I haven’t travelled a lot but hotels hold the kind of appeal a child has with a cardboard box. I love them. What kind of ‘samples’ do they have in the bathroom? What’s in the minibar and how much are they charging for it? What’s the room service list like? Is there a bible in the top drawer? A map?

Our 6th Arrondissement apartment building on Rue de Saint Germain

So when Miss J suggested we stay in an apartment in Paris, I was a bit shattered. What would I wash my hair with? Where would the late night snacks come from? What if I needed a steak at 3am? I looked diligently at the apartments she sent over via email and sighed. It was cheaper and if that meant more money for shopping I supposed I could live with it.

Our first choice was booked for the dates we were travelling but the next spot – a lovely, quiet apartment near Odeon on the Left Bank – was free and in our price range. The photos were quaint, the location was good and we signed on the dotted line.

When we arrived in Paris we were tired and very ready for a shower and a good night’s sleep. 24 hours of planes and airports, taxi’s and general travel craziness later, we pulled up at our apartment building (in a BMW mind you) and climbed the two flights of stairs to our home for the next 8 days.

The living room – quaint!

Met by the agent for the apartment and his wife, we were given the grand tour, a bottle of wine and pringles. It was love. Small but cute, our apartment was located on the second floor (which did mean two flights of stairs – no elevator!) and was fitted out in perfect Parisian style.

We had a little kitchen with dishwasher, oven, microwave and coffee machine (AND a washer/dryer!), a living room with double fold out couch and plasma TV and a bedroom with queen bed, plenty of closet space and an ensuite bathroom with separate toilet.

Miss J let me have the bedroom while she had the fold out couch and we set up our little apartment as our home base for a week in Paree! We shopped at the Carrefour (supermarket) and bio store for gluten free goods but the ultimate was the markets where we bought breads, cheese, fresh fruit and vegies and flowers. Yes, divine roses that we put in a plastic jug because we didn’t have a vase.

The location was perfect, minutes from the shops of Boulevard Saint Germain and one of my favourite Parisian spots, Café de Flore. Odeon station was just around the corner (opposite a Starbucks!) and we found the stairs were actually quite helpful in counteracting the pastries and macaroons.

So if you are going to Paris and want to stay somewhere lovely (and cook authentic French in your very own apartment!) I can totally recommend this spot. The perfect Parisian!

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