We had a great time at Lorraine’s place, and she was an excellent host. While the experience was overall very good, I do have some criticisms. Normally I wouldn’t be so picky, but considering the cost (most expensive in the area for our dates by far) and its designation as an airbnb plus, I feel it could have been a lot better.
Let’s start with the positives!
- A truly beautiful home, with interesting details, comfortable furniture, and a lot of character.
-Amazing bed! Perhaps the comfiest I’ve ever slept in in an airbnb.
-Excellent heating and ventilation, especially for such an old building.
-The hosts were extremely friendly, helpful, and welcoming. The guidebook, discount codes, and hotel-style amenities were especially thoughtful touches.
-The location is incredible. Right next to the Spanish Arch, the Latin Quarter, and the West End.
-The check-in process and keyless entry were a breeze, and getting in and out felt like no problem at all. It’s always nice to not have to mess with unfamiliar keys.
Now, the negatives:
-The Indian restaurant downstairs played loud music past closing time both nights we stayed. I realize it’s an old building and the hosts can’t control everything, but considering there’s a rule about not using the washing machine in the evenings out of respect for the restaurant, I would have expected that there is some kind of arrangement and that respect is returned. We stayed on Tuesday and Wednesday nights, so loud music until midnight was not something we anticipated. If you are sensitive to noise as I am, I cannot recommend this stay unless you plan to be out late at night or don’t mind sleeping in ear plugs.
-The shower was broken, so in order to use it you had to spray yourself with the shower head by hand the entire time. I didn’t have issues with the temperature that others mentioned, but based on reviews I read, it seems the shower had been broken for at least three weeks when we stayed and not yet fixed. In an average, lower cost airbnb, this would be fine, but in an extremely expensive airbnb plus, it’s unacceptable. In addition to this, the extraction fan in the bathroom was visibly extremely dirty, which was a strange oversight considering the rest of the apartment was spotlessly clean.
-This is a very small quibble, but considering there was a Nespresso machine, it would have been much appreciated for pods to have been provided. We would have liked to use it, but didn’t want to buy a supply of pods for a two day stay. Luckily, there’s a lot of really great coffee shops in the area!
My final judgement is that this would have been a truly wonderful stay IF the cost and our expectations (thanks to being an airbnb plus) weren’t so high. But for what we paid, we did feel underwhelmed. However, the hosts themselves were great.