Helene was a wonderful host! She was very accommodating and was very quick to respond with questions we had prior to booking her flat to ensure it met our needs. Check-in time was set for 3:00PM, however, due to our early flight arrival Helene was gracious enough to allow us to check-in several hours earlier. Helene was there to greet us upon arrival and provided us a tour of the flat. She had also written down for us a list of close by recommendations such as local markets, restaurants, and other places of interest which was very welcomed and helpful. Helene checked in on us via email a couple times during our nine day stay to make sure everything was o.k. or if there was anything we needed.
The flat itself was no disappointment and the pictures are a true representation to what you arrive to. Located on the 5th floor with great views of a typical street within the Montparnasse neighborhood as seen from the balcony and many windows throughout. The flat was very clean and provided all of the necessities for our stay such as a fully functional kitchen, washer/dryer, iron, hair dryer, wifi, etc. and ample space for the four adults in our group to not feel we were on top of each other. Along with the decor with it’s Parisian flair, Helene’s collection of music which includes an extensive jazz collection, introduced us to a great selection of French contemporary artists like Alain Bashung, music I quickly downloaded to to my own library collection providing the perfect soundscape for our first time Paris experience!
The neighborhood, Montparnasse, seemed very safe at all hours and like most neighborhoods had an abundance of cafes and patisseries to choose from. Far from being “touristy” it enabled us to immerse ourselves and feel like locals which was exactly the experience we were hoping for. A small market was located across the street and a larger grocery further down the road. For dining, H Kitchen, a short walking distance away provided an intimate dining experience we treated ourselves to on our last night, serving the most delicious French cuisine. Metro stations are located close by and many major areas you may want to see such as the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, and Notre-Dame are all within a two mile radius, easy enough to walk to or jump on the metro.
We will definitely book this flat again when we return to Paris, hopefully one day soon, and highly recommend this wonderful flat!