I am writing from the perspective of two women over 60 on a girl trip to France. We were looking forward to our stay in Michel’s apartment prior to arrival but we were disappointed. The apartment itself is quite roomy, with two sleeping areas, as pictured in the Airbnb photos, (one a full bedroom and the other a curtained bedroom), and a nice sitting area, kitchen, etc. It does indeed have a bit of a French Provincial appeal, but is a bit aged and in need of some attention.
Pros:
Location, location, location. The Marias area of Paris is wonderful and the apartment is in a great spot for walking to museums, restaurants, grocery stores, retail shops, etc. We felt safe in the neighborhood and truly enjoyed it.
There is a lift to help get your luggage from the ground floor up to the apartment which is just one floor up. We were appreciative of that.
The apartment is in a building that has two security entrances in place…one off the street and one from the inner courtyard to enter the apartments.
The beds were comfortable. Linens nice.
The little shower has good hot water and water pressure. There is also a bath tub.
Communication with Michel was good prior to our arrival.
Access to the apartment upon arrival went smoothly.
Cons:
Communication with the host ceased upon our arrival. We were met by Patricia, who gave us a basic walk through, unfortunately she did not speak English so our communication was a bit limited. Michel did give us her number as a contact but I felt it was important to connect via the host (Michel) and most importantly through AirBNB, as they have recommended.
No fans. With Paris’ daily temperatures exceeding the 80’s/90’s, the apartment was stifling, even with all the windows opened wide. There was little to no breeze, especially in the curtained bedroom. We had fans in every other place we stayed in France. They made all the difference in a good nights sleep. Sleeping well here was difficult, even in the comfortable beds.
One of the doors out to the “private” courtyard did not lock. There was a key in the door but it didn't engage with anything. We realized on day 2 that another apartment across the courtyard had access to the courtyard. This was a surprise as the Airbnb listing specified a private courtyard. It made us uncomfortable that not only was the courtyard accessible to others, but due to the lack of a locked door, our apartment too was completely open to others. Bottom line: the door needs a lock. Michel has conveyed to me since I have returned home that the neighbor is trustworthy and that the courtyard is indeed safe, however knowing this arrangement with the neighbor beforehand would have possibly made our experience less worrisome (and cooler). (We kept the door shut at night, reducing airflow.) The arrangement with the neighbor about the courtyard should be disclosed in the Airbnb listing.
Some sockets and lamps did not work. One of the under the counter lights in the kitchen does not work.
Microwave and Hair Dryer didn’t work.
Noise was a bit of an issue. There was a fair amount of music, children crying/playing etc. throughout the day/early evening. It is an interior apartment so some of this is to be expected.
Shower door is cantankerous but doable.
All in all, it was an OK stay. We got to stay in this beautiful area of Paris. Would I stay again? Probably not, unless the issues listed above were remedied.