Thoughts on staying in Le Marais area?

It's a great area and yes, straight folks fit too. There are lots of small, trendy shops, a lively street-restaurant-bar scene, very enjoyable indeed. There are tons of food choices, and it's quite central to lots of sights.
I'd recommend being very cautious about who you rent from; a well known and well reviewed agency is probably the best defense against a bad apartment experience. There is pressure now from the Mayor's office to crack down on illegal rentals, which the majority of are illegal.
I really feel that for a three night stay it's not worthwhile to rent. For one thing many will not rent for less than a week, also the time it takes to check in and out and get oriented eats into touring time.
For three nights I'd strongly recommend a hotel. The 5th and 6th Arrondissements would have many of the same qualities, more places to choose from, and often quieter than the Marais. Stay close to the Seine if you can.

Thank you for your reply. The apartment I was looking at is from airbnb, but I will take into consideration your advice of a hotel. I was thinking apartment so that the three of us would have communal space rather than two separate rooms at a hotel, but your point is well taken. Thanks.

The Marais is a wonderful area...safe with plenty of that French charm you are looking for.
Airbnb is wonderful if you just make sure to pick a place that has plenty of positive reviews and make sure to thoroughly communicate with the owner. Remember, these are individually owned units and you are not dealing with a professional company, just private citizens with a space to rent. That said, we, as well as many of our extended family, use airbnb quite a bit and have had nothing but good experiences.

I echo the comments regarding Airbnb. We used their service in Copenhagen with success and seriously considered their listings in Paris. But, in the end, we went with http://www.bed-and-breakfast-in-paris.com and found a lovely B&B in the Marais.

All the best.

Two years ago I rented an apartment in the Marais area through VRBO. I've heard about the crackdown on illegal rentals but don't know anyone who's had any problems as a renter with either VRBO or Airbnb. I stayed in the LGBT area, as a straight 68 year old female traveling alone I always felt very safe and fit in just fine. There were lots of restaurants and bars (both gay and straight) on the street where I stayed. There was a lot of nightlife in that area but my apartment was on the 5th floor and street noise was not a problem. It was walking distance to lots of sites such as Notre Dame, the Louvre, the Bastille area and of course the museums and parks in the Marais. Very easy to get anywhere on the Metro from that area also. I loved loved loved the Marais area and would try to stay there again if I get back to Paris.

For 3 nights, the hassle factor of an apartment (no place to store luggage until late check in or on leaving, connecting with landlord if your plane is late, no option if something is seriously wrong, security deposits that can be held unfairly etc) doesn't outweight IMHO the virtues like communal space and kitchen.

The Marais is a great if very touristy area. The traditional bakeries and butcher shops are now mostly trendy little boutiques, but it is a pretty area and a good location for visiting central sites on foot.

Actually on another forum I go on there was a case just recently where people had rented an apartment for this September.. they were thrilled with the arrangement.. but. just received notice that the owner had cancel the rental because neighbors complained.. and he was caught illegally renting.. It was VRBO and yes.. there is a crack down in Paris right now.. and as there are in fact thousands of rentals it is taking the authorities time to get to all of them.. but neighbors complaining about your rental suite will get you noticed immediately , and closed down. Its a simple game of chance.

I would never bother to rent an apartment for three days.. it really is a bit more work,, think about this.. at a hotel if you arrive early or leave late in the day you can leave your luggage, not so at most apartments.. Often I see posts by people saying "we arrive at 10 am and we cannot check in till 3 or 4 pm, what should we do with our luggage?". Now sometimes the owner will allow you to come and leave you luggage.. but you will leave it in the apartment while the cleaning person comes.. you cannot stay or even clean up.. at hotels they will often provide at least a bathroom for you to use, and keep your luggage for you .

Why not choose a hotel with a nice lobby or balcony instead.. for the few times you wish to socialize in your room,, frankly that is not something I can imagine one would need to do often.. touring around all day with friends etc.. eating each meal with them.. I like a bit of my own alone time.. and I do spend most of my time in my accomadation ( and yes.. I have and do rent apartments also ) outside in PARIS , not in my accomadation .

