We’re a family of 4 who stayed here for 6 nights, June 15-21, 2002.
My review focuses on air quality, bathrooms, and bedrooms.
Air Quality: You need to be aware there’s a strong wet/dampness that permeates throughout the entire apartment. The lack of air flow and ventilation is a real problem for anyone with allergies or those susceptible to dusty environments. The owner - Mathilde - shared with me the apartment was not originally built as a residential apartment, but was converted from a commercial space, and due to Parisian regulations, the option to add central air may be a contributing factor. Regardless, based on Mathilde’s response, there are limited options to solving the major wet/damp issue.
Bathrooms: Next, you need to be aware the bathrooms are in very poor, unsanitary conditions. At the time of our stay, there was significant black mold throughout the shower. In addition to the mold, the shower pipes are rusted, and when turning the valve from rain shower to hand shower, water will squirt out. When we first arrived and turned on the shower, the water squirted all the way across the entire bathroom. And last, there are no working fans in the bathroom, which contributes to the mold issue and likely the wet/dampness throughout the apartment. After checking out, we shared pictures of these issues with the owner. To our surprise, he denied these issues, took pictures of other areas of the bathroom to substantiate his denial, and called us liars. We have no reason to make this up, in fact I would not have published our concerns if Mathilde had simply acknowledged the issues and said he would address them. BTW, you can also see similar complaints posted in prior reviews (see December 2021 review by Katia). I only bring this up as you need to be aware of the host’s character in the event you run into these issues during your stay.
Bedrooms: the beds are not built correctly. The horizontal slats that hold the mattress are not secured to the frame so they will fall, causing the mattress to buckle, with the slightest movement. This was also mentioned in a prior review in March 2022 by Janeth and December 2021 by Katia, and had not been fixed by the time of our arrival.
The last item I’ll point out is within hours of us checking out, Mathilde texted me to request I provide a 5 star review or no review at all. When I shared our concerns, he denied these issues existed, and took a very aggressive tone. This is my first negative review of any Air BnB rental, and I’m only doing this because I’m shocked at the owner’s denial, tone, and also disappointed many of these issues (e.g. mold, beds, plumbing) were raised by others, but were not fixed by the time we arrived. The host also lists washer/dryer as an amenity, that after you book, he’ll email you informing you they are not available for use. It’s odd he chooses to continue listing the washer/dryer as an amenity on the listing at all.
Considering these issues, I would not stay here if you expect anything more than a 1-2 star hotel experience. You have options when selecting your AirBnB, and based on our experience with the host and the apartment, I would choose a different option for your Paris vacation.