Bella Citta - Et must Marais

The only good feature of this property is its location. It's in the heart of the Le Marais district which is a super fun and lively district, full of wonderful shops, restaurants, etc. The downside of this property is that it is utterly basic. No toiletries whatsoever - no shampoo, no body wash. You are only given 2 tiny hand soap bars. The plumbing is old and the fixtures need major updating. The kitchen appliances, cookware, utensils and cutlery are minimal. The washer/dryer unit only washed. We had to hang our washed clothing on a drying rack that was thankfully located in the bedroom closet. The staff is friendly and efficient but you can tell that they are part of a large rental operation. There is no personal touch whatsoever -- they just want to make sure you get in and out as planned. Additionally, the building is under construction which was not mentioned in the listing. There was scaffolding covering the entire face of the building. The courtyard was full of building supplies (cement bags, etc.), so looking out on the courtyard was not a pleasant experience. Then, to add insult to injury, the workers started in at 7 a.m. which dashed any hopes of a late sleep-in. In short, if all you plan to do is sleep in the apartment (until 7), then it is perfectly fine. If you want a more fully equipped, warmer, caring experience, then this location would not be the right choice.

The interior of the unit was as described except the dishwasher didn't work and no one came to fix it despite being reported to the property manager. The surrounding areas & facilities were great, cafes, restaurants bars & shops. However, the courtyard was unusable for my wife and daughter as tradesmen were storing equipment in a shed and constantly walking in & out as well as loitering outside the unit. Privacy became an issue as they couldn't open the blinds without tradesmen looking in. Ironically, part of the selection process for this unit was the Courtyard. No prior advice was given of the works, and nothing was done despite complaints to the property manager & Expedia. A communication failure!! No reduction in the rate has been offered.

Location! Location! Location! The place was as advertised. Clean. Has most kitchen essentials. Washer/dryer for laundry. But the true beauty of this place is the location. You are steps away from Le Marais shops and restaurants. A short walk to Hotel De Ville and Notre Dame. We also walked to The Louvre with a baby and it was not bad, took about 20 minutes with a stop at a bakery along the way. Great location for a first trip to Paris. The only hiccup we had was when checking-in, we had to pay the damage deposit, but none of our credit cards (tried 3 different cards) would work because it needed an email/text verification which would not work since we are from out of country (Canada). The host came up with a plan B, in which he ran to grab a card machine to do the transaction, the only problem is that he said it will take 10-14 days to see a refund. So now i’m patiently waiting to see if the damage deposit is refunded on my credit card. Assuming this money is refunded within the next two weeks, this is a minor inconvenience in an otherwise great stay.

Loved the apartment and it’s location.

We rented the apartment for 2 weeks and used it as our home base in Paris. We love the Marais neighborhood. There are many cafes, restaurants and patisseries within a short distance from the apartment. The property manager was responsive and helpful. The unit was clean comfortable, and is well insulated from any street noise.