Nostradamus

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ADDRESS	Nostradamus, Quai aux Fleurs, 4th arrondissement
BEDROOMS	Studio Apartment with Queen size Murphy Bed and couch
No. of GUESTS	Ideal for 2.
SIZE	200 sq ft;
METRO STATION	Hotel de Ville
NEIGHBORHOOD	Located in the epicenter of Paris on Ile de la Cite. One of the most prestigious locations because you are in one of the oldest neighborhoods of Paris. The Notre Dame Cathedral is just steps from your door; The Hotel de Ville is just across the bridge; St. Michel, the Place des Vosges, the Marais, and the Latin Quarter are just a 5 min. walk away! The stunning Eiffel Tower is just a stroll away by foot down the river or by one of Paris' famous fly boats.
FLOOR/BUILDING	Recently renovated in 2009, elevator buildingAmazing view of the Seine from your window
BATHROOM	Full bathroom with shower, wash basin and toilet.
KITCHEN	Fully equipped kitchen with dishwasher, Nespresso, microwave, oven, stovetop, washer/dryer. Small dining table perfect for 2.
TEL/INTERNET/TV	TV, Cable, Internet, DVD, stereo system, free phone calls to US and several foreign countries
RATES	$2,561.63 per week Less than 5 nights,  $434.36/night

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Slow Travel from Cameron, NYC, USA

Location

Our apartment windows overlooked the Seine on Île de la Cité in the middle of Paris. We could watch the boats on the river and had a perfect view of Hotel de Ville. We entered through a secure electronic door, then another interior electronic iron gate, then up three flights of spiral stairs. There were other apartments in our building, but it was very quiet. Our neighborhood was perfectly safe. In fact, the mounted police force rode by our windows most mornings on schedule! We loved the neighborhood! It was perfect for us.

Ile Saint-Louis was just across the pedestrian bridge and became our favorite (walking) destination for groceries, ice cream/gelato, bread, pastries and restaurants/cafes. Everyone was so very friendly and kind. We got along great by speaking enough French to order without using English and carry on simple conversations without using English.

The apartment was newly remodeled with all modern conveniences in an historic building. There were the historic timber beams and none of the walls were square due to the age of the building, but the studio was truly beautiful and perfect for us! No outside garden -- walk one block to the gardens behind Notre-Dame or 20 minutes to Luxembourg gardens. With a view of the Seine from the apartment, no need for a garden!

The apartment was spotless! The owners provided all of the paper products and cleaning products that we needed for the week. There were stacks of clean towels and extra blankets if needed. Being small, this is only suitable for 1-2 people - a romantic petite studio for a couple. There were two chairs at a small table and a leather love-seat that was comfortable for sitting to watch the Seine, watch TV or read.

This was a petite one-room studio with a Murphy bed that was very comfortable -- my husband and I had no problems sleeping. The pillows, mattress were wonderful -- the linens were exquisite and pristine white with embroidery! We didn't close the Murphy bed since we were okay with walking around it. Raising it would really open up the floor space. The mechanisms are electronic, no heavy lifting of the bed.

The bath featured a great, tiled, large shower, a nice sink with a spacious medicine cabinet storage and drawer below. The toilet was the latest as were all of the fixtures. The shower was spacious, had a shelf for toiletries. There was a towel warmer. The only improvement would be an additional towel hook.

The one-wall kitchenette included a small fridge, a washer/dryer combo, a small oven and two burners and sink. Everything was new and modern. Granite counter tops, stainless sink. We didn't try to cook full meals due to the great cafes/restaurants around, but we had coffee (Senseo maker), juice, fruit, and pastries there for breakfast most days. I'm sure I could have cooked there had we wanted. There were plenty of dishes and looked like a nice assortment of pots and pans.

There is Ethernet (cable, no WiFi -- go across the bridge to Ile Saint-Louis to the Saint Regis Cafe for great omelets and free WiFi). Flat screen TV with American, British and French channels. We loved the location and all the wonderful amenities provided by the owners. We never had to buy any products for the apartment, compared to past rentals.

The owner, Marc, greeted us at the apartment right on time. He provided large bunches of fresh grapes, fresh strawberries, a fresh-baked bread loaf and a great wine! Marc is a well-educated academic, now retired, but teaching physics at the university. He speaks perfect English and is a delightful man! The studio looks exactly like the photos on the website, which were taken by a professional photographer. The photos are so true-to-life that I didn't even take photos myself.

