Paris is always a good idea and this trip has been a longtime coming. The last time I was here was during my time studying abroad in Verona, Italy, so being back as a real adult is such a treat and we truly made the most of our short time!
We flew in from Nice to ORLY airport and had a very easy time getting an Uber to our hotel in the 8th arrondissement. Throughout our entire stay in France; Provence, Saint-Tropez and Paris, Uber was extremely reliable and basically the only method of transportation we used aside from renting a car in Provence.
Room with a view…
Lucky for us our hotel had our suite ready upon arrival and what a treat staying at Hotel de Montesquieu was.
The staff at this small boutique hotel could not have been more welcoming and I loved the chinoiserie inspired design despite being in Paris.
But perhaps the most important specification when searching long and hard for the perfect hotel, was a balcony facing a Haussmann style facade we come to most associate with Paris.
And a Haussmann facade I got!
Our junior suite was perfectly shaded blue, in fact the closet was straight out of my Pinterest board and I quickly loaded it up with all my Parisian looks to feel right at home!
We arrived on a perfect sunny day despite the somewhat moody weather Paris was experiencing at the end of August, just in time for my epic Parisian lunch with a view.
Lunch at Girafe
It’s safe to say we came for the view, but the food was good too.
Girafe Restaurant is one of many hotspots in Paris, a jewel in the Paris Society Restaurant Group collection which includes other notable hotspots like Coco, Laurent, Gigi and Maxim’s to name a few.
If you are looking for fashionable people, chic decor and a fanciful experience you truly can’t go wrong with any of their locations spread throughout France and Switzerland. I recommend you download their app for the selection but definitely book in advance directly through their website for some of the more well known spots, like Giraffe, as I found the app availability to be delayed in comparison.
Also keep in mind that August is when everyone is on holiday, so unfortunately one of the restaurants I was dyinggggg to go to, Laurent, was closed, however, we made do!
Chantilly at Cafe Carette
After our beautiful lunch Arthur and I wondered around for something sweet, making a stop at Carette Cafe, the Trocadéro location being just a stone’s through away from Giraffe (but I believe the Vosges location to be more popular) and it was buzzing with people as the excitement of Friday afternoon in Paris began.
I had had this place saved on my list from Instagram and of course had to try the famous hot chocolate with creamy chantilly (whipped cream).
Arthur thoroughly enjoyed the selection of French pastries and people watching before we set out to do the impossible, find something cute to bring home to Parker!
French Bébé
There are so very many adorable French fashion brands for children, as we learned on our trip to St. Barts where the tradition of us finding cute clothes for Parker on vacation, without him, originated!
On St. Barts we had had success at Petite Bateau and my favorite Italian brand for sweaters but also cute kids swimwear, MC2 Saint Barth. Here in Paris we loved Tartine et Chocolate, Jacadi kids and of course the legendary Bonpoint where we of course found the cutesiest velvet loafers. The perfect little souvenir from our first day in Paris!
More to come soon! xx
Paris fits première partie…
