Break & Home Paris Italie Porte De Choisy

The location worked well for us: there’s a boulangerie and a small cocci-market nearby, trams and buses provide accessible routes into the city, and China-town is close by for food. The neighborhood isn’t especially polished and could be cleaner, but it was fine. We’ve stayed here several times because it seems to be one of the few short-stay options in Paris with a wheelchair-accessible apartment. There are useful low and waist-height power outlets, and you can roll under the sink and use the hob. The laundry costs €5 to wash and €3 to dry, with detergent included. Reception can lend you a hairdryer or wall adapter if you leave ID, and I believe someone is there around the clock. WiFi was good, though the TV’s Chromecast didn’t work. The accessible room still has some real limitations. The doors are heavy to push from a wheelchair, and the wetroom doors lack a horizontal bar that would make them easier to close. Most kitchenette storage and the microwave are out of reach, and there’s barely any worktop space for preparing more than small, simple meals. There’s also nowhere to set a suitcase at a useful height. We’ve asked about a twin accessible room, but were told that isn’t available, so a companion must share the double bed or book a separate room.

The staff were friendly and helpful, and we appreciated being able to leave our luggage before check-in. Still, I left disappointed. The room didn’t feel clean enough to be comfortable, and basic items like soap and slippers weren’t provided. The neighborhood wasn’t very appealing either. Although the metro and tram are nearby, the hotel is far from the city center, and getting around Paris from there takes a lot of time. I wouldn’t stay this far out again.

Getting into the city was easy enough by metro, and the location was fairly alright. The rest of our New Year’s stay was a mess. We had reserved two rooms weeks ahead, but only one was available when we arrived. There is parking in the building, yet for some mysterious reason we weren’t allowed to use it. Check-in began with a very rude employee who kept talking over us as we tried to ask questions. Our room was filthy: sand everywhere, unwashed kitchen plates, brown stains on the bed, and mold in the shower. With only two elevators for the whole building, we also waited ages whenever we needed to go up or down.

The floor was dusty enough to kick up as you walked, and the room was especially messy under the bed. They also require a maintenance deposit while expecting you to clean and take out the trash before leaving. Borrowing a hairdryer meant going down to the ground floor each time and leaving my ID as security, which was a real inconvenience.