Anyone stay or have information about the classified listing for the apartment on Rue des Francs Bourgeois. It looks like a beautiful place, but I can't find any reviews or first hand accounts. All replies appreciated.

Hi Emily and Welcome!

I think this is the apartment you are interested in. It looks nice but I don't see any reviews for the apartment or the agency on Slow Travel. Let's see if anyone else has any information on it.

Yes, that's the place. Thanks for providing the link.

Hello,

My partner & I had the pleasure of staying at this apartment a few weeks ago in May. I had been meaning to write a proper review, but let me tell you my thoughts now so you do not have to wait for that!

LOCATION
It really could not get much better. I love the Marais and anyone who does will tell you it is really at the epicenter of this trendy,chic and vibrant neighborhood. Very easy walk from the St. Paul metro and its location on one of my favorite streets in the Marais is perfect. You can literally walk in any direction and find some fabulous shop, restaurant or interesting little museum/site.

THE APARTMENT
It is up about 2 floors I believe. Typical Parisian old staircase with a hallway that could use a coat of paint. Nothing menacing at all, but for some reason alot of the old apartment buildings in Paris, have entries look a bit dingy. I am not sure why this is. I digress, after this you walk into a good sized narrow entry hall and immediately to your right is the wash room with a washer + dryer. There are some lovely high windows in the hallway so the sense of lightness and space is immediately felt. Further on down the hallway is the living/dining area + a well stocked and well designed open kitchen. I really loved the layout of this. The ceilings were very high and had the beautiful old exposed timbers. The sofa was small but comfortable. The windows throughout the apartment were wonderful. They let in lots of light and great street scene views for some fantastic people watching. I also liked the fact the inside shutters could completely block out any light and street sounds if you so chose to do so. Considering the location of the apartment, I did not find it full of any bothersome noise at all. Also, in the living room is a wonderful large flat screen tv + a good selection of movies in assorted genres. It was an added treat after a busy day running around to come back and relax to a good film. Next to the kitchen area there is a walk in closet/linen storage area. It had two rows of bars with PLENTY of shelving and hanging space for all of our clothing.
There are two bathrooms and although it was just my partner & I, we loved the luxury of each having are own private rooms to relax in. I had the one with the shower/bath and it was just perfect. Compact, but very well laid out and a beautiful rain shower head that was sheer heaven. I believe the other bathroom was similar in size but only with a shower and just as luxurious and well done. The towels were plentiful and nice&thick with a good texture. The two bedrooms are just off the living area and overlook rue des Franc Bourgeois. Each has a lovely set of very tall french windows + inside shutters. The bedrooms are on the small side, but the mattress, linens and quality of pillows were just PERFECT! We slept so well and it says quite a bit about the owner that he splashed out on QUALITY for the sleeping areas. I just love a comfortable mattress!

MISC.
-The apartment has air-conditioning units, but be advised they are the portable type. They work extremely well (we used them a few times during the heat Paris had in May) and there are a total of three units. One in the main living area and one in each bedroom. As the bedrooms are a little snug, it takes up a corner of space but this is a small gripe for the luxury of being able to stay cool and decide on the our own temperature comfort level.
-The location could not be better!
-Jonathan Marks, the owner is just wonderful to deal with. Having rented quite often, this is no small plus. He definitely is one of the most friendly, efficient and helpful owners I have had the pleasure of renting from! His onsite apartment manager/greeter, Barbara (she is an American artist who has called Paris home for many years) is charming, lovely and was helpful with any questions we had.
-The apartment was well equipped. It was nice to be able to use a full size ironing board with a high quality iron to press a shirt or two.
-I really loved the spacious feeling of the living room. A true luxury in a Paris apartment.
-Did I mention the beds are oh so comfortable?!

We had a great time staying here and would do so again in a heartbeat.

Please let me know if you have any further questions.

Paul

I forgot one thing worth mentioning. Jonathan provides a number for a reliable taxi driver named Andy. They have no business association, it is just a recommendation of someone dependable. We normally take the metro, but as we were both in desperate need of a holiday this trip we decided to splurge and take taxi's to/from CDG. The best 60 euros we spent! Andy is a British ex pat who has been living in Paris for many years. He does this as kind of a hobby since he retired from his professional business life. It was so nice to have someone greet us after a very long flight from Los Angeles. the added bonus is that Andy is a splendid human being, full of interesting insights and viewpoints. We looked forward to our conversation with him on the way back to CDG at the end of our trip.