AMAZING PLACE & So Much More!!
The Paris flat on it own is very nice, clean, in a great location, with a very responsive and accomidable host; but that pales in comparison to to the kindness and extra effort and care that the host provides to guests.
The flat feels like a home from the minute that walk in. I was traveling from the US with my wife and 3 small children through Paris as part of a greater European adventure. The host, Harout, had excellent communication with us leading up to our arrival. He then met us onsite to show us in, show us around (not only the apartment but the building as well), and helped us settle in and showed us where everything was and how everything worked. He provided directions to local attractions and transportation options and answered any and all questions that we had. He was not in a rush, it was clear that he was going to stay as long as needed until we felt absolutely comfortable in our new surroundings. The flat itself looks exactly like the pictures. It is not large but very similar size to the surrounding places to stay and there was plenty of room for my family of 5. The feel of having a warm home to stay in all to yourself was priceless to us at that moment of our trip. The apartment is full of amenities including a fully stocked fridge of local breads, food, and drinks. Plenty of coffee to sit by the window and enjoy the morning in Paris. The washer and dryer especially came in handy traveling with small children. It was a perfect place for us and was in convenient walking distance to plenty of Paris attractions (Notre Dame, Louver, Opera, etc.) or to transportation options access other parts of the city. It was great! Harout was a perfect host by respecting our privacy but always was helpful and responded quickly if we needed anything. The nice thing was, we didn't really need anything because it had all been provided and we had been shown everything at the apartment. This is exactly what you want in an Airbnb in my opinion.
The flat being the perfect accommodation for my family is not what I will remember most about my experience however, but what happened after I left. My family and I were running late trying to catch a train to Zurich, Switzerland when I received a call from Harout that I had left a bag and coat behind. Literally running to catch the train though I asked if I could call him back and boarded the train. We departed and I received a message from Harout through the Airbnb app that was a picture of my wife's coat and my laptop bag. Part of the trip to Switzerland and Germany was for business and my company issued laptop had been accidentally left behind in Paris. I was terrified. I had everything on there and no clue how to get it back. Harout was calm, kind, supportive, and helpful in attempting to assist me in coming up with the best solution. In the end we decided that he would overnight the bag and coat to me to the business office in Zurich. Harout handled everything, including paying for the shipment out of his own pocket to get the package out before the end of day deadline. The next day there were issues with customs, since France is EU and Switzerland is not, and once again Harout took care of it. Harout provided me with photos, updates, tracking information, and consistently checked in to see how I was doing and if there was anything else that he could do to assist me. Keep in mind that I had already checked out of his place and was not returning. Finally, I received my laptop bag and my wife's coat. They were in perfect condition. My laptop worked perfectly. Harout saved me from what would have been a disaster. He did not have to this, he had no financial incentive to do it, he never even asked me to provide this review. He is just simply a kind person that saw another person in need and went well out of his way to help them. In reimbursing him for the shipping cost that he paid out of pocket I requested that he accept an extra amount for all of the time and effort that he had put into returning my laptop to me. He kindly refused. I insisted, so eventually he did offer a way for me to provide the amount that I suggested to his housekeeper that takes care of his place. I graciously accepted, but this again was the behavior of someone that is constantly looking to help out other individuals that he interacts with in his life.
This is much more than host. He has a great place, in a great part of the city, full of amenities, and he goes the extra mile to make you feel at home. For all those reasons you should definitely book his Paris flat. More than that though, you have the peace of mind of knowing that he is a kind, gracious individual, that looks as his guests as more than customers. He treats them as if they were family.
If you are reading this and considering his place to stay, do yourself a favor and book it immediately. You are getting much more than a wonderful place to stay. You are getting a home to live in with a friend that will look out for you and your family as if they were his own.