Heading to Paris? Looking for a place to stay? I have long extolled the virtues of renting a home or apartment, while traveling. For our family, it makes perfect sense. And so, let me share with you Perfectly Paris, which has a plethora of wonderful places to rent in Paris. Ah yes, Paris! Who WOULDN'T want to spend more time there?

We sat down to chat with Gail Boisclair, owner of Perfectly Paris,  about her company, Paris travel tips, Paris apartment rental tips, and more. Here's what she had to say...

WE: Please tell us about Perfectly Paris...

GB: PerfectlyParis is a short term, vacation rental company specializing in apartments in the Montmartre and surrounding area. The idea is for you to experience Paris as a local and stay in a holiday flat instead of a hotel.

WE:  What was the genesis of your site?

GB: When I moved to Paris in 2001 with my boyfriend/partner at the time, we thought it would be better to buy something instead of renting an apartment since property prices and rentals in Paris are rather high. While looking for our apartment, we came across an adorable little cottage that we bought. We moved there while our new apartment was being renovated. Once we moved into our place, I asked what we were going to do with the cottage since we no longer needed to live there. My partner suggested that we rent it out to tourists. As this was 2001 and the thought of renting a place for a vacation was less common, I had doubts but decided to give it a try. This gave birth to our first website, which was called WeekInParis. Things worked so well that I decided to manage properties for others and this is when PerfectlyParis started.

WE:  How can travelers best utilize Perfectly Paris?

GB: We have a large number of families, couples, and solo travelers. As a result, we cater to all sorts of people. We have developed a comprehensive set of Links on our site which can be very useful when planning your trip.

WE:  What is apartment rental like, with Perfectly Paris?

GB: All of our places are located within a 2-7 minute walk of a metro station and are in areas that are family-friendly with cafés, boutiques, restaurants and more.

We have a comprehensive information booklet which is a great tool in explaining how things work in the apartment, where to shop and eat, how to get to some of the main sites and more.

Our goal is to make the rental process, from start to finish, simple. The information we provide on our site, through e-mail correspondence and then at the flat in the form of a personal greeter and information booklet, make it easy to take the thinking out of your vacation.

We want people to have a relaxing and enjoyable vacation when visiting our city!

WE: What should travelers look for, in Paris apartment rentals?

GB: Apartment rentals are not for everyone and this is important for people to realise. It is easy to forget that there are regular, working people living in the same building as you. Spaces are smaller than what most people may be used to so these factors are important to take into consideration and bear in mind when choosing their apartment.

In terms of size, Paris is a much smaller people than you may think and you can travel from one end to the other in 40 minutes or less. As long as you are close to a metro station, getting around is a breeze.

When choosing the rental company you would like to work with, you should do a bit of research and look at travel reviews.

Ensure that the amenities stated are current for the apartment. Make sure you see photos that are reasonably current. Ask for the different ways to pay for your stay as not all places can accept credit cards. If someone suggests that you send funds through Western Union, be very wary of this. Most Europeans, however, pay through rentals by bank transfer so that is often a common means of paying for your stay.

Make sure you know what your final price is – Does the rental rate include utilities/taxes as well as the amenities described? Are there additional agency fees or fees should you wish to pay by credit card or bank transfer?

WE: Do you have any arrangements for travelers that would like to stay for longer periods of time?

GB: We offer a 25% discount from the weekly rates on our site, should someone wish to stay for at least 4 consecutive weeks in the same apartment.

WE:  What are your top Paris travel tips?

GB: One of the most enjoyable things to do in Paris is to walk through the streets, stop at cafés and browse the boutiques.

This is a difficult thing to experience if you have a nonstop agenda for your visit. There are only so many museums and sites you can see in one trip so you should be sure to take the time and experience Paris as a city, not as a tourist attraction.

Here are just a few things off the top of my head that may be interesting:

-Have a tea or lunch in the private garden of the Musée de la Vie Romantique

-Pick up picnic essentials at the Place de la Madeleine (Fauchon, Hediard, Nicolas, etc.) and head a few blocks to the Tuileries for a picnic. Unlike the Luxembourg gardens, you can usually find a chair here.

-Wander the covered galleries in the 2nd arrondisement, Galerie Vivienne (between rue des Petits Champs and rue Vivienne): stop for lunch at A Priori Thé or do a wine tastings at LeGrand Wine Shop. Passage du Grand Cerf: a covered passage filled with artisan shops and handy-crafts makers' shops (10 Rue Dussoubs 75002 Paris), totally off the beaten path.

-Eat out at some of Paris's best Michelin starred restaurants for lunch - saving you 100's of Euros!

-Try some private dining experiences in real Parisian's homes such as Lunch in the Loft (lunchintheloft.com) or Hidden Kitchen (hkmenus.com/)

-Cheese tasting at Chez Virginie in Montmartre.

-Take the navette boat (shuttle) that is FREE with a metro ticket or Navigo between Gare d'Austerlitz and Charenton le Pont.

-Buy tickets in advance to the Louvre and take the metro getting off at Palais Royale-Louvre. There is an entrance there and hardly ever a big line if you already have your tickets.

-Take a cooking class which includes a market tour - you learn, see and then get to enjoy the food you prepared (with some wine, of course).

WE:  Is there anything else you'd like to share with us?

GB: Relax, eat, enjoy, experience – that is what Paris is all about!

WE: Thanks so very much, Gail! We highly recommend Perfectly Paris to our Wandering Educators!

For more information, please see:

http://www.perfectlyparis.com/