I loved our stay in Guillaume’s home, particularly the location!
Guillaume’s flat is located in a fantastic spot. It sits off a quiet neighborhood street nestled between Pigalle (9th) and Montmarte (18th). From the front door, turn right and in a short walk (2 min) you’ll find yourself on the Rue des Martyrs, an incredibly charming street filled with so many cafes, restaurants, bakeries, cheese shops. It’s heaven! This location was my favorite part about our stay in Paris. Easily my favorite area! We walked the street often, picking up fresh baguettes, brioche, cheese, chocolates, and fruits. It felt like such an authentic part of Paris, a really lively area filled with locals and families. I regret not spending even more time in this neighborhood exploring. Everyone we met was incredibly friendly and many people actually spoke English. Favorite nearby places: Les Apôtres de Pigalle is a tapas restaurant near Moulin Rouge which was absolutely fabulous! And our favorite bakery was a seemingly unmarked spot a few minutes downhill on the Rue des Martyrs. It always had a line and was FILLED with amazing treats (like Rose Brioche).
A couple things to keep in mind: The nearest metro stop was about a 10 minute walk. And the surrounding area is fairly steep so be prepared for sore legs - ours ached quite a bit!! We found ourselves regularly coming home via the Pigalle stop, which allowed us to walk *downhill* to the flat.
The flat itself was clean, comfortable, and felt like someone’s actual home. There are many windows that can be opened and there is a small fan in the bedroom - all which made the warm temperature more pleasant.
The shower / tub was clean, spacious, and honestly felt pretty luxurious - which was a bonus for sure! One thing that I thought was unusual was that the toilet was not in the same room as the shower, instead the toilet was off of the kitchen. This may be typical for Parisian apartments, but I’m unsure!
The balcony was small, but lovely and we often found ourselves sitting outside and looking over the rooftops. The view is really incredible. That said, it’s a somewhat obstructed view of the Eiffel Tower. It’s still lovely to be able to see it at all and the view over the rooftops was honestly magical.
We didn’t spend anytime cooking, but the kitchen seemed well stocked with cookware and serving-ware!
Lastly, Guillaume was a wonderful host! Communication was excellent. We arrived early in the morning and the airline lost my luggage. Guillaume was incredibly kind, helpful, and patient through all of our chaos and responded quickly and readily with addresses, names, and advice. He checked in with us a few times throughout our stay as well. Truly appreciated all of his help!