I came to Paris with my six year old daughter and we rented Melissa's studio for our four night trip. The location is absolutely amazing and ideal. Public transportation is very near and the studio is surrounded by restaurants and shops. We took the RER in from CDG and upon exiting the train station we were met with a stunning view of Notre Dame, the Seine a few steps away, and a lively neighborhood scene. The studio was only a few minutes walk from the train/metro station. It was a great first impression for my daughter! Even though, the metro was very close to the studio, we walked most places as the weather was beautiful during our stay. We walked to Notre Dame, Centre Pompidou, Musee Rodin, Jardin de Luxembourg, Musee D'Orsay, Le Marais neighborhood, St. Germain, Le Bon Marche, etc. The studio was a wonderful base for our adventure.
Even though I was with my daughter I am not sure I would peg the studio as family-friendly, as I didn't see a lot of families in the surrounding area. I saw more young professional people (along with tourists). Of course, this may have been because all the French children were in school. All the places we ate and shops we went into were perfectly fine for me and my daughter, but I couldn't imagine going into them with my other two younger children. I think we would have been a bit out of place--but, I could be wrong. In any case, it was a lovely neighborhood with lots of action.
Despite the activity of the neighborhood, no street noise can be heard in the apartment, which was great. On the other hand, during two of our nights there I felt there was a lot of noise from neighbors going up and down the stairs and closing their doors loudly. Granted, I am a light sleeper and we went to bed earlier than many people would. The other two nights were perfectly quiet during the night. Also, I suggested to the host that darker curtains would be a nice addition, as the motion detector light shines right into the apartment and anyone who comes in or goes out of the courtyard sets it off (a nice safety feature, though).
The apartment itself was a perfect size for us. We did not use the kitchen at all, so I can't speak to that, really. It was very small, but looked like it had what was needed. The bed and pillows were very comfortable and clean. The shower seemed dark and I was skeptical, at first, but it turned out to be great. It had good water pressure and plenty of hot water (could use a shelf, though, to set shampoo and soap). The rest of the furnishings were perfect for us--simple and nice quality.
Finally, communication with Melissa was very good. She was lovely, friendly, and helpful.