Pierre's two-bedroom apartment was perfect for us. I was in Paris for work, accompanied by my mom and my two kids. The location was amazing for a number of reasons. First, it's right above the Gare Montparnasse, so it was easy for me to get to and from work and for my mom and the kids to use the Métro to do their sightseeing. (And no, the presence of the train station didn't make it noisy.) Second, being in a neighborhood where real Parisians (instead of tourists) live gave us the opportunity to shop in real stores for our meals and even to buy my son a pair of shorts when one of his went missing. We enjoyed experiencing the various restaurants in the area too. We made good use of the washer so we always had clean clothes, which was really important since the next part of our trip had us staying in a hotel with really expensive laundry prices (nine euros for a kid's shirt???)

However, the most amazing thing about Pierre's apartment was Pierre himself. He left us bread, jam, milk, coffee, and wine, so we didn't have to be in a huge hurry to go out shopping first thing when we arrived. He made sure that we'd be comfortable despite the heat wave in Paris by advising us on how to use the shades and the fans to best advantage.

Staying in Pierre's apartment was like staying at the home of a friend with amazing taste in mid-20th-century modern art; we enjoyed looking at his wonderful collection of paintings, sculptures, and furniture. I'd stay here again in a heartbeat. Merci, Pierre, de nous avoir si chaleureusement acceuili!