After a long flight from San Francisco, I was very pleased to arrive at my Airbnb hosted by Wahiba at 29 rue Louis Bralle, Paris. The instructions for gaining access to the apartment were very straight forward and I had no problem getting into the apartment. The only regret is that the apartment has no elevator, which is common in old apartment buildings, and I knew that in advance, so I have no reason to complain. After dragging my suitcase and backpack up to the 4th floor, which is the 5th floor for all of you Americans I was pleased to find the apartment was as delightful as it appeared in the photographs. What I wasn’t expecting was the number of extra amenities that Wahiba had provided.
I wasn’t surprised when I looked in the medicine cabinet and found a supply of toothpaste, shower supplies, and first aid supplies as well as a hair drier; but then I opened a small cabinet in the hall and found it stocked with an assortment of house slippers and a supply of umbrellas. Then I looked in a drawer in the bedroom and it was stocked with all kinds of things that people often forget or find they need once they arrive at a new destination, like extra phone chargers and a variety of cables to fit various devices, extra toothbrushes, a variety of small compact mirrors, several sets of gloves, and a stocking cap it can get cold in Paris in the winter, as well as extra AA and AAA batteries, how many times have your devices run out of batteries and you had to run to the store to get more. There were also several sets of eye masks to help you sleep, and even a luggage scale so you can weigh your luggage before you go to the airport to make sure you haven’t overpacked. Do you think that is something? I haven’t even got to the kitchen yet.
When I examined the kitchen the first thing, I did was look in the refrigerator and was shocked to find it stocked with fresh eggs, milk, butter, orange juice, some kind of white cheese, a variety of condiments like ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise and a large bowl of fruit that contained grapes, peaches, and apricots. Then I started looking in the cabinets and one cabinet contained a variety of cereals, oatmeal coffee, chocolate, sugar, toast, two kinds of jelly, apricot, and strawberry. Another cabinet held a variety of spices, pasta, pasta sauce, and rice. Under the sink was a variety of cooking oils, olive oil, canola oil, avocado oil, and a variety of regular and balsamic vinegar.
Now, this is someone who wants to make sure you spend your time enjoying your vacation in Paris and not wasting time shopping for the essential things you need for basic living. This is by far the best-stocked Airbnb I have ever stayed in without a doubt. I definitely give it a 5-star rating, even though it doesn’t have an elevator. OK! This is Paris, and half of the apartment buildings don’t have elevators. Just tell me to shut up and get over it. I could definitely use the exercise and all of the other amenities that Wahiba provides makes the climb well worth it.
Dennis Link