Gregory was very helpful and welcoming - he gave us good directions from the Metro station (and from the Gare du Nord to the Metro) and speaks very good English.

The apartment was clean and well furnished, and decorated with flair and personality. The living area is spacious and the kitchen well equipped. It's at street level, which is rare for Paris in my experience, and the street was very quiet. The stairs to the basement rooms (bed and bathroom) are compact and "Japanese style" so might not suit older people or those with mobility issues, but the downstairs itself is beautiful, with its arched old-brick ceiling and first-rate bathroom features.

The apartment is just outside the Marais itself, but the street is nevertheless full of great little restuarants, bars and cafés. 5 minutes' walk just across the main boulevard you have even more to choose from inside the Marais. You could spend weeks dining out and partying in this very vibrant little quarter of Paris.

There's a supermarket straight across the street and three local Metro stations, so it scores big on convenience too.