WS Marais - République

There were plenty of restaurants, bistros, and shops nearby, with several metro stations and buses within walking distance, so getting around the city was easy. The location had good security. I also appreciated having our own kitchen and bathroom. The room was an okay size for two, though I’d only want to use it for sleeping and a quick breakfast. They should provide a draining board for washing dishes. They were helpful with luggage too, putting me in touch with a company that could store our bags after checkout. The bed was so hard it gave me pins and needles, which I really wasn’t happy about. The place was clean, but the skirting boards were filthy. The shower needs a curtain and a better mat, since the floor got soaked and the bathroom became wet and dirty quickly. There were no windows, and the extraction fan did nothing, so we had to open the closed-off “balcony” doors. I’m not sure what people are meant to do in winter after showering. I asked to have our card changed, but they refused, which was frustrating because I could easily have paid the tourist tax with another card if there’d been staff in person. They claim the room is soundproof, but the walls are thin. It was quiet because we were at the back, yet we could hear a neighbour snoring.

We stayed in the two-bedroom apartment, which is small and not somewhere you’d want to spend a long time. The location made up for that. Overall it was good, but the drains made horrible noises through the night, probably because they hadn’t been used in a while. After the second day they also started smelling horrible.

We stayed here in May 2025, and the place was a disaster. Two of our four pillows smelled outright bad, as if they hadn’t been washed in months. Since we checked in late, two of us had to sleep without pillows the first night. Then, the day before checkout, the ageing safe broke with our important documents, including passports, stuck inside. I’ve been waiting an hour for a response about getting it fixed and am not hopeful. There’s no service desk, and the only way to reach them is by message or text. Avoid this place unless you want a disastrous holiday. You’d be better off anywhere else, maybe even on the street.

Location is the only good thing about these apartments. They have an old motel feel and could really use a proper clean. I wouldn’t recommend them. I posted this review on Booking.com, where I made the booking, and then they called offering me money if I removed my bad review. Shocking!