Pros:
-the Ile St Louis is a fancy address and central to everything
-the studio is extremely charming
-Maria and Elena have outfitted it with everything you could want and of great quality (kitchenware, rotisserie oven, washer/dryer combo, very comfortable bed, antique furniture, duct tape, electrical cords, etc
-soundproof windows and blackout curtains let you escape the city and sleep soundly
-a fireplace so big that the wardrobe/closet fits inside it
Cons:
-the Ile St Louis is not a “lively” Paris neighborhood (they have a small grocery, but if you want real French shopping you really need to go to the St Paul or Rue Monge areas for typical butchers, boulangeries/pâtissiers, green grocers, wine merchants, etc.)
-the bathroom is 5 (very shallow and steep) steps up from the studio floor
-some people may be bothered by silverfish in the bathroom and kitchen areas (and one on my face in bed); when I asked, about them, Elena told me to keep the floors clean or hire the gardienne to clean for me (since the silverfish were there the day of my arrival, any cleanliness concern didn’t originate with me)
-some communication problems around checkin: I wrote 4 days before arrival asking if the studio was empty the night before could I come earlier than 3PM - or could I leave my suitcase and return at 3PM. I got no reply so I waited and arrived at the studio at 3:07. I emailed and Elena replied that she had just left - the gardienne had the key and would give it to me.
-Once inside, I sat on the bed (I’d been traveling for 18 hours plus 5 more in Paris with my suitcase) and realized my pants were wet. The bedding had been washed and put back on the bed very damp (so damp I had to change my jeans and underwear). I learned how to use the washer dryer combo and dried the bedding for another hour. (FYI: a wash/dry cycle takes 4.5 hours in the current machine.)
-I stayed 4 weeks and once a week Elena emailed asking to come by the apartment (to pick up something, etc) - usually with less than a couple hours notice. I couldn’t drop what I was doing and hurry home to meet her. She said I didn’t need to be there, but it felt VERY invasive. I started suggesting she come the following day - and then she usually canceled.
-the sheets on the bed were stained (there were additional linens in the wardrobe, but I didn’t bother to check them out.)
I would stay here again for the ambience of the studio - but I definitely didn’t feel welcomed like I have in other Airbnb’s over the years.