Our stay was April 2 to 5, 2018. Despite what is advertised in her profile there is very little evidence to support the claim that Françoise understands English. She rarely replied to our emails and we would have cancelled had we not been successful in asking airbnb to intervene.
Was the unit adequately equipped? 6/10. In my opinion, a much higher score would have been achieved if simple items such as a potato peeler, a wider egg flipper than the one provided, bread knife and a few sharp knives had been included. Try slicing a tomato with a butter knife. I eventually used a pair of scissors as a steel to sharpen one of the paring knives. A shoe horn would have been appreciated. The bed was an invitation to dreamland; we slept like babies.
Was the unit clean? 7/10.
Wifi connectivity: 10/10.
Were the directions to the unit clear? 6/10. For future renters to know: 55 Euros from Charles de Gaulle Airport. The main door entrance at the front of the building may be unlocked by entering the door code that Françoise gives you. After entering there are four doors in the foyer; the one to the right is the apartment complex marked “B”, the one straight ahead leads to the garden that you can see from your apartment windows and the two on the left are for the “A” apartment complex. (Look to your immediate right as you enter the front door to the building and you will see a set of three buttons. Two are for lights while the third is marked “porte” and that is the button to press to open the door when EXITING the building.) You enter the left “A”, click on the passageway light and call for the elevator. The unit is on the 4th floor on the left immediately upon exiting the elevator. Yes, there is a maximum three person capacity elevator. The maximum weight it can hold is 225 kgs. The key to the apartment is already in the door lock mechanism. Push in and turn to the right to unlock and open the door.
The closest grocery store we could find is the Franprix at 121 Rue de la Glacière, a mere 10 minute walk. There are excellent pastry shops and fine produce stores along the way. The Orly Bus stops close by as well as other transit options.
We would have appreciated having directions on how to operate the wall heater, the towel heater and the Nespresso machine. These items were foreign to us but with a little trial and error and Youtube we soon became reasonably educated. There were no pamphlets or other informational materials to guide us in a search for groceries, sundries, restaurants or transit; we relied totally on Google, Google Maps and reviews from previous tenants.
Was the apartment satisfactory: 10/10. A true gem. It is modern, quiet and conveniently located. Despite the few annoying negatives, which are easily corrected, we would recommend this apartment.