My family and I stayed at Sophie's place the last week of July 2019, as the first leg of our three-week trip to France.
We had a great time in Paris and Sophie's apartment played an important role.
The apartment itself is great. We are a family of five and we slept comfortably. We were given a choice of having a mattress on the floor of the room with bunkbeds for our youngest kid, or using the sofa (which converts into a bad). We chose the mattress, which was ready for us when we arrived, but, in the end, our boy wanted to sleep on the sofa. He slept wonderfully on the sofa, which was big enough for me to sleep with him on some nights.
Paris was in the midst of a hellacious heatwave when we arrived and, surprisingly, the apartment wasn't that bad (all things considered). The apartment is breezy (when the windows are open) and there is a fan for every room. We had one tough night (no fault of the apartment, but the thermometer had hit 43 degrees that day), but the rest of the time we slept very well.
The kitchen is great. Lots of cooking utensils, a cabinet full of spices and delicacies, etc. There are several groceries stores just around the corner from the apartment and, of course, a selection of boulangeries nearby. We saved a lot of money by cooking most of our meals there.
The neighbourhood, Pigalle, has a long history as one of Paris' red light districts. But it also has become one of the trendy neighbourhoods in which to eat and party. People should be aware that the party never seems to stop and it can be pretty lively through the night. This is a busy place and you hear all the sirens, laughter, shouting, car horns, etc. coming up from the street -- sometimes quite late into the night. My kids mentioned it a few times, but never to the extent that it kept them up. They were aware of some noise going to bed and if they got up to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night.
The apartment was big enough for the five of us to cohabit without being on top of each other. Funky decor, clean, a computer with internet access. One caveat: the apartment is four floors up, no elevator. We were fine, but anyone with mobility issues be warned, there are stairs to climb.
People should also be aware that a large part of Pigalle's appeal is that it still maintains it's "seedy" reputation. The main street, Boulevard de Clichy, is one street up from Sophie's place. It is home to the famed Moulin Rouge (5 minute walk from the apartment), but also a large array of sex shops, interspersed with peep shows and a few spas and/or saunas that were not for medicinal purposes. It seems to only be a 3-4 block section, but people with small kids should be aware so they can plan walking routes that circumvent that stretch or else be prepared to explain some of the paraphernalia on display in the windows.
Personally, we loved Pigalle. As I mentioned, it is a fun and vibrant part of town with wonderful cafes and little corner restaurants. An interesting mix of classes as trendy partiers mix with street-worn denizens. To me, anyway, it is everything an inner city neighbourhood in a major metropolis should be!
The metro (or subway) is five minutes away and it is fantastic! You can get to pretty much anywhere in the city via metro. It is an extensive network, so you need to take time to plot your trip from Sophie's place to whatever attraction you will be visiting. My wife had an app that gave exact information as to what metro to take, where to transfer, how long it would take, etc. Took all the worry away. I'm assuming these apps are fairly common.
The metro system is also linked to the commuter trains so when you want to go a little further away, like the Chateau Versailles, you can do so fairly seamlessly.
But all the big "must-see" attractions are relatively close to Sophie's place via metro. Much easier and more stress-free than trying to clash with the Parisian drivers! And, with all the traffic, probably just as fast.
We never actually met Sophie, but she was great via text/email. She answers right away, is fluent in at least French and English and is really helpful. There is also a great big binder at the apartment with all sorts of great information about the apartment, the neighbourhood and Paris in general.
I would highly recommend Sophie's place -- everything you'd expect from an apartment in Paris!