St-Germain Des Près - Beautiful Studio with Vaulted Ceilings

• Better than I expected

  Better than I expected

  • Guest elabejof
  • Date of stay 08/18/09
  • Review Submitted 09/02/09
  This studio was perfect for my trip. It was an EXCELLENT location and the apartment was clean and furbished in a way that really did make me feel at home and comfortable. Arranging my trip was very easy with great tips and advice from the woman helping me to book this location. I highly suggest staying in this apartment if you are looking for a 'headquarters' to a wonderful trip to Paris!

  Recommended for: Tourists without a car, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 45/46

• Impeccable Studio: historic & renovated

  Impeccable Studio: historic & renovated

  • Guest N C.
  • Date of stay 02/15/13
  • Review Submitted 03/04/13
  What an ideal location for a visit to Paris: a charming flat in a historic building, meticulously renovated and carefully maintained! This is a lovely living space that has been tastefully restored in neutrals with splashes of color. The bright, cheery studio features comfortable beds piled with cozy, fresh bedding. The kitchen area includes state-of-the-art appliances and plenty of workspace. The bathroom has a large, modern shower and lots of thick towels and linens. We found everything absolutely spotless. Really, no detail has been spared to guarantee a wonderful place to return to after a long day of sightseeing. Telephone, television and internet connection are all a welcome connection. Perhaps the best part is Natacha and all that she does to guarantee an excellent experience for her visitors, from the superb advice she sends ahead of time about how to arrive from the airport or train stations, all the way to her willingness to help with any question which may arise. My daughter and I stayed for 5 days and could not have been happier with our visit; we were very, very sad to leave. Perhaps the best indication of our satisfaction is the fact that we have already recommended it to friends, will continue to do so, and greatly hope to return ourselves before long. Many thanks, Natacha!

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 0/0

• Great stay

  Great stay

  • Guest Sparkles
  • Date of stay 09/18/12
  • Review Submitted 11/15/12
  My husband and I shared a week in this cozy apt the week of Sept 18, 2012. We had a fabulous time. Even though it is in basement, it had good lighting from ceiling windows. Windows can be opened for fresh air. We found the apartment to be all we needed. It was clean and everything in good working order. We felt that it was very safe and enjoyed the quiet neighborhood atmosphere even though we were in the heart of Paris. It is a great location with grocery store, wine store, cheese store, bakery, meats... all you need just within a few blocks. A great spot!!!! We would sure return. Barb Uram

  Recommended for: Tourists without a car, age 55+, girls getaway.

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 2/2

• Cleaning concerns are valid

  Cleaning concerns are valid

  • Guest W. H.
  • Date of stay 06/02/12
  • Review Submitted 07/14/12
  My wife, daughter and I stayed at this studio from June 2-8, 2012. On the positive side, the studio is in a very safe area and in an excellent location with metro stations, restaurants etc very close by. The kitchen is well equipped with dishes, coffee maker, toaster, refrigerator etc and the decor is modern and comfortable. The owners Elsa and Natasha, were very friendly, organized and helpful. I must be totally honest for the benefit of other travellers however, and say that other than the above plus points, the studio was a huge disappointment. The first impression as you walk down the narrow stairway to the entrance door to the studio (really a converted cellar) is the overwhelming stench of musty, damp air. The musty smell does not get any better inside the studio although we found that running the dehumidifier 24 hrs a day helped (had to dump the collection bucket full of water twice a day) although you have to then put up with the noise from the machine. Further evidence of long term moisture exposure are causing paint and plaster to chip off throughout. The lack of cleanliness was what really got us and pretty much match what the previous reviewer from Austin Tx complained about. My daughter found a black hair on her bed sheets. A filthy dry and stinky sponge was in the bathroom, the bathroom towels were dingy, old and gray and should have been replaced long ago. The carpets were reasonably clean in the open areas but the re were balls of dust under the beds and along the edges of the wall. We saw silverfish (yuk). The bathroom was absolutely filthy. The curtain "door", was old and at least 30 cm too long so it gets dragged like a mop, making it a tripping hazard. A bathroom really requires a solid door in my opinion. The shower was dirty with scum and black mold growing along the floor and ceiling tiles. The toilet had a slow leak which was hardly noticeable since the curtain mopped it up. The sink appears to be coming loose from the wall as the caulking is no longer sealing water away from the wall. Balls of dust and long hair were evident beside the ironing board next to the washing machine (note that there is no dryer). Again, the location is excellent and the owners very friendly but unfortunately, this place will be a disappointment for travellers expecting clean accommodation.

