Jean-Marie & his wife have a lovely apartment in a beautiful part of the Latin Quarter, a block away from the Odeon theater, and only several blocks to Luxembourg Gardens & the Paris metro. His communication with us prior to arriving was excellent, and the apartment itself was exactly as presented. If anything, it felt bigger than we had imagined. It's very much a true Paris apartment where you can fling the windows open and get a cool breeze and a tremendous feel for the city. A third-floor walkup, it's not a "luxury" apartment by any means, and while the bath & shower may have been a bit tight, it's a very real & a very comfortable place, with some nice period details. We loved it, and the location just could not be better.

There are an incredible number of dining options within the immediate area; from fine dining to family-run restaurants to bistros to stand-up raw bars to creperies...it's mind boggling. Many of the nearby bistros we favored were open until midnight & full of Parisians, so we really felt like locals. Rue de Buci is a short walk away, on the other side of Saint Germain, and full of wonderful boulangeries, pastisseries, and even more places to eat/drink/hangout.

Getting around the rest of Paris from this location is simple. You can easily walk to the left bank, Notre Dame, and of course, the Luxemborg Gardens (a must see), but it's also only three blocks to the Odeon Metro stop on the #4 line. Three stops to Chatelet and you can transfer to just about anywhere, including the major train stations in Paris (Gare de Lyon in our case).

As a first-time visitor to Paris, I don't think our family of five (Dad, Mom, and three kids; 16, 14, and 10), could have found a better place to base our stay.