The Marais is a nice area.. nothing wrong with it at all.. and frankly I never have noticed there being more LGBT folks there then anywhere else .. ( I guess they walk around other areas too.. !)

I stayed in the Marais with my wife. It's a good location and safe but Saturday nights people were partying and loud on the street until dawn. While I didn't feel uncomfortable sitting at a cafe I certainly didn't feel we fit in. If someone were to ask me about where to stay in Los Angeles I wouldn't recommend La Cienga at Santa Monica if they were not gay.

The Marais is a great location to stay in. While I've never stayed there I have spent plenty of time there. I know the area is gay friendly, but I've never felt uncomfortable being there. My husband and I were there recently (we stayed just over the border in the 12th) and didn't even notice it.

I'm assuming you are looking for an apartment because there a 3 of you. I've rented apartments throughout Europe. The shortest stay was 2 nights. I really wanted the washing machine. It would not be too difficult to find a 3 night rental. I use vrbo.com and homeaway.com. For my trip last fall I used Airbnb a couple of times, though not in Paris. One advantage to Airbnb is if you get there and it doesn't work out you will get your money back. Airbnb doesn't pay the owner until 24 hours after you arrive.

As for communal space, that's what the beautiful squares and cafes of Paris are for...

" Heterosexuality isn't normal , it's just common . " --- Dorothy Parker

OMG, I stayed in the Marais for over week on two separate visits in the last 5 years and did not know that there's a LGBT presence! Love, love, love the area.

Opposite the Saint-Paul metro there are a patisserie, a boulangerie, a wine shop, a chocolatier, and one or two small supermarkets. The neighborhood abounds with restaurants, cafes, and chic boutiques. On the weekends, some of the streets are closed to motor traffic. Do stop in at the Carnavalet Museum, one of my faves, and free.

It's also the old Jewish quarter, with several trendy falafel shops, the most famous is L'Ace du Falafel, though why anyone would want to eat falafel in Paris is way beyond me!

Edited - originally wrote Saint-Denis metro (what was I thinking!?!?!). Of course it's Saint-Paul.

"though why anyone would want to eat falafel in Paris is way beyond me"

Chani, at L' As du Fallafel it's the grilled eggplant, hot sauce and the fact that it's 30 percent bigger than most fallafels. Deelish! ;-)
The line across the way at the competition will be far shorter than the one for L' As du, don't worry it moves fast!

I don't think renting an apartment for 3 days is a bad idea at all. We did just that a year or so ago through Vacation In Paris (vacationinparis.com) and it worked out great. They sent us the keys before we left, so we just walked right up to our apartment and let ourselves in. We did have to pay a "short term stay fee", but even including that it was cheaper than hotels we were looking at. It was nice too having a kitchen so we could cook some meals in, and the extra room was nice. Le Marais is a fun place and would be a good place to stay (as long as it's not too far from the river, in my opinion).

The Marais area is pretty large and the main LGBT community is the Rue du Temple area from around the Hotel de Ville to Rambuteau metro stops and a street or two on either side. That's where a lot of gay bars and hangouts are and that's also where my apartment was located and I found the area very pleasant, lots of nightlife (if you want that) and not 'restricted' to gays. Also, there were several boulangeries and patisseries in the area that I frequented while there and lots of small restaurants. I felt very comfortable walking to my apt at night alone and I never felt unsafe anywhere in the area, night or day.

I usually stay in the Marais at a hotel. My only complaint about the area is that it gets very crowded. And I don't think that most of this crowd is made up of tourists. Sometimes I walk as far as Blvd. St Germaine from the Marais. Bus and Metro service from the St. Paul area are excellent.

I really liked the little of the Marais that I got to experience on my last trip in 2009 (with my husband and young children). I like to be able to step out my door and "already be someplace enjoyable." I found the area very enjoyable!

So, I just booked a hotel in the Marais, just a few blocks from the Seine, Isle St. Louis, Places des Vosges, etc....The hotel looks great and the price reasonable. It's the Hotel St. Louis Marais. I think the central location will be fantastic! I personally love walking along the Seine, and in the summer, the Paris Plage is fantastic spot for families to wind down in.