A charming 3rd floor flat on a bustling market street in a colorful African neighborhood. Suzanne was a lovely host, there to meet us when we arrived and very responsive throughout our stay. We enjoyed watching the street life from the apartment windows and though active during the day, the street was quiet at night. The closest metro station (Chateau Rouge) is closed for renovation until July 2017, but the next stop (Barbes Rochechouart) is only a short walk.

Overall our experience was great but there were a couple of negative experiences I should mention. The area outside Barbes Rochuchouart is quite crowded and was a little intimidating for us tourists. My son had a pocket of his backpack unzipped while jostling through the crowd. My suggestion is to use the Marcadet – Poissonniers stop instead. Also, we were startled when we came home one evening to intrude upon a tryst in the dark foyer of the apartment building. The couple hastily zipped up and exited the building when we entered. It was funny afterwards. Finally, the apartment is located above a butcher shop and the smell of the meat is quite strong when you enter.

I don't want to end on these negative points. As I said the apartment itself is lovely, and you can see the care and attention that Suzanne and Benoit put into it. The location is great - a short walk up to Sacre Coeur and Montmartre. It's fantastic to be able to wake up and get fresh bread and pastries from the bakery on the corner and fresh produce (meat, fish, fruit and veggies) from the street market. The world is present here, with people from every continent engaged in the commerce on the street.