Nicolas was exceptionally welcoming and very communicative with us from the start. His English is excellent but he allowed my husband to practice his French in their communiqués. Although Nicolas was out of town when we arrived, his friend met us in the apartment to give us the keys and a tour. We were provided with a generous supply of fresh fruit, bread, jams, wine, and juice. Nicolas also has a very thoughtful and detailed manual for his AirBnb guests. Not long after we settled in, he texted us to make sure all was going well. And before our departure, he arranged to meet us early in the morning to bid us farewell.

His apartment is exactly as photographed -- a cozy, clean, and comfortable apartment in the 11th Arr. The building is well-located and very secure. There are large windows in each room, which provide excellent sound buffers when closed and a lovely cross-breeze when opened. There is a nice view of street life and architecture from the front and a view of pretty residential buildings in the back. Our 9 year-old son loved the child's room which helped him to feel right at home. And a totally unexpected plus was Nicolas's impressive and ranging movie collection, which he encouraged us to enjoy while there.

The apartment itself is steps away from Metro line 9 at Voltaire, and a quick walk to Metro lines 1, 5, and 8 at Bastille. I went for a run each morning around the basin across from the Opéra Bastille. We took charming walks to Notre-Dame, Musée Carnavalet, Musée National Picasso, and Cimetière du Père Lachaise. There's a Monoprix (a large grocery story/department store) nearby, as well as a natural grocery store called Simply Market around the corner, off of Place Léon Blum. There are also several small grocers, butchers, boulangeries, pharmacies, cafes, brasseries, and bistros on the block.

We loved our stay and would return here again without hesitation!