Overall our stay was a good one with a few exceptions. The positives, this place has personality, class and everything you need in the living room, dining area, kitchen, large bathroom and bedroom to be comfortable. It is spacious and clean. In some ways I felt like I was in a modern art museum, every day I discovered something new to explore and enjoy looking at, wondering where she purchased it or the story behind her art. The location is interesting in the Marais district, right next to a mini China Town street and right in front of the Arts and Metiers Metro Stop (ideal). It seems Marie has been renting her place out for years and has this down to a science; she is a pro at this. On our first day there communication was not an issue when the front door key didn't work (note, turn the key very hard to get into the door or it won't open). She had her housekeeper come back to show us how to use the key after having an English speaking friend get on the phone with me to figure out the problem.

Our issue with communication came up with plumbing issues that were out of her control. The city apparently had informed tenants via posted notices on the front door, quite some time before we were to come, about a full month of work on the building pipes. It meant there would be no running water at any point during the daytime hours and daily loud drilling/hammering. We learned a week into our stay, after emailing a photo of the notices to a family member, that while tenants did not have to move out, they should drink bottled water, not tap water. (We had, of course, been drinking the water on tap :( We were not told about any of this by the host except a vague apology that we could not use the washing machine until after 4:30pm. We were upset that she rented the place to use without telling us about the plumbing issue ahead of time and in detail. When we tried to communicate with her language got in the way, google translator worked most of the time, with me using English to French, but this time she didn't seem to understand our upset that we had no running water, no use of our bathroom and no guarantee of if we would over the days to come. My sense is, again, this is unusual as all her other reviews were very positive so I wouldn't dissuade you from renting here. However, if you have any language communication issues, AirBnB told me that they can help from the start.