I stayed in Gilles’s flat for one month while I was traveling to Paris to do historical research this summer, and I could not have asked for a better experience! I highly recommend this flat for everyone, especially for students/solo travelers looking to stay in Paris.
First, the flat is located in the heart of the Marais neighborhood of Paris. It is around the corner from the National Archives and the Judaism Museum, only a 4 minute walk to the Centre Pompidou (where I went many times), 10 minutes to Les Halles, 15 minutes to Notre Dame, 25 minutes to the Louvre, and for everything else there is a Metro stop two blocks away. I saved money on train fare by being able to walk to most of the places I need to go. Not to mention, the area has so many wonderful restaurants (Pessic was one of my favorites) and bakeries (the baguettes at Huré are particularly wonderful), and there is a grocery store across the street! After living there, I honestly do not want to stay in another area of Paris ever again.
The flat itself has everything you could need. The balcony at the entrance was a lovely feature, and it was wonderful to be able to set down any bags after climbing the stairs and get tons of fresh air into the kitchen and living area. The window in the front of the flat has a lovely view onto the street as well. For the kitchen there is a coffee maker, hot water heater, microwave, small fridge, electric stovetop, toaster, and many silverware and pots/pans. I did not do a lot of cooking, but I could have with everything that I had access to. The main living area has a wonderful large wood table that I used for eating and as a desk. The large bed was very comfortable and the linens were nice and clean. The flat has a giant armoire where I fit all of my clothes shoes, and books. There is also a TV, speakers, CD player/radio, telephone, and three lamps. The bathroom was clean, and it includes a washing machine! The washing machine was incredibly convenient, particularly for my long stay, and there is a foldable clothing rack for air drying.
Gilles was a kind, wonderful, and communicative host! He met me at the flat a couple of hours after my plane landed, and worked around my schedule for checkout. He always responded within the hour to text messages and he gave me wonderful suggestions for things to do around Paris. A week into my stay there was an issue with the flat’s WiFi, and he came the next day to check on it and called a technician in to fix it when we couldn’t figure it out. He was so nice, and I really appreciated how he handled everything. He even had coffee with me at the downstairs restaurant while we were waiting together one day, and he helped carry my (very heavy) bag down the stairs when I left. Thank you so much, Gilles, for making my time in Paris amazing!