I stayed in Martin's apartment for a whole month (March 2019), which puts me in a good position to write this review. I was there for work, but it was also my first time in Paris, so I can speak as a tourist too. In short, Martin's apartment is great, and I will without a doubt stay in it again if (hopefully when) I'm back in Paris. First, the host: Martin is an incredibly thoughtful host. He met me at check-in, and allowed me to check in a little early. After showing me the apartment, he also took me on a short walk of the area, pointing out all his suggested shops and restaurants (which we're indeed great suggestions). He left wine, snacks, and even two metro tickets to get us started. Being there a month, he checked in about half way through to see how things were going (they were going great!). Overall, a great host. Second, the space itself was also fantastic. There is an elevator for luggage (great for me carrying 6 months worth of stuff for my work trip throughout Europe). The bed is big especially for Europe, but even by American standards. My wife is rather picky with beds, but even she thought it was incredibly comfortable. Although Martin stores some of his clothes there, there was still plenty of space for our clothes. The living space is bright, with the windows overlooking Canal St. Martin. What a view! Quintessential Paris. The decorations were quite lovely too. Martin had rehabbed an old stereo for bluetooth, which was really awesome. The bathroom is big and clean, and the kitchen had all the supplies you could need. Not that you need to be worried about security, but the building is quite secure with electronic key entry through 2 separate sets of doors. Third, the location is really hard to beat. The area around Canal St. Martin (or Republique more generally) is incredibly lively. You could spend your entire trip within 4 blocks and never be able to go to all the stores, shops, and restaurants. We had a blast in the neighborhood - so much is going on. When the weather is nice, everyone is hanging out on the canal, and it was just so cool, for lack of a better word. The apartment is above Chez Prune, a cafe that the Lonely Planet book in the apartment credits with starting the renaissance that made the area as hip as it is. As far as getting to the rest of Paris, you couldn't ask for a better base. While you really should walk, as that's how you really get to know the city, the Republique station, which is only 3 blocks away, is where 5 metro lines meet and can get you almost anywhere in the city. And if not, it's an easy connection. Don't be intimidated by the Metro, it's super easy, convenient, and fast after a couple days getting used to it. While I think some reviews said something about noise from people on the canal, we never had a problem. I slept great every night. And actually, the liveliness of the canal is one of the great features of the location. I'm sure I forgot something, but as you can see, I give Martin's apartment an incredibly high evaluation. Book it!