My boyfriend and I stayed at Faina's for New Year & really enjoyed ourselves. The space is cute and cozy and had everything we needed. We ate in the apartment a couple of times and the kitchen space was very functional. A note for the gas stove newbie: My boyfriend is much more familiar with a gas stove than I am so luckily he knew how to use one right away, I would recommend a quick YouTube video search if you haven't used one before.
There are a number of nice cafes and restaurants nearby and Faina's helpful guide pointed us towards a few nice spots. We went into the city center for New Year and appreciated the area surrounding Faina's apartment even more after that - the food is reasonably priced and there are few primarily English speakers/tourists around that we noticed so it feels like you're getting the "real" experience.
We enjoyed some nice spots within walking distance that we wouldn't have otherwise thought to visit - so we were glad to be nearby! We picnicked at the Parc des Buttes-Chaumont and spent the afternoon walking through the Père Lachaise Cemetery. The metro was closed while we were there due to the ongoing strike which was a bummer as there is a stop very nearby! We caught buses and got around easily enough that way if we couldn't walk.
Overall I'm very happy we stayed at Faina's and appreciated her opening her home to us. The communication throughout was clear and prompt if we had any questions which cut down on stress. Thanks also to Charlotte for meeting us!