Peaceful, central Rivoli apartment

I was horrified when I arrived. No where in the listing did it say it was a 5 flight walk up- spiral staircase, stone steps that were so tiny it made it impossible to carry my luggage up. The stairs have no hand rail and are in disrepair - dangerous to say the least. My husband and I are in our late 60’s, and he is disabled. We could not stay there. When I contacted the property we were told we could not get a refund and that VBRO was aware of the conditions. DO NOT STAY HERE!

Good location with cafes, restaurants, shops and bakery right at your door. Close to Notre Dame and walking distance to museums. Main issue is it’s up 5 flights of a small spiral stair case 83 steps. Very hard and a bit dangerous to get suitcases up and down. You must be very fit and able bodied to stay here and even then it’s hard. Room was tidy, bedroom up more steps and bathroom and shower extremely small and needs some maintenance (shower fell apart on day 1 but host did send someone to reattach).

Great location—surprisingly peaceful for being right in the center of Paris. We weren’t in the room much, but when we were, the lack of attention to detail stood out. Things like exposed fixture wires and plumbing/caulking issues took away from the overall comfort. That said, the bed and pillows were comfortable, which made for a good night’s rest. The room worked well for two people, but it would feel quite tight with four.

The check-in process was fine. The apartment, however, was not. The photos are taken at just an angle to hide the multiple issues. Couches (2 vs the one shown the the photos) we dirty. The shower was dirty and smelled of mold, which permeated the entire downstairs portion of the apartment. Flush for the toilet was broken. Next the the bed (where the bed sheets were) was a wall socket that was pulled away from the wall with wires exposed; a serious safety issue. The cupboards were dirty, the kitchen was not nice and there was a cabinet next to the kitchen with a missing top that had a bunch of wires all bundled up (I think for the internet). Your call in team couldn’t care less that I had to vacate the apartment within an hour of checking in and find a hotel. Apparently, a wall socket with exposed wires “isn’t a safety issue”? The apartment was in a 5th floor walk up with narrow, steep stairs that anyone over the age of 40 would have been hard pressed to manage with baggage. I’ve rented so many times with VRBO and never had an issue; Spain, Lisbon, Paris, Palm Springs, Mexico City…this was the only time I’ve found an apartment/house lacking and the management company felt I should just wait for a day for them to show up to “look at it”. This place needs to be off your website, now.