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Ile St. Louis Apartment - (2 Bedroom)
**CHEF'S KITCHEN**
4th Arrondissement
Accommodates: 4 people
Metro: Two within 5-10 minutes walk - Pont Marie (Right bank) and Maubert-Mutualité
(Left Bank)
RER Station: Saint-Michel
Location: 4th Arrondissement (Ile St-Louis)
This superbly appointed duplex apartment has two bedrooms and two baths and is located on
the fabulous and highly desirable Ile Saint-Louis, with easy strolling to Notre Dame, the
Louvre and the Saint-Germain-des-Prés area. The Seine is literally at one's feet, and the
Left Bank is a mere two minute walk away by Pont de la Tournelle. The Right Bank is an
equally brief stroll via Pont Marie, and the Louvre can be reached by foot in less than
twenty minutes.
Rue Boutarel is a small street that attracts little pedestrian activity and virtually no
motor traffic, and occupants are rarely troubled by exterior noise save the daily passing
of the trash collectors, who help keep Paris one of the cleanest cities in the world. The
nearby rue Saint-Louis-en-l'Ile (literally, a walk of thirty seconds) has a full range of
specialty food stores, including several bakeries, wine shops, an excellent fromagerie and
a butcher that local residents say is one of the best in Paris. For everyday needs there
is a handful of small grocery stores. Two Métro stations - Pont Marie on the Right Bank,
and Place Maubert on the Left - are within a five to ten-minute walk.
The Ile Saint-Louis is like a little village unto itself, and has virtually every type of
commerce for everyday needs. There are several pharmacies, florists and beauty salons, as
well as an assortment of cafés and restaurants, bookstores, antique dealers, art
galleries, shops offering exquisite modern and antique jewelry, fashion boutiques and the
like, virtually all of them with display windows that are little chef-d'oeuvres in
themselves.
The apartment (approximately 900 square feet), luminous from large windows protected by
wrought-iron bars, is on the ground floor and lower level of a well maintained
18th-century building just off Quai d'Orléans on the south side of Ile Saint-Louis.
Supermarket-type stores and open-air markets are within a ten or fifteen-minute walk to
either bank. Guests will not want to miss the market (daily except Mondays) on the rue de
Buci in the Saint-Germain-des-Prés quartier, a riot of aromas and colors and exotic
products, or the lively open-air market every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday at Place
Maubert in the 5th arrondissement. Several excellent restaurants, including the always
wonderful Chez René, Le Vieux Bistrot and Campagne et Provence, are within ten minutes by
foot. Even closer is the famed Tour d'Argent on quai de Tournelle, whose illuminated
façade and warmly lit windows beckon just across the Seine.
The décor is characterized by warm colors, polished wood finishes, marble bathrooms, a
working fireplace and a full array of modern amenities. Adding to the cozy ambiance are
fine decorative touches such as antique oak floors, hand-painted closets and custom-made
leaded-glass windows created by Parisian artisans.
The main level of the apartment, on the ground floor, includes the foyer, living room,
open-plan kitchen, master bedroom and bathroom. The living room, which is compact but not
cramped, has a lovely upholstered sofa in a sleigh frame of polished wood, a Louis
XV-style armchair and coffee table. For entertaining the room can comfortably accommodate
four people.
For dining there is a wood table with glass top adjacent to the bar that separates the
kitchen and dining room. The table is perfect for three, and can accommodate four when
moved away from the wall.
In the living room two tall windows with double-pane glass look onto rue Boutarel. Sheer
curtains and specially crafted triple-ply drapes assure total privacy. The drapes may be
opened or closed at will, and as the sheer curtains are mounted just above eye level they
do not obstruct the flow of natural light through the upper part of the windows.
The master bedroom has double bed (55 inches across) with a firm mattress and duvet. There
are bedside tables with reading lamps, and a long in-wall closet. The commodious master
bathroom, appointed with brass fixtures and illuminated by overhead recessed lighting, has
a glass stall shower with a wide-diameter shower head. There is no bathtub. The vanity
counter is a rust-colored marble, and the floors, warmed in winter by a sub-floor heating
system, are of unpolished white stone.
A circular wood stairway leads from the living-dining room to a large room with hardwood
floors, stone walls and a vaulted ceiling. This room, which does not receive natural
light, is brilliantly illuminated with wall sconces and other fixtures. With its hardwood
floors, oriental throw rugs and white stone walls, it is a warm and inviting space, and is
especially appropriate for watching a movie on the VCR, or the late-night news after
dinner.
The lower-level room is artfully divided into a seating area with sofa and two armchairs,
a bedroom space and a second bath. One wall is lined with closet and shelf space, and
another with custom-made wood cabinets, including one panel that folds down to create a
desktop. The desk with a phone, electrical outlets and a high-speed Internet connection,
is an ideal place to set up a laptop computer.
As in the master bedroom, the bed in the downstairs double bedroom (55 inches across) is
in a handsome wood frame with a firm mattress. The adjoining bath has a stall shower, and
fine marble and tile appointments and overhead lighting similar to the master bath. A door
from the bath leads to a laundry room with Bosch washing machine and separate dryer.
Serious cooks will enjoy the fully equipped kitchen, which has new appliances, polished
granite countertops, a stone floor and fine custom-built wood cabinets. The dishwasher and
refrigerator are cleverly concealed behind wood doors. The copper-lined cookware is of
professional quality, and the crockery and stemware of a pleasing modern design.
Appliances include a four-burner halogen cooktop, conventional oven and in-wall microwave
oven, toaster, coffee maker and food processor.
Other amenities in this cozy apartment include a television and stereo system with CD
player on each level; telephones in the kitchen and both bedrooms and a separate telephone
line for the fax machine which can also be used as a printer (the installation disk is
made available to guests).
Rental rates, which include a weekly cleaning and change of linens for stays of two or
more weeks, are exceptionally reasonable for a two-bedroom apartment of such charm
anywhere in Paris, not to mention the Ile Saint-Louis. The central location, village-like
ambiance and historical importance of the Ile Saint-Louis - it seems as if practically
every other house has a plaque declaring that some artist or statesman once inhabited this
address - combine to make this apartment a rare opportunity for lovers of Paris who like
to visit the city in style and comfort.
To see photos of the Ile St. Louis Apartment please click here.
Starting from $5,850 per week!
For more information or to schedule your stay please contact:
Small & Elegant Hotels, International
9425 Whispering Sands
West Olive, MI 49460
TEL: (616) 844-6000 / FAX: (616) 844-6042
E-Mail: res@smallandeleganthotels.com
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