Philippe's place is on the fourth floor and there is no elevator. He communicated this to me before booking so I wasn't surprised, but some guests may have difficulty with this.
The place has a very small kitchen and is sparsely furnished. My daughter loved sleeping in the attic. The living room has a comfortable IKEA sofa-bed, so the place can sleep up to five people.
The Belleville neighborhood is traditionally working class with plenty of immigrants, and has begun to recently attract hipsters. There are plenty of restaurants and activities and the neighborhood has a gritty urban feel. The apartment is very close to bakeries, restaurants, cheese shops and other Parisian amenities.
It is very close to the Goncourt metro stop on the 11 line, and a moderate walk to the Republique metro where 5 lines interchange, so it has easy access to all of Paris. But it is not really in the Marais, which has a much more gentrified feel. You will have to take the Metro to the A-list Paris attractions (the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame), but it in walking distance to some lovely sights: the canal St. Martin, the Parc des Buttes Chaumont.
Philippe has a professional service to greet the guests when they come in. He was an excellent communicator.
The main problem I had with the apartment was that there was a cat smell in it.