With its original 400 year-old beams, hardwood floors and antique floor tiles, this feels like a country home in the heart of Paris. Quiet, open and airy with skylights throughout, it is furnished for comfort and coziness in warm, rich hues. My home can be your home away from home during your stay!
** This is my home, not a managed property; as such I appreciate getting to know a bit about potential guests. When you request to book, please introduce yourself and your group, your reason for coming to Paris, where you are traveling from, etc--I find it makes the experience so much more enjoyable for both sides to have personal, non-generic interaction!
** Note: This is a 5th (U.S. 6th) floor walk-up, no elevator, but all the better to work off those croissants, wine and cheese you may be enjoying during your stay in Paris!
** Please make sure you read through the description thoroughly before requesting to book where I try to address any questions you may have, but of course let me know if you do have any questions that aren't covered.
Your home away from home:
Located on a quiet street giving right onto the Place de la Sorbonne with its world-famous university, this charming and calm 2 bedroom, 65 square meter (700 square foot) duplex apartment is located 5 flights up to the top floor of a beautiful 17th century building in the heart of the Latin Quarter. A very calm, quiet building with only one apartment per floor for ultimate privacy, you are virtually a stone's throw to the beautiful Luxembourg Gardens and the famous Saint Germain shopping quarter just behind, as well as a 5-minute walk to the Seine with Notre Dame cathedral across the bridge on the Ile de la Cité; the heart of medieval Paris.
You are a 5-minute walk to the Pantheon, where among those buried in its necropolis are Voltaire, Rousseau, Victor Hugo, Émile Zola, Jean Moulin, Louis Braille, Jean Jaurès and Soufflot, its architect. Marie Curie was interred in 1995, the first woman interred on merit.
Just one block away you will find le Jardin du Luxembourg where the French Senate sits, and where you can go for a stroll, a run, sit in the sun by the pond, take your kids on a pony ride (seasonal) or watch the locals play a game of petanque.
Also around the corner is the Musee Cluny where can be found some of the last vestiges of the Roman Walls of Paris, and where reside the famous Dame de la Licorne tapestries.
This rooftop duplex has its original 400 year-old oak beams throughout and is bright, open and airy. It is furnished for comfort and coziness in warm, rich hues, with many of its features such as stairs leading up to the mezzanine second bedroom above, mantelpiece, kitchen sink and cabinetry having been sourced from "brocantes," the French antique flea markets. The kitchen and bathroom were recently remodeled, blending the old with the new.
Renovated and decorated by me, its Franco-Californian owner, the apartment is a mix of arty and old-worldly, with many decorative items lovingly chosen from my around-the-world travels. Every aspect has been thoughtfully chosen to create an atmosphere of warmth and serenity; the only danger is that once you arrive, you never want to leave!
The petite yet functional kitchen--along with being recently remodeled--has top-end appliances including gas burners/electric oven, and Miele washer and dryer. Just past the antique ceramic sink and the separative oak bar, the kitchen opens onto the dining area of the long, rectangular living space with its country dining room table on one end next to the decorative fireplace, and the living area with its couch you just want to sink into, opposite. Armchairs are newly reupholstered--please mind with food and drink!--and throw cushions are also all re-covered. Flooded with light from the living room double windows and three skylights, one really does feel tucked up and away under Paris' rooftops; a lovely respite from the busy streets below.
The living area provides a flat-screen television which comes with English-speaking channels including BBC, CNN, & ESPN Sports, and a DVD player with my own large selection of DVDs to pick from--old school. Sorry, no smart tv. Wifi is provided and it is a strong connection if you wish to stream something to your phone/computer.
There are two bedrooms: upstairs has a queen-sized bed, downstairs has a king, and are perfect for retiring to after a long day spent sightseeing. Both have high-power fans provided for hot summer days. The downstairs bedroom which faces the courtyard provides absolute silence, while upstairs one drifts off surrounded by the stunning 400 year-old beams that are the apartment’s bones, but also its heart.
**There is a wooden staircase going up to the mezzanine & large oak beams across the apartment: there should be NO attempt to climb onto the beams and please take care to not use the stairs in your socks to avoid risk of slipping. Renter agrees that the owner will not be liable for any injuries caused by these elements.
My apartment is professionally cleaned before your arrival, and I provide hotel quality towels and linens, both down and foam pillows, and a stocked kitchen with coffee/tea/oil/vinegar/spices, etc.