My sister, my two small children & I just wrapped up two weeks staying in Mary Ann’s apartment. First things first - the listing is not accurate: the apartment is TWO BEDROOMS, ONE BATH. The second & final bedroom has one door, one single bed, and a platform bed built above (a bunk bed situation). The toilet is in the water closet next to sink/bath/shower. Two bedrooms, one bath. If you need 3 actual bedrooms & more than 1 bath, this would not be the place.
In the words of a former guest: ’the shower is a true disaster’. This description cannot be underestimated. The shower stall is tiny, which is normal for Europe, but the shower head can only be used when hand-held as otherwise it droops towards the shower wall & unusable. The vinyl shower curtain is way too big for the space, so the whole time you’re trying to hold the shower head while not pressing up against the temperature controls, while trying to avoid the curtain, while water is probably pouring out. My family & I often skipped showers so as to avoid the frustrating & stressful experience.
The weather was cool during our July visit, but the apartment was very stuffy & warm - I can’t imagine what it’s like during a heat wave. None of the portable fans worked - we tried multiple times & they look like they’ve been out of commission for years. There’s a ceiling fan in the living room which is great, but the one in the main bedroom is not effective. The bedroom windows can’t be left open at night because noise on the pedestrian street below goes all night long & crescendos with endless trash/recycling pickup beginning around 5:00am. We live in NYC & are very used to street noise, but between the hot/stuffy low-ceilinged bedrooms & street noise, it was very difficult to sleep.
The listing includes washer machine as an available appliance, but upon check-in we were encouraged not to use it. It’s super old & takes 2.5 hours per load to wash. We used the local Marais laundromat which was straightforward, but future guests should note that while there is a washer machine, it’s use is questionable.
Lastly, and I can’t believe this hasn’t been mentioned in previous reviews, and it’s beyond Mary Ann’s control, but the pedestrian street on which the apartment is located - Rue du Prevot - is used as a men's outdoor urinal. Urine trickles down the cobble stones with an odor to match.
Bohemian art studio aesthetic & Marais location only go so far. The apartment costs hundreds of dollars per night to rent. Some of those funds desperately need to be used to upgrade quality & comfort.