I absolutely wouldn't want to stay anywhere else if it is just the two of us (my husband with me). Space would be the only consideration for other folks. For us, no worries! It is a petite studio, but we each had two shelves for our clothes. The closet included enough wooden hangars for our clothes... we do travel light. Someone with several suitcases may want a one-bedroom rather than a studio. It fit us perfectly.

I would recommend this studio to my best friend. It was perfectly outfitted with everything that we needed and exceeded our expectations. The amenities and location are the best!

We were one block from Notre-Dame. One block from Marche aux Fleurs (six days of flower market, one day pet birds). Lots and lots of wonderful restaurants! We dined well! Incredible, in fact! I must send separate restaurant reviews. Most were on Ile Saint-Louis, literally just five minutes away across the pedestrian bridge from our apartment on Ile de la Cite. We also dined in Marais and the Latin Quarter just 15 minutes of easy walking. Being on the Seine, we used Batobus for 90% of our transportation with five-day, hop-
on/off passes. Cruised to the Louvre, Eiffel Tower, Invalides area, Jardin des Plantes, and it stopped at both Notre-Dame and Hotel de Ville, so we could easily (by being on the island) get to the Batobus stop for each direction in just a few minutes from the apartment. We easily walked to Marais, Latin Quarter and even to Monteparnasse; back from the Louvre; back from the Eiffel Tower. We took the Chatelet Metro to Gare Saint-Lazare to take the train out to Giverny and back. Easy.

Merci, merci,merci beaucoups (well, I tried !) Many, many thanks to both of you for being so very kind to Barbara and I while we visited your Studio, your city, and your country. We are still overwhelmed at your thoughtfulness. You provided us with a wonderful time while we visited France. We have told so many people on the QE 2 and here at home about the lovely couple who took such good care of us. As I'm sure Marc told you, Christine, we had a great visit with our dear "French Son" Patrick in Lyon.

Your studio apartment is lovely. We felt so comfortable, enjoyed making some meals, and were so happy to look out on the Seine and the views of "Paris". With department stores, wonderfully good food at nearby restaurants, Ed's, and the impressive Notre Dame so close to the apartment it is an ideal place to stay. We do hope that others that happen upon your website will take advantage of such a great situation. We have visited Paris many, many times and have in the past stayed in some very nice hotels,but needless to say, when (and hopefully if) we ever return to "The City of Lights", we will hope to stay in your beautiful studio/apartment. Words are difficult to express the experience of meeting you with all your kindness and thoughtfulness and being able to stay at Quai de fleurs ! !

Again, dear friends, Many thanks. If your son in New York ever wishes to visit the Pennsylvania Dutch Country in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, please do tell him that he has a place to stay with us. And of course if you two or your other son and Ashley ever come to this area, we would be very happy to see them.

The apartment is only about 3 months old everything is new, including the rather comfortable Bed. I’m 6’2” and I was concerned about the Queen size, and the perception that a Murphy bed isn’t comfortable because one would think the mattress is somehow compromised so it can stow during the day. I was surprised – the bed is actually motorized, so it seemed that a more substantial mattress is allowed, since it doesn’t rely on human strength to fold the platform+mattress up.

The shower is fantastic brand new plumbing, dedicated hot water heater, more than enough pressure. These are important things to know for Americans that have gotten used to newer residential amenities.

As for the location we found out that this is the original encampment of the Parisi tribe, which were the first inhabitants of what is now Paris. Paris literally grew around Ile de la Cite, and on the square in front of Notre Dame Cathedral, you’ll see the marker which shows the geographical center of Paris. What does this mean? That you are literally in the middle of the best parts of Paris, Marais, St. Germaine, Bastille, Louvre, everything except the Eiffel Tower are within walking distance.

Pudlo’s “Pastry Chef of the Year” is just across the bridge, and almost viewable from the apartment window, and our favorite classic yet still authentic “Robert & Louise Restaurant” is within walking distance as well. Well known and highly recommended Bakeries, cheese shops, the WORLDS most incredible ice cream/sorbets from Berthillon (it became the most romantic nightly stroll from our apartment to the Berthillon shop at the corner of the bridge connecting Cite to Ile Saint Louis, with the only accordion player we found in Paris playing classic songs.. perfect life memory – it’s a 3 minute walk along the Seine).

We were there for 10 nights, and found it beyond perfect for our stay for both comfort, convenience, location, view, romance, etc. By staying in an apartment, we felt that we were melding into a truer Parisian lifestyle, and we also seemed to get more respect when we told restaurateurs and other locals that we were staying in an apartment on Cite, rather than in some Hotel

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