The perfect Airbnb alternative in London and Paris

perfect paris

You know when you watch a shoot in Paris and the characters’ apartments are huge, flooded with sunlight and you have a view of the Eiffel Tower from the balcony? These apartments can be yoursand for much less than you think. Enter perfect paris.

perfect london

Almost a decade before Airbnb, Madelyn Byrne and her husband Philippe rented apartments in Paris. At the end of the 1990s, the couple transformed Philippe’s Paris apartment, with a view of the Eiffel Tower, into a duplex to be enjoyed in retirement. But then, says Byrne, “The internet came along and we just started renting it out. That was 1999, before there were any vacation rental sites.

perfect paris

Byrne’s desire to make homes away from home came from her childhood. Her father was in the Air Force and her family moved around a lot when she was growing up. “Being in a new city and not knowing where anything is or how to get there resonated with me,” she says.I wanted an apartment that everyone I knew in the United States would feel really happy to come to and feel like everything was there for them. When we rented accommodation, there was always a shortage of hot water and it was dark. I said, “no 10 watt bulbs and the largest hot water tank known to man”. That, she said laughing,was my purpose.

perfect london

After working to prepare their own apartment, Madelyn and Philippe decided to rent apartments for their owners. Paris Perfect was born, followed by London and Bali. Today, they own 90 apartments in Paris, 40 in London, a villa in bali, and plans to expand to Provence. In Paris, 60 apartments are available at a time and in London, 30; Byrne adds that London is a smaller market because it can be harder to find suitable properties. His sisters Lisa and Pat run Italy Perfectwith over 50 properties in Rome, Florence, Venice, Tuscany and the Amalfi Coast.

perfect paris

What sets Paris Perfect and London Perfect apart from the myriad of other rental apartments is that they are run like a luxury hotel.—sheets should be 250 thread count, 100% long-staple cotton; all towels are 800g 100% Turkish cotton; the soap is custom made in Germany. The apartments are perfectly welcoming but without clutter, spacious but warm, with plush but not too soft mattresses dressed in crisp linens, a bottle of wine ready to be enjoyed on the balcony. No detail was overlooked, thanks to Byrne’s meticulous eye. Everything is exactly in its place, from the tea towels to the corkscrew, from the dryer to the laundry detergent. “We have a spreadsheet with several hundred rows of what a landlord should have in their apartment, which includes things like a pizza knife. If you are going shopping, you may need a basket. If you do laundry and don’t want to use the dryer, you need a drying rack. That’s all there.

perfect london

Choosing an apartment rather than an often small hotel room is a good bet for families. Byrne and his team have therefore ensured that all Paris Perfect and London Perfect apartments are safe for children.Even the apartments that have a balcony, we ensure that there is very good locks. In most apartments, a window can be partially opened, but there is a lock to prevent it from opening fully.

The apartments vary in size from studios to four bedrooms in London (from £141) and from studios to three bedrooms in Paris (from €175).

As of this writing, apartments in both cities are on sale for up to 30% off.

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