The space:
Location is perfect, close to the metro and bus station. Rue Juliet Lamber is a lovely street with lots of nearby boulangeries, supermarket, and parks and tourist sites. The apartment building is great, safe and secure. The unit is lovely, though a bit too much stuff/clutter for a family traveling with kids. It seemed bigger in the picture but feels smaller in person because of all the furniture and furnishings. We had to put stuff (breakable) away to avoid accidents with our 6 year old. I still think it’s more space compared to most Paris rentals. The big tall windows overlooking the courtyard are picture perfect.
Unfortunately, we found the bed and sofa bed uncomfortable. Too soft and sagging in the middle. The entire unit was kind of stuffy - probably due to the carpet and all the curtains. The kitchen was not organized and also kind of cluttered. The bath next to the bedroom was nice and updated but the toilet is a very small cubicle and is separate and far from the bedroom. The power tripped while I was using the microwave and I had to tinker with the circuit breaker. We managed to reset it. I appreciated that Gaël immediately called to help figure it out.
Communication:
Gaël seems like a cool and funny host. He was helpful but since he is managing it remotely and it’s his mum’s house, not a lot is in his control. Check-in was awkward. The woman who checked us in did not speak English and my French was bad so I assume a lot was lost in translation. There’s not a lot of info as to what we can use and how. We definitely felt like we were using someone else’s home and not completely welcome since there were no specific instructions. The woman gave us a very rushed tour around the place and then said that Madame Pelletier would meet us in 30 minutes. We waited but she never came. We were also given her number to call for any questions but I tried calling several times and she never picked up. Check-out was even worse - it was supposed to be no later than 6 pm but Florence, the old lady who owns the place, came at 12 noon the day of check out and didn’t speak English. She started cleaning and checking her place. It was very very awkward, we had no choice but to cut our plans short and just left early. Which I thought was an unfortunate and unfair way to end our stay.