While Joie Paris’ South Pi apartment has some appeal, on balance, based on my recent experience, I cannot recommend it.
On the plus side, the apartment is incredibly quiet, the neighborhood is interesting, and is close to a metro stop, great cafes, and other food retail establishments. The living room, is, as the photos show, light and comfortably sized. The Joie Paris hosts were quick to respond.
On the minus side, the “bathroom,” a tiny glass-walled closet carved out of the bedroom, is a joke: the shower cubicle is barely big enough to accommodate an average-sized man (me), the “rain” shower head spurts water in all directions, and the water drains incredibly slowly leaving you standing in a couple of inches of water after a short shower. When the shower eventually drains, it leaves an unappealing layer of soap scum on the shower cubicle floor. In addition, the bathroom sink also has a drainage problem.
The cabinet de toilette is so small that I literally couldn’t turn around in it.
Both the bedroom and kitchen look out into unappealing air shafts.
The bulb on one of the bedside lamps had gone out. When I replaced it with a provided spare bulb, I discovered that the wall outlet into which it was plugged did not work.
The vinyl floor covering in the bedroom and kitchen was stained and uncomfortable to walk on.
Bed linens were thin and cheap. Towels were small and thin.
The lockbox containing the apartment key is attached to a bicycle/motorcycle parking stand across the street from the building and was difficult to get to with a large, heavy electric bike blocking access.
Cleanliness and preparedness: my partner and I arrived to find several stained pillows, a light blanket, and a lightweight comforter shown, unfolded into a frosted glass-fronted closet in the bedroom. There were coffee grounds on the kitchen floor next to the small garbage bin. There was an unpleasant smell emanating from the cabinet under the sink. The apartment had been cleaned but poorly – there were dusty surfaces in the toilet and kitchen and corners were left un-vacuumed, presumably because the battery-powered vacuum cleaner did not appear to have accessory nozzles to facilitate a deep cleaning.
The apartment provided a useful refuge in a crisis but I do not recommend it and will not return to it.