We really enjoyed our stay at Cosme’s flat in the 6th. His girlfriend, Fanta, was waiting for us on arrival and couldn’t have been kinder or more friendly.

The flat is a small darkish one-bedroom on the ground floor of an apartment building with a (single) sofa bed in the living room. It has no street view but looks out over an attractive internal courtyard with plants. The place is pretty basic in terms of décor/mod cons (no TV) but we found it clean and quiet with plenty of hot water (shower only – but a good one). As two friends shopping, eating out and visiting galleries on the Left Bank it suited our needs perfectly.

We liked the neighbourhood which was buzzy without being chi-chi. There’s a very decent café/brasserie on the street corner, a superb cheese shop (Quatrehommes) near by as well as a well-stocked Carrefour supermarket (open till 11pm). The location is the flat’s USP – it’s just minutes from the Bon Marché (and its amazing food hall) and a short walk from the Luxembourg Gardens/St Germain. It’s also direct on the metro from the Gare du Nord (you get out at Saint-Placide, which is a 10-minute walk away).

Two quibbles: Cosme’s front door lock is very stiff – getting the door open required patience and brute force – and there were no bins in the flat, not even in the kitchen. But the lovely Fanta has promised to sort out both for the next lot of visitors.

We didn’t meet Cosme but we found him friendly, flexible and reliable to deal with. His girlfriend fitted helpfully around our schedule – which was great as we had a late Eurostar back to London on the Sunday night.