Bigger (often cheaper) than a hotel: how to find an apartment overseas

Lifting my head from the pillow, I’m looking at a flock of pigeons circling the twin towers of Paris’ Notre Dame cathedral. They’re only about 50 metres away, and they survived the tragic fire intact, unlike the rest of the church, which is swathed in scaffolding. It’s a pretty special wake-up view, but not one you’re going to get from any hotel.

Staying in a holiday apartment has some distinct advantages over staying in a hotel.Credit: iStock

I’m staying in an apartment, one of 30 in the centre of Paris on the books of boutique rental agency Guest Apartment Services. Christophe Chastel and Philippe Pee have been operating the agency since 1997, initially for American clients. That fell apart when Americans stopped coming during the Iraq War, so they diversified, and today 40 per cent of their clients are Australian, with 65 per cent repeats. Their apartments are usually booked out months in advance, with good reason.

In Paris and any other Western European capital, hotel rooms are expensive. In late June I paid almost $400 for a one-night stay in a three-star hotel near Gare du Nord, not exactly a chic address, and that didn’t include breakfast. Au contraire, there’s a lot to like about apartment rentals.

I’ve stayed in Paris hotel rooms that were barely 15 square metres. Here, in London, Rome or New York, 25 square metres is a largish hotel room, but even in a studio apartment you’ve got more space.

My apartment is a glorious 70 square metres, on the fifth floor of a private building tucked away down a side street away from the tourist hordes. The piece de resistance is the 60-square-metre terrace on the level above, equipped with tables and lounges with umbrellas.

The Marais, Saint Paul village and the Left Bank are within easy walking distance, and there’s a great little boulangerie, a formidable cheese shop, cafes and several incarnations of the famous Berthillon ice cream shops just over the bridge on Ile Saint-Louis.

Some apartments come with a washer/dryer, and if you’ve been on the road for a few days, that’s a gift from heaven. You’ve also got cooking facilities, maybe a coffee maker, and breakfast in your apartment means you can save the cost of a cafe breakfast. I’m eating warm croissants and pain aux raisins on my terrace, with million-dollar views on all sides and a morning breeze coming off the Seine. It’s also great value.

My vast apartment costs €420 ($688) a night in peak season. A spacious suite in a hotel with a terrace and a view over central Paris at this time of year is going to cost at least $1500 a night.

What to look for in your apartment rental

As well as the right size, location and price, a local presence makes a big difference to an apartment rental. If you lock yourself out, it’s not much help if your host is 50, 500 or 5000 kilometres away. When you book with Airbnb or Vacation Rentals by Owner (VRBO) you don’t know if your host is an absentee landlord.

Small, boutique agencies that specialise in fewer locations are more likely to have a local representative to sort out problems. The shopfront headquarters of Guest Apartment Services sits in a central location on lle Saint-Louis, at the nucleus of the properties they represent. Guests can be met at the airport by a limo driver, shown around their apartment and hooked up with the high-speed Wi-Fi service which is standard in all their apartments. There’s also a concierge service. If you want tickets for a musical recital at Sainte-Chappelle or a booking at the latest hot bistro, they can organise that. And if you lock yourself out? “They have my number, I’m on call 24/7,” says Philippe.

Some platforms such as Airbnb and VRBO allow hosts to cancel your booking, right up to the last minute. While there might be a legitimate reason, it can also happen if there’s a sudden surge in demand for accommodation and the host realises they can jack up the price. There is nothing to prevent them from doing that. Airbnb will refund whatever you’ve paid, but that might take a month to happen, and in the meantime you’re out in the cold.

Airbnb

The world’s number one marketplace for short-term rentals lists over seven million properties. If you want a waterfront cabin in Ilulissat, Greenland or a penthouse at the heart of Addis Ababa, you can find it on Airbnb. In popular cities, the volume of properties means competition among hosts is fierce and prices are keen.

Airbnb doesn’t discriminate. There is no vetting process for hosts. If you have a room to let in your suburban house 15 kilometres from the city centre or a luxury apartment in London’s Mayfair, you get equal billing. The photos of your chosen apartment might be accurate, but they’re up to the host, and blemishes are easily left out.

I’ve stayed in Airbnbs where the cupboards and drawers were packed with the host’s clothes, and where the dishes piled up by the sink suggested a recent hasty departure. Airbnb applies its “Superhost” tag to its top-rated and most experienced hosts, but for an accurate idea of what you’re signing up for you need to troll through the reviews.

See airbnb.com

One Fine Stay

One Fine Stay is a booking platform that puts travellers into high-quality, privately owned homes in 50 major cities and premier vacation spots. Only the best homes are admitted to the fold, and a premium location, luxurious furnishings and ambience are all essential. Guests are welcomed at the property and shown around by the concierge team. Unlike some similar platforms, there is no requirement for a one-week minimum stay.

One innovation that has been widely adopted by One Fine Stay properties is Sherlock. Homes equipped with the Sherlock device can be unlocked using the Sherlock app. Since 2016 One Fine Stay has been part of the Accor group.

See onefinestay.com

Plum Guide

Another booking platform with a curated collection of posh urban boltholes and holiday homes, the Plum Guide launched in London in 2016, from where it has expanded to cover some of the world’s favourite cities such as New York, Paris, Copenhagen and Rome. More recently it’s branched out into posh vacation spots such as the south of France, the Greek Islands, the Beatrix Potter bits of England, Puglia, the Hamptons and Palm Springs.

Homes must pass muster to become a Plum and many are cherry-picked from other booking platforms, such as Airbnb. One crucial difference – there’s a concierge team to make sure your stay lives up to expectations. If the host cancels within five days of check-in, you’ll get another Plum home which may have a standard rate of up to 50 per cent more than the one you booked, at no extra cost.

See plumguide.com

The Thinking Traveller

Rather than casting its net over every corner of the Mediterranean, this UK-based villa rental operation focuses on just Sicily, Puglia, Greece and Corsica. The thinkers set a high bar for admission to their property list, claiming only a one per cent success rate among applicants. Luxury is important, as is location.

Guests get a local concierge and extra services such as a chef, in-villa massages and driver can be dialled in. There’s also a menu of experiences such as boat charters, visits to olive oil farms, vineyards and archaeological sites.

Over the two decades Thinking Traveller has existed they’ve reaped numerous awards from the arbiters of excellence in the travel industry. Having rented one of their villas in Sicily in 2022 to celebrate a big birthday with friends and family, Thinking Traveller are a dream to work with, totally on the ball.

See thethinkingtraveller.com

Stay One

The name comes from the one percenters, the absolute cream of holiday homes. Such as a sculptural retreat with separate guest pavilions in Norway’s remote Fleinvær Archipelago, which sleeps 10, at $US14,500-$US21,050 ($21,450-$31,150) a night. Or how about a five-bedroom retreat at Tangalle on the South coast of Sri Lanka with an Ayurvedic spa, infinity pool and in-house chef, for $US630-$US1167 ($930-1730) a night?

Guests are vetted to make sure they’re fit for purpose. High net worth guests are preferred, and having someone in the Stay One family to vouch for you is a big asset. Once in, you’ve joined a privileged club of like-minded travellers.

See stayone.com

The writer stayed as a guest of Guest Apartment Services.