Transparent Marais

The bedrooms were quiet and the beds comfortable, and the owner was very helpful. He sent lots of recommendations on What's App. The flat was spacious, well appointed, and had 2.5 baths. We'd definitely stay again.

We arrived at Transparent Marais' lower-level apartment in the last week of March 2024. When we pulled out the sofa bed, we saw bed bugs crawling on the sheets near the top of the mattress. We hadn't even unzipped our luggage. We took all our belongings outside right away and contacted the Owner. He wasn't apologetic and said we must have brought the bugs in. That's completely untrue. We'd been in the apartment for only 3-hours, and were away having dinner and exploring the neighborhood for 2.9 of them. The online photos were misleading, taken when the unit was first renovated several years ago. The place was scummy, and from its condition looked like a haven for all kinds of insects. We asked the Owner for a full refund, but he said we had to go through the major online booking company we used. We stood outside his unit for an hour trying to find a hotel for the next 4-nights. Luckily, we found one, but the whole thing was extremely stressful and aggravating, and we worried we'd been bitten too. The following day, the booking company said the Owner had already reported us as a "no show". We had to provide car ride receipts showing our arrival, screenshots of messages to the Owner, and photos of the bugs to get our money back. The online booking company seemed to favor property owners, and we had to jump through hoops for something that should have been simple. I was appalled and disgusted by how the Owner handled his business. He could have made this easier by apologizing and not lying to the booking company, and could have sorted things out courteously and professionally. I'm not an unreasonable person. We'll keep telling our story, and I would never recommend Transparent Marais to anyone. Horrible experience.

We had a really enjoyable stay in this apartment with our 4 kids. It was clean, comfortable, and well equipped, and the location was perfect. Marc was a great host and helpful with everything. Highly recommended!

Marc was very helpful and stayed in touch before we arrived with all the information we needed. When we left, he even called a taxi for us since we didn't have a local French number. My husband and I stayed at Transparent Marais for a week. The apartment was comfortable and very clean, with a sofa bed (primo), and we had no problems. The bathroom is a bit small, especially the bathing area. The location is very central, so we could walk almost everywhere. It's also near the Temple and Hotel DeVille Metro stations, in a lively area with lots of restaurants and bars. We'd definitely recommend it.