LAYOUT
It's two floors; 1st is bedrooms. The front room overlooks the street, and behind that is a foyer/hall with a bathroom and stairs to the 2nd level. The second room is in back overlooking a garden. The separation is nice for privacy.
The 2nd floor is living/dining in front, kitchen in back. The furniture has lost much of its padding, so enjoying the views isn't as comfortable as you would hope. This 2nd level stops any noises from above from reaching the bedrooms.
The rear bedroom is very quiet, with double padded doors, but the bed is an old foam pad flat enough that I had hip cramps all day after sleeping on my side.
The front bedroom gets some noise from the street, and the skewed doorframe doesn't let the door close.
LOCATION
The location is hard to beat, minutes from Place du Tertre, Sacre Coeur, and many restauraunts and shops. You can see Palais Garnier, the Louvre, Hotel des Invalides, the Eiffel tower, and Notre Dame from the living room. Walk a couple minutes to Rue des Abesses and you have all the bread, cheese, eats, and souvenirs you could want. Or see Place du Tertre for even more food and souvenirs.
However, you need to be in pretty good shape to stay here. From the stairs in Abesses station, more stairs to Rue Drevet, and two flights in the apartment building, you have ~150 stairs each evening.
We thought it was worth it for the location though.
AMENITIES
Martine lives here, so the amenities are all there but unfortunately so's all her stuff, so it can be hard to find some items, such as the iron, but once you find what you're looking for you're set.
The kitchen was a slight letdown. Trying to cook, most things were there but I found only one small chef knife, no tongs, and one rubber spatula.
The bathtub drains slowly so you end up in a couple inches of water by the end of your shower. And the bath has a window to the foyer, partly transparent, so you have to ask your friends to stay out of the foyer when you're taking a shower.
COMMUNICATION
She let us check in at 10am, but then wanted us to check out at 9am. Communication could have been clearer on that.
When we asked where the trash bags were she replied quickly.
VERDICT
Fair to slightly high price. Beds sleep two couples, but bring close friends due to privacy issues. Kitchen enough for sandwiches or a pasta dish, but nothing complex. The caveats are worth it since you're here for Paris, and this is one of the best Parisian neighborhoods.
Thanks Martine!
