Agnes, the host, was wonderful in terms of communication. Her friends in Paris who assisted with the check in were great as well. In fact Milena helped us with getting a taxi to the airport when we were leaving, which was very nice of her.

The apartment is quaint and adorable. It is pretty barebones, but has everything you would need to be comfortable. Luxury-wise it is not a Waldorf Astoria (the bathroom is tiny), but for the price it is absolutely perfect, clean and safe.

Now, the neighborhood - the neighborhood and the location are the best and possibly the most problematic aspects of the apartment. It is absolutely lively, happy, happening and one of the most wonderful part of Paris with live music and outside cafes and everything stereotypically-wonderful you think of when you think of Paris. We were out crazy hours of the night having fun and chatting with random people we would meet in the neighborhood. The balcony is definitely a huge selling point - some of my best memories are sitting on that balcony, listening to live music, drinking wine and just taking in Paris and the wonderful views.

However... You have to leave windows open when you sleep, since there is no AC. Not having AC in itself is not an issue, since it appears that noone is Paris has AC, even some very fancy restaurants, and, besides, I always prefer open windows and fresh air anyway. We happened to be there during the heat wave last week with temperatures climbing to 105, and we survived and it was fine. What wasn't quite fine is the fact that the neighborhood is alive all hours of the day/night. Sleeping with windows open is quite a challenge when you have random people playing on the guitar, singing songs, talking loudly, etc. We spent 5 days there and by the end I was getting used to it: so what that someone just woke me up at 4am playing on his guitar - this is just a part of being here and loving it. But I wanted to make sure that people are aware, and that if you are planning on sleeping tightly all night long in a cool and quiet apartment - that's not going to happen. I am not sure why anyone would prioritize this while in Paris, but just in case :)

I am a city person myself, who has lived in cities all my life with the exception of few college years, so for me it was wonderful, much more authentic than any hotel could ever be, and very magical.