A questionable beginning but a nice visit

Guest: Maggie (Texas, USA)
Date of Stay: 10/03/11 Review Submitted: 02/01/12

The apartment was not ready when we arrived, as the cleaning lady had forgotten. We were unable to get in as promised, and when we did, it was not a good thing. However, she then came, and when it was all tidied up and ready, we had a truly lovely visit. David could not have been more accomodating. The apartment is very authentic Paris, and although the pictures are really, really flattering and the furniture is not really located where the photographer put it for pictures, it is generally as the photos show it, just not so bright and shiny. By the time we left, we loved it all, and wouldn't change a thing. The area is so very convenient, public transportation is great, and everything we needed was there. We had two couples, who travel together often, and we all completely agree about the beds being comfortable! Thank you David, and I hope you fixed the dining chairs before those sweet little things get too damaged to repair. Love all the antiques in the apartment. So very French! Merci, David, merci!!

Recommended for:Tourists without a car, sightseeing, girls getaway, age 55+, families with teenagers.

A Charming Apartment in the Marais

Guest: Melissa (Chevy Chase)
Date of Stay: 08/14/11 Review Submitted: 08/29/11

A lovely, quintessentially French apartment steps from the Place des Vosges. The beds were comfortable and I appreciated the option of having the second bedroom configured for my two adult sons who came along on the trip. Quiet location. The owner was exceptionally helpful and arranged for taxis for all of us on our differing departure dates. I would not hesitate to recommend this "home in Paris" to friends, family and anyone looking for a reasonably priced place to stay in the Marais section of the city.

Recommended for:Romantic getaway, tourists without a car, sightseeing, girls getaway, age 55+, families with young children, families with teenagers.

A Perfectly Parisienne Place

Guest: Ne'Ne' (Wyoming, USA)
Date of Stay: 05/05/11 Review Submitted: 05/21/11

My sister and I have just returned from our stay in Paris at David's apartment and it didn't disappoint! I would return in a heartbeat. David's descriptions were accurate, and and we felt safe and sound staying there. It was clean, David was helpful if we had any questions, and I would recommend the apartment highly. We really appreciated the complementary telelphone service. The ease of getting around (by Metro, Bus or by foot) made it attractive in the first place, but all the more so in reality. My first impression of the apartment was "funky," but in a good way. Just what we were looking/hoping for. I hope to return someday. Thanks, David, for the taxi help on that last day!

Owner response:Yes, I try to keep the "Ikea factor" to a minimum. Thanks ! -hope to have you back soon.

Recommended for:Romantic getaway, tourists without a car, sightseeing, girls getaway, age 55+, families with teenagers.

An Apartment that You would Rent Again and Again

Guest: ST (New York)
Date of Stay: 03/03/11 Review Submitted: 04/05/11

I stayed in this wonderful apartment with 3 friends in early March, 2011. We travelled to Paris to run the Semi-Marathon de Paris. Supportive beds were important. David, the owner assured us that they would be supportive mattresses and they were. As four women traveling, we wanted to feel safe and enjoy our special week of complete relaxation. This apartment is the place. It is very quiet since you go through a courtyard to get to the elevator and go up to the apartment. You can also take the stairs. The building itself is on an active street but you wouldn't know when you are in the apartment. There are many excellent bakeries around the apartment. They all have great croissants but for the most sublime, it's the one next to Place des Vosges. I think it's called Giraud. The brasserie two blocks toward the metro St. Paul is friendly and authentic. David, the apartment owner, was extremely helpful and available. The shower is good and hot. The tub is big for soaking. The kitchen is clean and has all of your appliance needs, as well as tea and condiments. The arrondisement is very safe and full of boutiques. The Jewish quarter is in the next arrondisement and is easily walked to if it interests you. The location is fabulous, close to the metro, and there more authentic than touristy. The cost was probably half of what a hotel would have cost us. This is a wonderful choice. Thank you, David!

Recommended for:Romantic getaway, tourists without a car, sightseeing, adventure seekers, girls getaway, age 55+, families with young children, families with teenagers.

A great find in a great neighborhood

Guest: LuLu (New York)
Date of Stay: 03/22/11 Review Submitted: 04/02/11

We just returned from a lovely stay in this very comfortable apartment on a great block in Le Marais. The apartment was spotlessly clean, and just as described... very comfortable, quirky in the fun, authentic way. Bedrooms were large and comfortable, the bath super clean, with plenty of hot water, and a nicely equipped kitchen, which we used quite a lot given the fantastic food shopping that we New York foodies crave. The owner, David, was a pleasure to deal with and very responsive. The location was great, a bus right on the street takes you directly to the Louvre and over the Seine, and metro stops very close by. We highly recommend this apartment and would certainly stay again.

Recommended for:Families with young children.

