Lovely Apartment in St Germain

Guest: Jackelyn (New York, NY)
Date of Stay: 01/02/12 Review Submitted: 01/24/12

My husband and I stayed at this apartment the week following New Year's. We loved the apartment as well as the area, and hope we can stay here for all future visits to Paris. The apartment is on the top floor of a walk-up, so I do not recommend it for people who can't carry their bags up/down for arrival/departure. Cecile was easy to work with, and we definitely felt her personal touch from the moment we entered the apartment. The apartment is clean, beautifully decorated, and has great amenities. We especially appreciated the directions Cecile left on how to use the appliances along with suggestions of her favorite cafes. If you want a more authentic Paris experience, then I highly recommend renting an apartment over staying at a hotel.

Recommended for:Romantic getaway, sightseeing.

Great Location; Great Accomodations

Guest: DCTravel (Washington, DC)
Date of Stay: 12/03/11 Review Submitted: 12/18/11

It was my first trip to Paris. The location couldn't have been better, and there was no better way to feel emersed in a true Parisian experience. The apartment was comfortable and well-appointed. The location was great - steps from the Luxembourg Gardens, Metro, and numerous really, really great boutique restaurants, grocery stores, and restaurants. I travel a lot, and this was one of my favorite places I have rented. Cecile couldn't have been more accomodating. LOVED IT.

Recommended for:Families with teenagers, romantic getaway, tourists without a car, adventure seekers, girls getaway, sightseeing, families with young children.

Kelley from Texas

Guest: Kelley from Texas (Austin, Texas, USA)
Date of Stay: 11/09/11 Review Submitted: 11/18/11

From the moment we arrived, we felt right at home. The location was so convenient to many major sights and close to the Metro. There was a market right down the street, which made it so convenient. Great location. The apartment is very clean and well maintained. It is on the 4th floor, so there are stairs to climb. Your first climb with luggage is an experience, however, by the end of the trip you are climbing the stairs without even getting winded. Great exercise to help keep the pounds off while you are indulging in the exceptional pastries Paris has to offer. Cecile, the owner, does a great job of furnishing everything you need. The check in and reservation process was a breeze. She also leaves you with a guide which we found very helpful when we had questions from how to turn on the stove to how to navigate around the city. This guide was very comprehensive and informative and really helped us enjoy our stay. I would highly recommend this apartment to you.

Recommended for:Romantic getaway, tourists without a car, girls getaway, sightseeing.

Excellent apartment, well located, well equipped, great service in general.

Guest: torre (Mexico)
Date of Stay: 10/31/11 Review Submitted: 11/11/11

We stayed 9 nights at this apartment and the complete experience was excellent!!! All you need for a great vacation in Paris is included in the apartment and the small details make all the difference. Details such as well written instructions for every single appliance, detailed information of services nearby, and even umbrella, guides of Paris in English, etc, etc, etc. Overall my best experience staying in Europe!

Recommended for:Romantic getaway, tourists without a car, sightseeing.

HORRIBLE!

Guest: luxtravel (seattle)
Date of Stay: 09/16/11 Review Submitted: 10/05/11

My husband and I planned our 10th anniversary trip to Paris for nearly a year. Having never been to Paris, I researched for countless hours, asked friends opinions, read blogs, etc. I decided to pick this apt. based on location (which is good) and overall appeal (I like to sleep in a place that's at least as nice as my own, hopefully better). I could not have made a worse decision. We arrived at Cecile's St. Germain apartment to find scaffolding covering our bedroom window and loud construction (anything but romantic). You literally had to walk through construction to get to the door and then upon entering and climbing four flights of stairs, it was dirty (extremely dusty from plaster and hard to breathe), smelled (one of the tenants left a bag of trash in front of their door for our entire 10 day stay) and there were literally men staring into our bedroom window every single day. I immediately wrote Cecile and told her of our disappointment. I asked if she had any other units available and if not how we could remedy the situation (like in a hotel where we would leave immediately). She offered a bottle of champagne and 30% off our NEXT visit to Paris. What??! We have two young children and this was a trip of a lifetime, we will not be going back to Paris any time soon, and certainly won't be staying here! It literally put a dark cloud on our trip every day. It was horrible to wake up to and an awful way to end the day. I would NEVER rent this apartment again nor would I ever do business with Cecile Apartments. Also to note, we have written her several times to try and rectify this situation. All of which have gone ignored. I have many, many pictures of how the place actually is. Feel free to contact me to see it. (I'd post if it let me)

Owner response:Hello Kristie, I'm sorry you didn't enjoy your stay at the apartment, but I think it's not a reason to be excessive in your review either. I answered EVERY email you sent. I also had a bottle of Champagne delivered at the apartment for you to compensate your disappointment, and when we came, 4 days after your arrival, there was NO PLASTER, NOR GARBAGE in the communal parts. I understand you were disturbed by the scaffolding which is beyond my control unfortunately, but it was NOT NOISY since it was simply an access to the roof, and in front on only one over 4 windows in the apartment, and not in the living area of the apartment. This was a temporary issue, and unfortunately you couldn't think about anything else than that during your stay, but I'm happy to note that you didn't make any criticism about the apartment itself which I'm sure you would have done if it hasn't been clean and well maintained.

Recommended for:

Cozy, comfortable and conveniently-located.

