We never met the host but she was very much in touch by email. The neighborhood is the most wonderful in Paris. I just loved NoMo! The apartment is gorgeous. Beautiful, smaller than in pictures, but I expected that. Everything you need is there. Some concerns: the bedrooms are in the loft, you must walk through one to get to the next, but the toilet is downstairs. It is too bad there is only one toilet, but the light and windows, wood floors and wood beams in ceiling make up for a lot.