airbnb are so deserving of an excellent review, and I'm just delighted and grateful for the chance to write one.
Thanks again, Michel!