Guest: CSquared_GO_LEAFS (Ontario, Canada)
Date of Stay: 08/25/11 Review Submitted: 09/11/11

We thoroughly enjoyed Cecile's apartment. It is well located in the heart of St. Germain, and close to a number of Metro stops (Odeon, Mabillion) and RER stations (Luxembourg about 10 min walk). There are a number of good restaurants nearby, as well as supermarkets within easy walking distance. The apartment has a binder that outlines what is nearby. It is within walking distance of many of the major attractions along the Seine and lively streets in St. Germain area. We would recommend spending some time to understand the Paris Metro and RER system as this is a very easy and convenient way to get around the city. The apartment is cozy and comfortable for two and maybe a stretch for more (there is a sofa bed available). The ceilings are about 7 ft high. Bathroom is modern and clean, with a shower. All the windows open and because the apartment is a corner unit, there is ample cross breezes available. Air conditioning worked very well when we used it. The windows are also very good at insulating the apartment from the road noise (and it is noisy in central Paris, with its narrow streets). Kitchen appliances are modern, with a stove, fridge, dishwasher, washer and dryer. We did not use the dishwasher, washer or dryer so cannot comment on their effectiveness. Small appliances (coffee maker, kettle), cutlery, pots, pans and dishes are all modern and clean. There were a few noticeable cracks in the drywall, but this did not diminish our experience. The one thing you should keep in mind is that this apartment is on the 4th floor (European floors) and there is no elevator. So, you must navigate a winding, wonky staircase. Not a big deal for our daily excursions, except for bringing your luggage up to the apartment the first day. Cecile was very responsive via email throughout our planning. Payment was easy to complete, using a secure online payment site. Her responses throughout the process were very clear and the check-in / check-out procedures were easy to follow. Overall, our experience was very positive and we would rent from her again. We would also recommend her properties to our friends. It definitely felt like we had our very own Parisian home.

Owner response:Thank you for your kind review Conrad. I'm happy you enjoyed the apartment that much and hope to welcome you again soon! Best regards, Cecile

Recommended for:Romantic getaway, tourists without a car, sightseeing.

Great Location: Stlyish and Clean!

Guest: Davispeets (Davis, California )
Date of Stay: 10/21/10 Review Submitted: 11/05/10

I want to echo the positive reviews for Cecile’s St. Germain Lux Garden Apartment. We stayed for 10 nights at the end of October. The apartment was very comfortable, clean, and stylish. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it if you want this location and a walk up apartment isn’t an issue for you. The rental process was extremely easy -- secure website to pay using VISA and the security deposit was just your CC details. All of our interaction was via e-mail. I choose this apartment because I wanted to be near the Luxembourg Gardens (It closed at 6:15 pm each night) and try the 6th (Previously, we stayed in the Marais in the 4th) and the pictures & décor of this particular apt. looked so nice. There were no surprises between the pictures presented on the website and the actual apartment. The only thing different from what I had visualized was that the ceilings were lower than I expected – but looking at the pictures I can see they are properly represented. (And, they were not too low, just not what I imagined.) All appliances, water pressure, plumbing were very good. We were warm and never needed to turn on the heater (or AC) – we opened the windows to cool down the apartment. Plenty of dishes and pots and pans (but no measuring utensils – such as tablespoon/cup measurements). We purchased and left a coffee scoop behind – we kept making coffee too weak trying to guess with a spoon. We hardly needed to use the metro from this location. Things I Care About: Wifi: Flawless! Fast and worked everywhere in the apartment. Bed: Mattress Super comfortable! We were hot sleeping – there is a covered duvet only (i.e., no top sheet). The bedroom is a nice size and it was good that the bathroom was separated from the bedroom in case one person was sleeping. Shower: Nice and good water pressure. Stairs: The stairs were not difficult for us (46 & 51) I might have slowed down for very last flight. Stereo: The station was set on 105.1 FM (FIP) and we loved it! Lots of variety – no commercials (public radio). We will listen at home with online streaming. There is a separate washer and dryer which was nice. We used the driver service for airport pickup (we were worried about the strikes and gas shortage). It was nice – he was waiting for us and we only walked a few steps after getting our bags to the waiting Mercedes. And, he carried my bag up the stairs. Returning, we used Taxi G7 (easy – they knew the apartment location and had the phone numb

Recommended for:Romantic getaway, tourists without a car, girls getaway, sightseeing.

Guest: Patti Levin (Boston, MA USA)
Date of Stay: 01/18/10 Review Submitted: 01/18/10

My husband and I rented Cécile's lovely apartment for December '09 while he took cooking classes during his month sabbatical. It was a perfect place for us on many levels: ideally located near the Metro, wonderful walking everywhere with abundant shops and the Luxembourg Gardens down the street, a fabulous pâtisserie across the street, lovely restaurants, cafés and brasseries nearby. Inside the apartment we loved the incredibly comfortable king size bed - a rarity in Europe, the flat screen TV for our DVDs, great closet space, terrific bathroom quite contemporary with a great shower and glass sink. The kitchen was well-supplied and worked well for our Christmas dinner with two other people. Very comfy, very tasteful, fabulous location. The fourth floor view was fun and despite lots of activity below at times, noise never penetrated the windows. Cécile was incredibly generous with her advice, and provided practically concierge service when we asked (arranging transportation to/from airport including having our heavy suitcases carried up/down the stairs). We would definitely return and recommend it highly to everyone!

Recommended for:

Guest: Sara Blinn (Los Angeles CA)
Date of Stay: 11/25/09 Review Submitted: 11/25/09

The location of this apartment is absolutely perfect! We were there for 9 days and did not take the metro or a taxi once! It is also a very nice size for Paris. It was really handy to have wireless internet and a washer & dryer. If you're from the US, make sure you take a converter for the electrical outlets. I would definitely recommend Cecile's lovely flat to anyone!

Recommended for:

Guest: Anonymous
Date of Stay: 11/20/09 Review Submitted: 11/20/09

Our stay in the Luxembourg apartment was wonderful. We loved being so close to everything yet this neighborhood was not crowded. The views and sounds of the city only added to our stay. We were not disappointed with anything- Thank you Cecile!

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