Sometimes when I travel I want pure luxury and pampering. I want a spa, and a bar, and a concierge and all the trappings of a swanky hotel. Other times, I’d rather live like a local for a few days. I want to imagine what it would be like to wake up in my own apartment, make breakfast with ingredients bought at the local market, and come “home” to my own private place each evening. On a recent trip to Paris, I wanted to live like a Parisian, and I was able to do just that with Paris Perfect.
Paris Perfect rents out three dozen luxury apartments around Paris in a variety of neighborhoods, price ranges, and sizes. What they all have in common: attention to detail, beautiful decor, excellent locations, and the service of the Paris Perfect team, which has been in the business for more than 20 years. From booking to checkout, my experience was—you guessed it—perfect, and gave me the chance to feel like I was living the Parisian life, if only for a few days.
I booked the Bandol apartment, a one-bedroom apartment set in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower—I could actually see a bit of it peeking above the rooftops out of my bedroom window. Decorated in lush teal and grey tones, it had a small bedroom with a bit of storage space, a petite living room, and a cozy dining space. Large windows provided plenty of natural light and a glimpse at the bustling street life below.
There was a fully-equipped kitchen with a large fridge, oven, microwave, coffee maker, dishwasher, and plenty of plates, glasses, pots, pans, and utensils. The small bathroom had a tiled shower, a combo washer-dryer, hair dryer, towels, soaps, lotion, and heated towel rack. It was the perfect size for two people staying for five nights, and had just about everything we could possibly need during our stay.
As with all Paris Perfect apartments, ours also came with plug converters, free wifi, a phone to make free calls to any landline in the world, cable TV, and a welcome basket with a bottle of wine, a massive book of local recommendations ranging from grocery stores and public transport to restaurants and cafes, and a supply of dishwasher and laundry soaps, garbage bags and paper towels.
- Get an eSim to be able to use your smartphone abroad.
- Get a Car Rental
- Get into top Paris sites with the Paris Megapass.
- Buy Travel Insurance
- Get a universal plug adapter
I’d been in touch with Paris Perfect prior to my trip to inform them of our arrival time. Every renter is personally greeted by a Paris Perfect employee, who hands over the keys and answers any questions about the apartment. When my train from Amsterdam ended up being delayed, and then delayed again, and then delayed again, my greeter was in constant contact to make sure he’d be at the apartment when we arrived.
Once we’d settled in, we never needed to reach the company again, but had we needed to, they are available at any time in an emergency. When it was time to leave, we simply tidied up, took out the trash, left the key on the counter, and let the door lock behind us.
Paris Perfect made everything easy and convenient—almost as convenient as if we’d been staying in a full-service hotel. But, instead, we were able to pretend we were locals, or at least in-the-know visitors staying at a friend’s apartment. We loved being able to cook a few meals in our kitchen, wash our clothes after a week of traveling, and just relax in our private space. It was the perfect way to pretend to be Parisian, just for a little while.
If you go: Paris Perfect offers a range of apartments, which can sleep 2 to 8 people, and cost €175 up to €2195 per night. Paris Perfect typically requests a minimum stay of seven nights but will allow shorter stays of 5 or 6 nights based on availability. Check-in time is 3:30 pm and checkout time is 10 am, however, guests are welcome to store their luggage at the Paris Perfect office before or after.
Don’t recommend this company. They charged my credit card, but had to cancel the booking since the owner wanted 2 of the 7 days booked. I can’t get a refund because their finance director is traveling. A week later and same excuse. Of course I’ll submit this to AMEX, but warning others they are sketchy.
Same comment as above : Guest beware: how Paris Perfect is fleecing customers.
The weeks and months in Covid would have separated the good companies caring about their customers for their long-term business and the rest. Paris Perfect is part of the rest.
We had a confirmed reservation for three weeks in Paris for the amount of €17,183 that included an exorbitant 3 1/4% charge on my credit card.
France decided to close the border for travelers coming from the UK. We could not travel we were forced to cancel. The Airline give us back our money, the car rental company give us back our money, a credit card deposit in a restaurant was also refunded for the full amount. No charge at all and we will rerun the favor to those companies.
This was not the case for Paris Perfect. They brandish their contract and charged us yet another 3 1/4% to obtain a refund plus $350 for “administrative fee which is about what the worst airline would charge you on a bad day.