  Owner response: The studio has been entirely painted, renovated and redecorated in August 2012.

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 6/6

• 4th visit in 3 years

  4th visit in 3 years

  • Guest Maree L.
  • Date of stay 03/07/12
  • Review Submitted 06/08/12
  This is our families' 4th visit to this apartment in just under 3 years. I was horrified to read the review "cleaning concerns". We stayed here early March and found their experience very different to ours. Given the age & cost of the apartment, perhaps their expectations were a little high? The apartment was clean & tidy and very homely. Our towels were not musty, there weren't any dust bunnies, and we actually loved the lighting in the bathroom - the mirror has a great light built in to it. So it just shows I guess how we all differ. I do feel though that the review was very unkind, and not truly reflective. It's not the Ritz, but a 17th century building!! The number of repeat visits indicates how much we love this place. We have recommended this apartment to family, friends & colleagues, and they have also had very enjoyable visits. The location is brilliant, so nice to be part of the "real Paris", not full of tourists. The choice of metro stations close makes getting around Paris easier, if that's possible. There is a brilliant supermarket just up the corner, and a wonderful boulangerie and cafe close at hand. When in Paris this time, we had family staying elsewhere in the city, and when visiting their accommodation, we were pleasantly surprised with our choice. It offers much better value and location for a very reasonable cost. So please don't be put off by the "cleaning concern" review - this place rocks!!

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 8/10

• Cleaning concern

  Cleaning concern

  • Guest I do not use a nickname
  • Date of stay 03/18/12
  • Review Submitted 04/05/12
  I didn't want to write this review because the owners, Natasha and Henri, are such nice people and the location is absolutely superb! The studio was so charming-looking from the photographs, but did not reflect the filthy condition of the apartment. The apartment smelled of cigarette smoke when we arrived, but we opened a window and sprayed air freshener. The kitchen was neat, but grimy. I wiped it down with a damp dishtowel found in a drawer. The carpeting throughout had crumbs, chipping paint and dirt from the outside, so I vacuumed upon arrival. The beds were very comfortable, but had no usable pillows; we ended up having to use the euro pillows which had no pillow cases under the decorative covers. The bathroom was absolutely despicable. The shower floor was scummy with mold and mildew growing in the corners and grout seams. The tiled bathroom floor was dirty to the touch with dust and grime and "dust bunnies" in the corners. There were leftover soap slivers in the soap dishes and dirty rags near the irong board and vacuum sweeper. The towels were dingy and stiff and smelled of mildew. The bathmat and green scatter rugs were stained and needed to be washed; I shook them outside to get dust off. The "curtain door" took "puddling drapes" to another level being flimsy and at least 15 inches too long. Lighting was not good in the entire apartment, though especially bad in the bathroom; light bulbs burned out regularly. My husband likes to say that "I am the daughter of an innkeeper" and I am, though as a result I expect clean accomodations. I should have insisted we move, but we were there just a few short days and as previously mentioned, the location was great. I think I left the studio a bit cleaner than I found it, but absolutely would NOT recommend this apartment to anyone who enjoys on clean accomodations.

  Owner response: We were very sorry to hear about this disappointing experience. These comments were taken into account and each of these points have been addressed. The studio has been refreshed. A new curtain and new linens were provided. The housekeeping norms have been revised and now meet the high standards that our guests deserve.

