Post by jo on Oct 15, 2010 5:16:00 GMT -5
As many of you know, I was upset right before we left for our trip to receive an e-mail from our landlord telling us there was construction on our building and the windows in the bedrooms would be sealed. I thought I would update everyone on how we felt about the apartment once we got there and stayed for our 17 days.
Actually, we ended up really enjoying the apartment and were very grateful for the unsolicited discount. The location could not have been better, half a block from Place des Voges, with the 96 bus on the corner and the 69 bus 2 blocks away. The Bastille and St Paul metro stops were about a 5 minute walk, so there was great transportation options very close by.
The apartment itself was very spacious, especially by Parisian standards. The kitchen has everything we could possibly need, including a separate clothes dryer that dried much better than the combination units we have had previously. The free wifi worked seamlessly, even with 4 laptops/ipads using it at the same time (hey, technology is a wonderful thing ~ we didn't have to talk to each other all night if we didn't want to, lol). We had free phone calls to North America which made it easy to keep in touch with our daughter and son. There was a nice flat screen TV which we hardly ever turned on since we were much too busy either being out or on the internet.
The bedrooms were very big and the beds were comfortable. The bathroom was also big by European standards and we never ran out of hot water, even with 4 adults taking showers every day.
I would happily rent this apartment again, especially if we came with our daughter and grandson, since one of the bedrooms has 2 twin beds. The location and extra conveniences can't be beat.
At the end of the day, we felt that David, our landlord, was very nice to offer us that discount. Our only inconvenience was not being able to open our bedroom windows, which wasn't that big an issue since it got rather cool at night anyways. There was construction noise that began at about 8am on weekdays, but that just ensured we got up and got going! There were 2 big windows in the living room/dining room and one in the kitchen that let in sun and a breeze, so we didn't feel like the apartment wasn't bright or airy enough.
We did find that the apartment could use some freshening up. The couch and chair in the living room have seen better days and even a slip cover would make them look better. The decor is faded, the wood floors could be refinished and it could be spruced up as a whole to give a better impression when you walk in for the first time, but in the end, we were very comfortable there and you get used to the quirks and shortcomings after a few days. David is a very nice guy who is very busy with his work and raising 2 little kids, so I don't think he spends as much time and money on the apartment as he could, but that just means that the rent is reasonable for a place of this size with this location. You are not getting top of the line, but you are not paying top of the line prices, either!
The true test is would we rent this apartment again and the answer is yes. In fact, we hope to do so in 2 years time when we come back with Sebastian.
Jo
Actually, we ended up really enjoying the apartment and were very grateful for the unsolicited discount. The location could not have been better, half a block from Place des Voges, with the 96 bus on the corner and the 69 bus 2 blocks away. The Bastille and St Paul metro stops were about a 5 minute walk, so there was great transportation options very close by.
The apartment itself was very spacious, especially by Parisian standards. The kitchen has everything we could possibly need, including a separate clothes dryer that dried much better than the combination units we have had previously. The free wifi worked seamlessly, even with 4 laptops/ipads using it at the same time (hey, technology is a wonderful thing ~ we didn't have to talk to each other all night if we didn't want to, lol). We had free phone calls to North America which made it easy to keep in touch with our daughter and son. There was a nice flat screen TV which we hardly ever turned on since we were much too busy either being out or on the internet.
The bedrooms were very big and the beds were comfortable. The bathroom was also big by European standards and we never ran out of hot water, even with 4 adults taking showers every day.
I would happily rent this apartment again, especially if we came with our daughter and grandson, since one of the bedrooms has 2 twin beds. The location and extra conveniences can't be beat.
At the end of the day, we felt that David, our landlord, was very nice to offer us that discount. Our only inconvenience was not being able to open our bedroom windows, which wasn't that big an issue since it got rather cool at night anyways. There was construction noise that began at about 8am on weekdays, but that just ensured we got up and got going! There were 2 big windows in the living room/dining room and one in the kitchen that let in sun and a breeze, so we didn't feel like the apartment wasn't bright or airy enough.
We did find that the apartment could use some freshening up. The couch and chair in the living room have seen better days and even a slip cover would make them look better. The decor is faded, the wood floors could be refinished and it could be spruced up as a whole to give a better impression when you walk in for the first time, but in the end, we were very comfortable there and you get used to the quirks and shortcomings after a few days. David is a very nice guy who is very busy with his work and raising 2 little kids, so I don't think he spends as much time and money on the apartment as he could, but that just means that the rent is reasonable for a place of this size with this location. You are not getting top of the line, but you are not paying top of the line prices, either!
The true test is would we rent this apartment again and the answer is yes. In fact, we hope to do so in 2 years time when we come back with Sebastian.
Jo
Let the riot begin! LOL - 
hahahha