In total we lost $1,430. But in truth, we were lucky to cancel 61 days before our departure the next day we would have lost half of our money! No understanding, no accommodation in a dire situation just grabbing our money.
For future travelers you may want to know that Europe does not allow additional charges for payment done with credit card. It is not because it is part of the contract that it is legal.
Further when a purchase is canceled the card processing company will refund that fee to the merchant and charging only a small flat fee.
We sent a formal complaint to the financial ombudsman in Paris because the vacation was in Paris and Paris Perfect as a physical location in Paris so they must follow what is being done in Europe and not hide behind the registration of their company in Bermuda – how convenient!
We had a vacation insurance but they didn’t want to refund the exorbitant fee on the credit card (they were as surprised as we were) and there’s a $300 minimum before a claim can be entered.
We learned our lesson the hard way, so we decided as soon as Paris does open to take a suite in a 5 star hotel in the center of Paris for the same budget. You can cancel 24 hours prior – Your bed is made every day…. And who wants to cook in Paris when you are there for a couple of weeks.
Ps – and as soon as it happens your account is deleted on their site so you can’t leave review at all – very sneaky people.
FINALLY……A place where I can post an HONEST review about Paris perfect vacation rentals. I have used them twice in the past and was very happy with both apartments our family rented. This was back before they became “Vacation Perfect”….well, how things have changed. we just got back from Paris with this being myself and my husbands last big trip with our daughter and our grandkids, as we are getting up there in age. I didn’t hesitate a bit to book an apartment with them and pay upfront for a 3 BR, 2 Bath on the Rue Cler. My daughter loves to stay in nice hotels but we prefer apartment life in Paris. OMG is about all I can say. Horrible horrible horrible. And these people aren’t even the least bit interested in the cheap looking apartments they now appear to be renting. They advertise about high quality furnishings and upscale “sofas’s……My husband kept falling in to the sofa cushions of the $399. IKEA sofa. While sitting having lunch at the table the cheap chair leg fell out from under him, and he’s not a big guy!!. One set of towels per person for the week is standard…Oh yes, very luxurious..Like I went all the way to Paris to do laundry every day. One of the two bathrooms was located in what I can only describe as a broom closet. Broken mini blinds on the window. Bedside table lamps with no outlets to plug them in to. windows looking out on to the street that wouldn’t close. All the furnishings looked like they came from IKEA, which is fine if it didn’t cost over $6,000. for the week. Let’s talk about the building entrance. A seedy looking single door next to an ALDI where garbage cans blocked the entrance. You opened a door into a darkened entrance hall, then thru another door that went into a dirty courtyard. Thru another door into a tiny lobby with a singular elevator. The apartment was anything but as they described. I’d be embarrassed as a company to have it represent what I offer to the vacationing public. The directions to get WIFI were difficult to figure out. Zero “nice” features. They claimed they have different price points as to what you rent…that was new to me as I re-read their website and just as the two times in the past this is not mentioned. It was clearly comparing a “Days Inn” to the “Waldorf” only this was never mentioned. Whoever owns this place should be ashamed of themselves for presenting such a luxury apartment. It was anything but. But here was the best thing and we should have known from day one that they are no longer honorable people to do business with. Last time we visited we rented a car service called “Victor” cabs to take us shopping around town for three hours. We liked that and wanted to do that again. So after our reservation was made I asked if they still were in business. I never asked or even mentioned that we needed transportation from the airport. NEVER…..I made plans thru a friend and used a fabulous company called Citizen Limo. I never asked for Victors or ever gave anyone my flight information and airline. When we arrived at the airport there was Citizen Limo waiting for us with a name sign and standing right along side was Victors with the same sign. Now I never gave them any information as for dates, airline flight, times, nothing. I merely asked if they still could be rented by the hour for shopping and even got an e-mail from them saying they would not be at the airport becuase they never heard back from me…..So who gave Victor cabs our flight info…..Paris Perfect…and guess what my daughter had to pay them over $100. for just showing up without me requesting. Paris Perfect knowing very well that they gave out my flight information refused to do a thing. At the airport while waiting for our luggage Victors called my daughters phone and confirmed he was there (after saying they would not be) She didn’t realize it was not the company I hired…so a simple cab ride from the airport in to the city cost over $250.00……Stay away from this company at all costs. they used to be fabulous, but money must have gone to their heads. Worst experience in Paris ever…….they are no honorable people…….