A Paris apartment with space

Guest: Smithy (Australia )
Date of Stay: 12/30/10 Review Submitted: 02/06/11

This flat is just as it looks in the photos. Very parisienne, only spacious. There were 4 of us, including 2 energetic teenagers and lots of luggage - plenty of room. Lift was tiny but being the grandma, I got to travel in the lift while the others took the stairs. Clean, comfortable and central. Two nice restaurants a stone's throw away. Free telephone calls was wonderful and David, our host, was very helpful. Would recommend for any combination of travellers. The Marais is an exciting area of Paris and a walk around the Place do Vosges is a must.

Recommended for:Romantic getaway, tourists without a car, sightseeing, adventure seekers, girls getaway, age 55+, families with young children, families with teenagers.

Great Location, loaded with extras

Guest: Jo (Cornwall, Ontario, Canada)
Date of Stay: 09/24/10 Review Submitted: 10/16/10

We stayed in David's rue de Turenne apartment from September 24 to October 10 and were very pleased with everything. The location can't be beat, you are in the middle of the Marais with bakeries, cheese shops, Monoprix, boutiques, cafes, bars, restaurants and the beautiful Place des Voges all close by. The apartment really does have everything you need ~ the kitchen is very well equipped and has a separate washer and a dryer that really dries! We had free wifi that worked seamlessly, even with 4 laptops/ipads on at the same time. Being able to call home to Canada for free was a bonus as well. The beds were comfortable, the rooms were very large and we never ran out of hot water for showers, even with 4 adults. David is a wonderful landlord and a really nice guy who was very responsive with e-mail inquiries (and I had lots, lol!). We would rent this apartment again and would recommend it to our family and friends with no hesitation.

Recommended for:Tourists without a car, sightseeing, age 55+, families with young children, families with teenagers.

Great Location but don't visit in August

Guest: BC (Arlington, VA)
Date of Stay: 08/16/09 Review Submitted: 07/05/10

The location was great but because it was August some of the area was closed. For example, many of the shops were closed for the month on the other hand most of the restaurants were open. Apparently it was difficult to get a maid to clean because when we arrived there were dirty towels and linens all over the small kitchen laying in front of the washer and broken dryer. There were more linens dumped on the bureau in the second room. The dishwasher was full of dishes and I had to run it again. Also there were dishes in the sink and the sink was not clean. The floors had not been swept and when I called David the phone was broken. As it got dark, we realized the light bulbs were burnt out. We saw David, who is a really nice person, once at the beginning of out stay. Two of the nights out of the seven, there were loud parties followed by French obscenities being cast by outraged neighbors. Apparently parents were out vacationing and the children were home partying in two of the units in the courtyard. This was completely out of David's control however it is not what I would categorize as "quiet". In one instance the apartment faced the courtyard but was not part of our building. That party ended abruptly about 4am after glass bottles were dropped on to the courtyard. The other apartment were teenagers in our building and they had to be approached twice before they quieted down for the evening around 1am. Paris was lovely and the unit is very close to the Metro and to many of the more interesting parts of the city. We would stay in Le Marais again but we would find a more accommodating unit.

Owner response:I'm sorry to hear of the strings of problems you had to go through. I do my best to solve issues within my control as fast as possible, and I should point out that since your stay in August 2009, I've changed my cleaning staff for someone who's a much more efficient and dedicated "dust buster" and allocated extra time to make sure the apartment is thoroughly cleaned between stays. And of course a new dryer was ordered and replaced as soon as the old one was pronounced dead. Thanks for the constructive remarks, and I do hope you'll return to my property in the future.

Recommended for:Tourists without a car, sightseeing.

Guest: Robyn Quigley (Sydney, Australia)
Date of Stay: 11/17/09 Review Submitted: 11/17/09

My brother and I recently spent 7 days in David's apartment. The position in the fascinating Marais district was unbeatable and the apartment was very comfortable, very French and very convenient. All mod cons necessary for a wonderful stay in Paris. David was very welcoming, very helpful and I hope to return during the next 12 months.

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Guest: Lesley Barsby (Kempsey. Australia)
Date of Stay: 05/02/08 Review Submitted: 05/02/08

Recently our family of 5 spent 8 wonderful days in David's very French in style, very quiet but very well appointed apartment. Large bedrooms and the kitchen with all mod cons plus that washer and dryer so essential travelling with the family. The apartment is superbly located in the Le Marais area of Paris (the very best area to stay) and we were able to walk to most of the sites of Paris from the apartment. Used the Metro for our return mostly St Paul but 2 other stations are close by. A couple of good supermarkets near St.Paul plus a smaller one close to the apartment served us well for all our food and wine supplies. Really appreciated being able to call our family and friends back in Australia for no charge as well as the free internet, such services a real bonus. The Marias has wonderful restaurants, food shops and is so full of life without feeling at all touristy which is exactly what we were looking for. Was a pleasure to return to our quiet, atmospheric apartment after a long day out. David was so helpful and obliging, gave us lots of info to assist with our trip and right from the first booking inquiry we found it just a pleasure to deal with David. Thank-you David for a wonderful stay in Paris.

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