Life,Travel
My husband, Wes, and I recently spent the weekend in Paris in February. We turned a work trip into a long weekend where we celebrated Valentine’s day and spent some time with my good friend who’s lived there for several […]
My husband, Wes, and I recently spent the weekend in Paris in February. We turned a work trip into a long weekend where we celebrated Valentine’s day and spent some time with my good friend who’s lived there for several years. We got very lucky with the weather (12 degrees C/53F ) so we were able to explore comfortably. This is a travel diary of where we ate and shopped.
Paris is divided into “Arrondissements” (sections) which are labelled by numbers. Wes and I stayed in the 3rd arrondissement just on the edge of the trendy Marais neighbourhood. This meant that we had amazing restaurants and shopping within walking distance and the beautiful tourist destinations were a long walk or short drive/metro ride away. Wes and I often opted to walk because Paris is so beautiful. It’s our favourite way to discover a city and the little nuances that make it special. We love staying close to tourist sites we like to see but mostly around good restaurants as Paris is our favourite place to eat. I feel like staying in the 1st-4th arrondissements are ideal for good food and shopping.
Wes and I stayed at the Villa Beaumarchais which is tucked away on a quiet street. We “got” the hotel through Hotwire- one of our favourite ways to grab a good deal. We usually opt for a 3 or 4 star hotel and have always had a great stay. This time our hotel room (cozy as most Paris ones are) looked out into a charming courtyard. We had a very comfortable and quiet stay. The hotel also had a restaurant attached to it which we didn’t try but looked like a great option.
Other Places to Stay: Hotel Josephine
This pretty hotel is located in the 9th arrondissement which is farther from the Notre Dame and the Louvre but close to good shopping like the Galleries Lafayette and food like Pink Mamma. We stayed here last time we were in Paris and had a great time.
This amazing restaurant was just around the corner from our hotel and was so convenient and delicious that we broke one of our travel rules and ate there twice. I had the most delicious banana fritters and Wes enjoyed the Smoked salmon and poached egg on home made sourdough focaccia. This place is very small (the food arrives in a dumbwaiter from the underground kitchen) but we found spots easily between 8-9am for breakfast. The outside has a patio that was available but definitely more comfortable in warmer weather.
Also try: Fragments
The last time we visited Paris Wes, my friend, and I went to Fragments which is a trendy and busy breakfast place. It has great coffee and delicious small breakfast options. This was a 5 minute walk from Villa Beaumarchais. Tip: This place fills up quickly so get there early.
Mokonuts
This cute little cafe is frequented by my friend so we were treated like family. They serve fresh and delicious food including the gnocchi starter that I can still taste. It was SO GOOD! This was one of my favourite places to eat so book the necessary reservation and have an amazing meal.
Our Valentine’s dinner was spent at Bien Élevé, a beautiful restaurant that supports sustainable agriculture. We sat in the window which actually opens up with warmer weather for optimal people watching.
Bonhomie is a modern mediterranean restaurant with shared plates and tables. We dined for three hours with our friend and her boyfriend and tasted the many vegetarian, meat and fish plates they produced. Bonhomie is also a cocktail bar and had the best options for a virgin cocktail which was nice for me. It’s not exactly fun watching everyone drink wine in Paris when you’re pregnant!
Buffet
We spent our last dinner at Buffet which was a great idea. This down to earth space, complete with diner-esque gingham tablecloths had great food and incredibly friendly staff. I enjoyed an amazing blackfish dinner here and Wes had the veal.
I have a more detailed blog post here with my favourite shopping spots but to make things organized here is a list of great places to shop:
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