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 12/13

• Pros and Cons

  Pros and Cons

  • Guest Pat d.
  • Date of stay 09/27/11
  • Review Submitted 11/04/11
  Having read all the reviews, I felt the person complaining about no toilet paper was a whiner. However, when we ran out of toilet paper in the morning after arriving late the night before, it was annoying. First, the studio is very nicely decorated, with good beds and linens. It's a good location. The directions from the airport on the train/subway are ALMOST perfect. The studio is in the basement and has the damp odour of an old basement. There's a dehumidifier that we found eased the odour the longer we were there, and we emptied it twice a day. The first thing we noticed was a hair on the sink in the bathroom. Then stains in the toilet, hair in the shower, a wet sponge and hunk of food in the kitchen sink. It looked as if every flat surface had been wiped, but not CLEANED. There were dust bunnies on the carpet and flakes of peeling paint around the edges of all the baseboards. The curtain door of the bathroom looked like it had been attacked by kittens, full of small rips. The bed linens had been changed, so I presumed someone had been in to do them, but that the cleaning lady hadn't arrived yet. I emailed the owner and said we'd be out all the next day, if she could have the studio cleaned then, it would be perfect. I received no answer to the email, but met her by chance the next morning as she arrived to visit someone else in the building and we arrived back with our newly purchased toilet tissue. Long story short, the studio had been cleaned and wasn't going to be cleaned again. Unfortunately for us, the cons outweighed the pros.

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 6/8

• City of Lights ~ City of "dreams".....

  City of Lights ~ City of "dreams".....

  • Guest melissa
  • Date of stay 10/22/11
  • Review Submitted 10/30/11
  Having stayed at vacation rentals in the U.S., I knew I wanted the same experience during my FIRST trip to beautiful Paris. When I FINALLY arrived, I discovered I was staying in the MOST convenient and desirable location ...this rental is SO close to everything you could EVER want....(including the famed and highly recommended Cafe Varenne)...the incredible Bon Marche and Epicurie...and other cafes, boutiques, shopping, Metro stations, post office, taxi stations, etc., as well as walking distance to the Eiffel Tower, River Seine, Louvre and other tourist attractions. The studio is in a gorgeous, historic, quiet "family" building and is therefore VERY SAFE, which is important to a female traveler who literally WALKED the city from noon to midnite EVERY day of my stay....Everyone associated with this rental was helpful, friendly and accomodating.....special thanks to Natacha (for the "secret surprise" which I will NEVER forget-beauty beyond "dreams") and to Elsa for all her patience....I would DEFINITELY stay here again....in this little studio...it was ~ my "Paris Home" ~ merci beaucoup !!!!!!!!

  Recommended for: Tourists without a car, adventure seekers, romantic getaway, girls getaway, sightseeing.

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 2/2

• Three ladies over 50

  Three ladies over 50

  • Guest Christine
  • Date of stay 09/12/11
  • Review Submitted 10/14/11
  We are 3 ladies who enjoyed this apartment in September 2011 and would thoroughly recommend it to anyone who wants to holiday in this lovely city,It is down a few stairs but we found no problem getting to apartment. (and we are not young) The Apartment was lovely and clean and quite spacious for a studio, we also felt very safe .Natasha the owner went out of her way to help us, getting taxi,s organised to get to Train Station when we found it difficult to organise with the language problem (our phone ran out of battery while talking to Natasha to ask about the Taxi, we were on the river then and of to a Late show,(Moulin Rouge) so we did not know if she even heard all of our conversation, we arrived home at 2am and found a note from Natasha with details of our early morning Taxi that she had organised for us .We would like to thank Natasha and Elsa for all the help we received from start to finish, your property is lovely your hospitality excellent. We are coming over again but next time our stay will be Longer Thank you again Christine ,Rosemary and Anne

  Recommended for: Age 55+, romantic getaway, girls getaway, sightseeing.

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 2/2

• PERFECT LOCATION...COZY, NEIGHBORHOOD FEELING

  PERFECT LOCATION...COZY, NEIGHBORHOOD FEELING

  • Guest acbh
  • Date of stay 03/21/11
  • Review Submitted 04/10/11
  Apartment was roomy, comfortable in a wonderful neighborhood. Small shops, cafes, parks abound. We walked everywhere and always felt safe...even at night. Beds extra comfortable and a great shower. Would definitely stay here on next trip. Everyone was very helpful and efficient in assisting with arrangements.

  Recommended for: Tourists without a car, adventure seekers, age 55+, romantic getaway, girls getaway, sightseeing.

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 4/4

Payment is usually accepted in the quoted currency ($) unless the currency and the amount is specifically agreed in advance with the owner / advertiser.

Additional information about rental rates:

Fees and Taxes:

• Cleaning $90