Karl's apartment could be perfect if more attention was paid to the overall maintenance and updating.
While the comfort of mattresses is a personal issue, both couples in our group found the mattresses so painfully uncomfortable that we were forced to buy $250 worth of mattress "toppers" from Amazon to make it through our 7 night stay. Karl told us via text message that he never heard of another guest finding the 7 YEAR OLD (made in Turkey) mattresses to be uncomfortable. As partial compensation, Karl paid for our $80 return trip to the airport and he bought us a cake. At the end of our stay we asked via text message Karl what he would like us to do with the mattress toppers. He replied that we should leave the toppers on our beds.
We found no instructions on how to operate any of the appliances and the heating system. We were forced to constantly open the windows (in winter) to reduce the heat.
WiFi reception in the bedrooms was pretty much absent.
The master bedroom is very nice with its own full bathroom.
The 2nd bedroom does not have its own bathroom. Rather, guests in the 2nd bedroom have to walk down the hall to the foyer and the communal toilet room. The sink and shower are in yet another room, also down the hall from the 2nd bedroom and separate from the toilet room. The 2nd bedroom's shower was really disappointing. It was EXTREMELY small, was loaded with mold on the floor and walls (I took photos), had a BIG step up from the rest of the bathroom floor, had no shower door, and the shower head was directly overhead, making water control impossible. Every shower resulted in lots of water escaping the shower and landing on the main bathroom floor and door. The bathroom door showed lots of water based deterioration. Stepping down from the shower to the wet bathroom floor proved tricky; even with the bath mat placed directly against the shower and door.
Only the living room and kitchen offer a street view. Both bedrooms offer windows overlooking an interior space (sort of an interior courtyard) and a view of adjacent apartment windows and ventilation systems.
The apartment had a safe to store valuables- but it was broken. Karl texted us and mentioned that he meant to remove the safe.
The kitchen was beautifully equipped with loads of cookware, dishes, cups, utensils, etc. We did have to buy dishwasher detergent. The living and dining rooms were excellent. Nicely decorated and large.
Since the apartment was only 1 floor up from the street, we used the stairs rather than the elevator. Other guests who need the elevator should note that it is tiny and won't fit more than 2 people. We used the elevator only to move our luggage, 2 suitcases at a time, in and out of the apartment.
Lots of restaurants surround the apartment. The nearest supermarket is a 5 minute walk away. Bakeries are nearby as well. The Hotel Bristol and the Canadian embassy can be seen from the apartment's windows.
Communication with Karl was excellent and in both French and English.