Romantic Paris apartment, large 1 bedroom on the chic Ile Saint Louis

The location was great with food shops a block away, great neighborhoods nearby, and easy access to metro and bus. We were disappointed by difficulty getting keys to the apartment, noise due to ongoing building repairs, and lack of attention to detail regarding maintenance and traveler conveniences.

It should be noted that obtaining keys to the apartment may only be possible evenings and weekends. I had an email confirmation from the owner of my request for an early afternoon meeting at the apartment, and she provided a phone number of the local contact even though I had already mentioned that I would not have a phone upon arrival. No one was at the building at the appointment time. I emailed the owner who said to call the phone number of the local contact. I had someone call the number provided and there was no answer -- twice. A return call was finally received and we were told that she could not be there until 5 as she was at work at her day job. Also, note that the building door has two street numbers and you should obtain specific instructions regarding which staircase to use.

The exterior stucco of the courtyard walls is being replaced resulting in noise and lack of privacy. Workers are showing up at 7:30 M-F to use power tools and there is scaffolding erected and work being done outside the bedroom windows. This was not a quiet apartment during the day even though the apartment is on a quiet street.

The apartment would benefit from a luggage rack for the bedroom, and a portable drying rack. Regarding maintenance, there were lightbulbs out in the bathroom and dining room, and the housekeeper left laundry in the washer/dryer which did not dry due to overloading of the appliance, and the ceiling in the living room is in need of repair.

My wife and two daughters (4.5 and 1.5 years of age) stayed here for a month and we had a wonderful time. Check-in went smooth and the apartment was well equipped in the kitchen, bath, and bedroom. (A foldable crib and foldable stroller were even included!)

The location is simply amazing if you're looking for central. We walked all over. Luxembourg Gardens, Tuileries, Louvre, Pompidou, Marais, Bastille, Zoo, Latin Quarter, Saint Germain, Eiffel Tower, Champs Elysees. Close to many train and bus routes too.

It is indeed on the 5th floor (6th if you include the ground floor). But the steps are good to work off all the ice cream you're going to eat. There are at least a dozen ice cream shops within a stone's throw.

The master bed was quite comfy. The fold out sofa, not as much, but it was nice to have.

The island is a quiet little bubble in the middle of Paris.

We loved our stay. Highly recommend. Thank you!!!

The good: Location, location, location. The owner was pleasant and to quick respond to emails. Fairly priced, a good last minute book.

The Ok: amenities are fine, didn’t stay there long enough to worry about it. The unit was not very well cleaned before we got their but still not bad. There was a used water bottle left on the counter as well as wet linens left in the wash machine. Not a big deal though! 5 flights of steps, I knew about this before I booked it, but the wife and kids weren’t to amused by it, especially after a long day in Paris. Shower tub can be a bit treacherous stepping out of it. It’s a bit higher then usual so just be ready for it and you’ll be fine

The Bad:

Couldn’t get on there WiFi. The hot water heater was intermittently working. Not sure if it was on a timer or not, but in the morning it was on and in the evenings it wouldn’t work. Not fun taking a cold shower when you get back from touring Paris all day and your kids are sick while the weather is cold and rainy outside. I’m sure it was just a glitch in the system but still unfortunately happened to us on our stay there. The gal that was to greet us there did not speek English, therefore due to the language barrier we didn’t receive a good rundown of how to utalize the property to its full extent.

Side note: over all it’s hard to beat this location. Owner was quick and pleasant to work with and was willing to send someone there to help us with the problems we had. I was not willing to hang around the apartment because our time was limited there and didn’t want to waste time waiting there to remedy the issues we had. Me being a firefighter here in th USA, I have to admit I was concerned that in case of an emergency we would be screwed god forbid if there was a fire. Small narrow stairway up with no fire exits I realize it’s old and that is part of the charm of it as well.

Lovely clean and stylish 5th floor apartment (almost rooftop). Safe street. Amenities like groceries, bakery, wine, brassaries, etc are all right there. Very clear and responsive communication from owner. Wish we had longer to stay.

Lovely apartment. Very quiet, given how busy the island can be. Lots of stairs, but once the luggage is upstairs, it's just one way to work off the wonderful food!