In a moment of spontaneity, I packed my bags and decided to sign up for a language program and go…read moreto Paris alone for 8 weeks. Through the language school I was able to make housing accommodations at La Cité internationale Universitaire de Paris (http://www.ciup.fr/en/). I stayed at La Fondation Hellenique in a single room. The bathroom is shared by the floor (basically it's a college dorm with a communal kitchen and washing machines). The proximity to the metro AND the tram (for those hungover/lazy days) was also pretty awesome! Tram being right outside my door and the metro 2 blocks away. _______________________ WARNING: If you do decide to stay at the Cite-U, make sure NOT to arrive on a Sunday or past 17:00h Monday-Saturday because you will be locked out (you have to be given the key by your individual house's receptionist). Make sure once you know which house you will be staying in, to CALL the house and ask them their hours and inform them of your arrival! ________________________ Moving on, My fear of being the anti-social American loner rejected by the French was gone by my 2nd day in Paris! Every night we'd drink wine and sit on the steps of the house and gather a big group. By the end of my stay our group had grown to around 25 people. On nice days, we'd sit tan on the quad and at nights we'd party at other houses. The dining hall food was pretty good for what you paid for it, but there are also a bunch of supermarkets by the port d'orleans train stop. AVOID the Lidl.

I remember when I first arrived here back in 2008 I was a little shocked by the simplicity of the…read moreplace but it definitely grew on me. What great times we had here! I had come to Paris to study the French language for a month. The people at the front desk spoke broken English (probably on par with my French) so make sure you know your basics. It is very dorm like - shared bathrooms and kitchens but it all adds to the wonderful experience. Very convenient location. There are grocery stores, restaurants, the metro and the bus within minutes. Oh, I miss those days dearly!

I've been staying here while I study abroad for one semester. It was the only place that responded…read moreto my inquiries as I searched over the summer, so that was quite welcome, but upon arrival, there were quite a few things in need of fixing. Thank goodness their technician is quickly available - one of my desk legs is completely unattached (it has since been moved to the corner), my cabinet drawers were completely out of alignment, my vents to the outside don't close, my stove wouldn't heat up until it was fixed (I think he took the plate off the top, but it used to take an hour to cook one sausage in a pan), the upper kitchen cupboard door was askew, the toilet ran, the toilet paper holder wouldn't stay upright, and I've just discovered that my sink is leaking all over my lower cupboard and the floor! Bonus points for being available, and for being quick to service my requests for help. That's why this isn't one star review. For the price per month, I expected better.

Useful advice from somebody who lived a year in Paris: NEVER LIVE IN ONE OF THESE RESIDENCES…read more Believe me. The pictures they show you of their rooms are all photoshopped, rooms are really dark and badly distributed. You pay A LOT and have to pay the electricity bill separetly. They cut my power in the middle of February (yeah winter) and they made me think it was my fault. One week later when the electricity company's technician came to fix it he said they had cut it off because the student that had my room before never paid his bill! I asked for a refund of the week but they didn't do anything. The recepcionist was useless and even smelled like alcohol several times i went to speak with him! my month here was the worst month in Paris.

It's imposible to explain how bad is this company and the awful apartamentos that the y rent to…read morestudents in Paris. AUP force you to rent with them. So expensive, dirty, with mold, garbage on the corners and kitchen cabinets. The refrigerator smelled terrible. If you has been assigned to an apartment with people living there, the company is not responsible for clean before you arrive. My daughter's college in USA canceled the study abroad program due de COVID-19 and she leaved last March, they don't refund anything. Still waiting for the deposit refund. Please avoid this company it's a scam.

Honestly, ZERO stars. I would NEVER recommend this service to anybody. We were without hot water…read morefor DAYS, the customer service is horrible and rude. They tried to blame the problems of the apartment on us. Also, because of coronavirus many people had to leave early and they refused to give a refund to those who paid all of the months rent upfront. Excuse me? I felt disrespected by the management and they didn't want to help us until someone's study abroad advisor stepped in and yelled at them. Otherwise we would've been stuck with no heat or hot water for more than a week, and a broken washing machine. DO NOT USE BLUESTRIPE, WHATEVER YOU DO.

Severely unsatisfied with the service. Upon arriving I learned that there were two rodents that…read morewere living in the apartment they rented me in the 18th. I had to personally capture and kill both of them as the proprietors could not be bothered to send someone over to do it themselves. If you rent from them you will also be over paying. I shared an apartment with 3 other people in one of the worst/cheapest neighborhoods in Paris and paid 625 for a 5 square meter room. The flat was 4 bedrooms in Chateau Rouge which is 2000 a month TOPS for the whole place. Even though they included utilities and internet that would only be around 30 bucks extra per head at most. I had to beg to have them hire a cleaning lady to clean the flat which was disgusting upon my arrival and had to spend hours cleaning it myself only to have them tell me I was over exaggerating. Everyone else in the building that rented from them had a long list of complaints as well and it is highly unadvised that you rent from these people.

Avoid Fondation Etats Unis if possible. Crowded, loud, and very outdated. The building faces bd…read moreJourdan which is busy and the metro makes the whole building rumble when it goes by. The facilities are old and outdated- cracked stone floors and stained walls. There's is not even an overhead light in all rooms. Shared spaces like the kitchen and laundry facilities are a nightmare. No guarantee that the washers or dryers will work after you've put in your token, and there is one fridge/ kitchen for two entire floors. Cooking equipment is often stolen, best not to leave anything of your own in there. Showers work like those sinks where you press a button and it runs for 15 seconds. No way to adjust the temperature and only some showers have actual shower heads. Maintenance is slow and inconsistent- light it the toilet was out for 3 weeks before they fixed it-it was pitch black at night. The security is good however, with someone at reception 24/7 and heavy doors that need to be opened with codes. Cite university itself has a lot to offer and maybe housing is better in other maisons, but avoid Fondation EU at all costs