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This apartment is brilliantly located in the 5th arrondissement, just around the corner from Notre Dame on the one side of the Seine and the Pantheon close by on the other. It is a few steps to the Place Maubert with its wonderful market three days a week, the boulangerie “La Maison d’Isabelle” winner of the Best Baguette in Paris for 2018, traiteurs, bucheries, super markets etc. Food is not a problem, and if you want to sample the wares of Parisian restaurants the quartier is full of them. Alain Ducasse’s trattoria “Cucina” in the revered Mutualité building is just one of the newer ones.
The apartment is charming, quite spacious and well-equipped. It has two bathrooms which is a blessing and further sleeping accommodation should you have guests to stay. The art works which adorn it are very appealing, reflective of the labor of love which Mitch and Taylor pour into their arts foundation in Brazil. We found that Mitch was, however, always to hand when needed with excellent advice and practical help. For the mobility-challenged the circular staircase may pose a problem as it did for us, but the elevator served its purpose. It should also be said that the 17th century building is amazingly quiet.
Helen and John, Melbourne, Australia
| Good |
Helen Davies
| 5/18/2019 9:58:00 PM |
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We rented Mitch and Taylor’s apartment on Rue des Trois Portes for two and a half months, from October 1 to December 15 of 2018. It was a perfect location, close to ENS where I was working, and with great access to Paris’ best known museums and neighbourhoods. The apartment is very comfortable, full of light, well-furnished and equipped with everything we needed for an extended stay. Mitch and Taylor were great landlords. Before we arrived, they provided clear and detailed information about the apartment and lease arrangements, always responding quickly and helpfully. Mitch met us at the apartment when we arrived in Paris and provided us with helpful information about the apartment and area. They were available the few times we had questions (since they live and work in Paris themselves) and responded quickly.
We have visited Paris many times, including stays of up to 8 months. During previous stays, we rented apartments in the 11th and 13 arrondissements, so this was our first time staying in the 5th. We were a bit concerned that such a central neighbourhood might be crowded or noisy. However, we were delighted with our stay on Rue des Trois Portes, a quiet street in a lively area. We were only there during the autumn, so there were not many tourists. It must be busier during the summer, but the building is very quiet and the apartment’s modern windows blocked outside sound quite effectively.
The location of the apartment was exceptional. Place Maubert is one block away, with Metro stop, a regular outdoor market, and some wonderful shops. First thing very morning, I went to the boulangerie there, La Maison d’Isabelle, to pick up a baguette and croissants (they won the 2018 prize for best croissant in Paris) and I was back in our apartment in 5 minutes. Right beside the boulangerie is my favourite fromagerie, Laurent duBois, with a great selection of cheese and helpful staff (and they vacuum pack for your flight home). The adjacent shops include a friendly wine store, a boucherie, poissonerie and a café. You could eat and drink extremely well without ever having go further. And that includes restaurants – we had very good meals at five different restaurants within a block of Mitch and Taylor’s, including one of the best dinners we have ever had at Sola, a restaurant about 20 steps from the apartment.
One final minor warning: if, like us, you rely on Google Maps to navigate, you might notice a couple of odd things. One is that, for some reason, Google doesn’t recognize “Rue de Trois Portes” in Paris, but does find “Rue des 3 Portes”. This means that taxi drivers sometimes have difficulty finding the address (it’s a small street so they probably have to look it up) and, if you are not careful, Uber drivers will think you are looking for a ride to another city that does have a “Rue des Trois Portes”. Secondly, if you use Streetview to check out the fromagerie and other shops at Place Maubert, the images are very out of date. Instead of the Laurent duBois shop, which has been there for at least 6 years, you see an older cheese store, Cremerie des Carmes.
| Excellent |
John
| 4/7/2019 11:46:00 AM |
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This is an elegant and comfortable apartment. On a small street, only a block long, and in a quiet building, one is near the bustle of Place St Michel and Notre Dame, but not of it. It is a short walk to the metro stop at Place Maubert, and the Place has a good market and shops.
We come to Paris nearly every winter for 4-6 weeks and usually we take the metro when we don’t have time to walk or the weather isn’t good, but this year we walked nearly everywhere. The apartment is close to shopping, great restaurants, tourist sites, and to great cinemas.
Once inside, your luggage can go to either floor via the lift, and you can choose to walk the few flights or take the lift. The owners have the entire 3rd (French) floor, and share the 2nd floor with one other apartment, so there is little foot traffic in the hallways. The shared areas are secure and kept very clean. The apartment is secured by a digicode at the street, a keyed entry to the stairs and lift, and good deadbolts on the entry doors. There is a phone system to “buzz” in guests.
The owners’ talent in architecture and design is evident the moment one walks in. Artfully chosen colors complement the furnishings and art from around the world. Unlike many Paris apartments we have rented (I think 10), the furniture, in addition to being stylish, is comfortable. Everything has been designed to make the best use of space, and while having everything one might wish for a long stay, the apartment doesn’t feel cluttered.
And unlike many apartments we have rented, everything here is of fine quality—natural fibers, good kitchen equipment and dishes—so it does not feel like a rental. We are academics and were pleased to find reading lamps to be plentiful and well placed. Along with the desk and fast internet, I could work when I needed to do so. The kitchen is fully equipped and there is a full-sized refrigerator with freezer. Downstairs, both a washer and a dryer. These are rarities in Paris. Another rarity is the two shower rooms and two wcs. After having spent time in Parisian showers the size of a coffin, it was great to have roomy, stylish showers with good water pressure.
The owners have thought of everything. Normally we travel with many household items or buy them once we are in Paris. Mitch sent us his detailed inventory so we left just about everything at home, and wanted for nothing. We had a visitor for a few days and it was great for her to have a very good convertible bed, her own bathroom, and her own space on a different floor. Everyone had adequate storage and closet space for settling in. I especially appreciated the detailed instructions. In our rental experience we have had lots of misfortunes—broken water pipes, nonfunctioning toilets, internet failures, dead lightbulbs, polyester sheets, flimsy towels and no spares while clean ones air dry during a Paris winter, delicate washers—but at Trois Portes, the manual detailed everything—how to use the appliances, how to handle emergencies, where to shop and dine. When we had a very small problem, the owners came right away to make repairs.
The apartment is spacious for two, and I imagine it is fine for additional guests for longer than a few days, but I am glad we didn’t have to flip a coin for rights to the 2nd floor suite. We appreciated the attention to detail in this stylish and warm apartment.
| Excellent |
Lit Prof
| 2/11/2018 1:30:00 PM |