Check-in was easy; Remi accommodated our flight delay and sent someone right over once we landed. Communication was easy and Remi checked in with us several times to make sure we had no issue with the apartment. He also gave us many recommendations for restaurants which was appreciated.
Wi-Fi was great. I worked for part of each day and had no problem with the internet speed. Also, having Netflix for late evenings was nice.
The apartment, while close to many bars, restaurants and shops, is in an old building on the far north side of Le Marais district, so expect some quirks. For example, the apartment is on the third floor and there is no lift. Going up and down the stairs each day, especially with luggage, is a workout. The entrance to the building floods a bit when it rains, so choose your shoes accordingly. Also, this is Remi’s full-time residence so expect drawers marked “private” as well as locked closets.
The apartment is fairly standard for Paris, but a few things were a bit challenging for me:
- When you open the curtains you are looking directly into someone else’s apartment and vise versa.
- The top bathroom window doesn’t have a curtain so I could see directly into the apartments above and vise versa when getting into the shower and until you are actually sitting on the toilet.
- No screens on the windows - again, standard for Europe but odd for US visitors. Expect flies.
The apartment is decorated nicely, the space is nice, but some of the essentials (towels and bedding; kitchen utensils) could use updating. We found the kitchen knives for example to be nearly unusable because they were dull - to the point of being a potential hazard.
I think if you AirBNB your main residence (as opposed to a place that is strictly for short-term rental/investment), you have a responsibility to provide daily essentials that are in excellent condition. Kitchenware, towels, bedding, etc. wears out when used every day. So, while everything was clean, the apartment felt very lived in, which is in contrast to most of our AirBNB experiences