We stayed here for around a month while we searched for a flat in Paris for the longer term. The appartment is small, but well laid out, and is secure, being at the back of a larger building with a digicode on the front door. All the fixtures and fittings are new, and it's very nicely decorated. The only small downside was that the appartment was quite humid, so we had to leave the windows open during the day, but as mentioned, we had no security concerns about doing so - I believe this is common to a lot of places in Paris, especially in summer.

Raphael was lovely and very easy to chat to - he also got back to us very quickly when we had questions, and provided us with an extra key when we asked. He also pointed us in the direction of some nice restaurants in the area, particularly Le Faitout just up the steps, which we really liked.

As a whole, the area is very interesting, and a bit different from the more central arrondissements. Buttes Chaumont is a lovely park, quite different from the Jardins de Luxembourg/Tuileries, with waterfalls, follies and hills. There is a market just up the hill on Rue des Pyrénées which is a lot cheaper than the nearby Franprix/Dia. There are a few bars and restaurants, but we enjoyed going out near the Canal St Martin, which you can access by taking Metro Line 11 for 3 stops to République. There's also a great view over Paris from Parc de Belleville, also very close by.

All in all, we very much enjoyed our stay here, and would recommend it to anyone who wants to explore a bit of a different area of Paris!