We stayed at Antoine's apartment in late October 2022 for 5 nights.
The apartment is beautifully furnished with a mix of both contemporary and traditional design elements.
The neighbourhood is off the beaten path and not in a touristy destination, which we appreciated as we were looking for a more chill experience.
The apartment is also a 3-4 minute walk to a metro station which was an excellent mode of transportation. For example, we were able to get to the Eiffel Tower with one change over between metro lines and for less than $5CAD per person. The journey took about 30-40 minutes.
There are many great bakeries, restaurants and grocery stores in the area. My French is intermediate but there were a lot of locals (especially those in the service industry) who spoke and understood English. So if your French is not great you’d still be fine here.
In response to other reviews, the shower was perfectly suitable for a taller person as my husband who is 6'2 had no issues with the shower head height. However, the review about the size of the stand alone toilet room is accurate. My husband couldn’t close the door while using the commode.
There is quite a stair climb to get to the apartment but this adds to the character and seems to be a normal part of life for most Parisians.
Helpful feedback for North American guests- the bed is not a North American king which was one of the primary reasons we opted to stay there as my husband is very tall and I am a picky sleeper. In spite of this, the bed was very firm and very comfortable, and there was a wide range of soft pillows to pick from. As a picky sleeper I slept well in the room which can be made very dark. It worked out great. (Also good luck trying to find a North American king outside of a 5 star hotel— they just aren’t as prevalent in Europe.)
Another point for North American visitors, as this was our first stay in a European AirBnB, we noted that the property is the owner's primary residence (most Air BnBs in Canada and the States are not full time homes and are often revenue properties or a secondary residence) As a result, the home was filled with Antoine's personal effects which initially made us feel like we were intruding or displacing him and his partner. We eventually got over it but it’s a heads up for future visitors so you’re not surprised.
Antoine’s place has Netflix which has a lot of American content. There is also a lot of French TV to binge watch if you end up jet lagged.
The balcony is fabulous and we enjoyed the open air vibe of the apartment.
We loved staying at Antoine's place and if we were in the Paris area again we would return.
The price was fair, the location safe, and the experience authentic, and we recommend it to others who are looking for an off the beaten path authentic Parisian stay without the annoyance of a bunch of tourists.
Thank you Antoine for your hospitality.