Now that my Paris trip is in the rearview and I’ve gotten my schedule (mostly) back on track it’s time for me to share my review. 

Before our trip, I heard so many positive things about Paris: the food is divine, the shopping is (one of) the best in the world, the architecture is jaw-dropping, and so on. 

However, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention some of the negative sentiments too- it’s dirty, smelly, and the people are rude. Now full disclosure I’m a big fan of cities so the idea that it might be a little grimy, have hot summer city smells wafting through the air, and people too busy living their lives to spend time exchanging pleasantries with tourists, didn’t bother me at all. 

But before I dive into what we did and what I’ll do next time (also known as what I didn’t do but wanted to) let’s address the above.

What to expect–

The positives were right on point. The food was indeed divine, the shopping was my favorite of all the big cities I’ve visited and the architectural history is fascinating. The negatives (while I don’t want to take away from anyone else’s experience) couldn’t have been further from the truth in my experience.

Paris is the most charming city I’ve ever visited and unless I just happened to show up on clean sweeps week I have no idea how anyone could find it dirty. It was extremely clean and there was no hot city summer smell. And before I’m accused of wearing rose-colored glasses I’d like to go on record by saying the three other people (my husband and two of our couple friends) who traveled with me share the same sentiments.

The people were also very warm and welcoming everywhere we went. I received hugs on my birthday, exchanged laughs with waiters at almost every restaurant we visited, and had an Uber driver so interested in making jubilant small talk that he used an app to translate (and in kind, we did too). 

This leads me to my next point- language. I really wanted to make sure I knew a few French phrases as I’d heard so much about this being a sign of respect and something that would be appreciated. Having lived in several countries I know that most people do know some English and many are proficient, but I wanted to make the effort. 

Here’s what I found- it seemed to be more of an issue to start in French. I’d say something as simple as Bonjour and then whomever I was speaking to would launch into a conversation completely in French.

I’d have to quickly explain that I only spoke English to which one person even replied “you tricked me” before breaking into a fit of laughter. Paris is extremely diverse by the way (also something I wasn’t expecting). So the bottom line is you don’t really need to speak French. Just be polite. Aside from a couple of Uber drivers, everyone else we encountered spoke English fluently. And you don’t need to say much in an Uber since your route is already mapped, unless you get the “app guy”. He was a hoot.

Where we stayed-

If you read my previous post you know that our travel guy Al suggested three Parisian hotels. We chose the Raphael Hotel. The Raphael Hotel is a 5 star hotel and it was exactly what I was looking for. It had all the luxurious French feels. And it was huge (not the hotel itself) but our room was. It was a Junior Suite, where we had three different spaces- I’m including the bathroom because it was another room with wall-to-wall closet space, a dressing table with a vanity, and a minibar. The bedroom area had a king-sized bed, another set of wall-to-wall closet cabinetry nightstands, and thick drapes that separated that area from the living room (also a large area) with a couch, chairs, table, desk, and TV. I kind of want to live there like one of those Hollywood celebs.

It also boasted a rooftop restaurant and bar that was very popular with the locals and had a separate entrance for them. The city views were breathtaking.

What we did–

We visited Versailles, which was lavish, opulent, and everything you’d imagine for Queen Marie Antoinette (you know the “let them eat cake” one). The artwork was like nothing I’d ever seen before and the gardens were magical.

We also visited The Basilica Sacré Coeur de Montmartre, which wasn’t on my list but was recommended by a waitress. It’s actually the second most popular tourist destination after the Eiffel Tower. The church itself was resplendent with its kaleidoscope stained glass, but the view of Paris from its hill was heart-stopping. And there were street performers, gelato stands and crepes du jour! I loved their lovers’ lock gate where people left engraved (or sharpied) locks hanging along the entrance.

We took the Seine Dinner Cruise on the Seine River for my birthday, which was splendid. We enjoyed a 4-course meal with champagne and wine pairings. I also had the advantage of not only seeing so many parts of the city along the river route but learning about them too. Our waiter doubled as a tour guide.

We shopped (a lot)- our hotel location was within walking distance to the Champs Elysées, one of the most popular shopping locations. Because it was so close, we made several stops there. We visited a few local shops there as well as the LV Flagship, and the original Hermès store to name a couple. But there’s over a mile’s worth of (mostly designer) shops to visit along this area.

I also loved Saint Honoré where we visited the Chanel flagship, The Hermès fllagship and the Roger Vivier shoe store. The president’s house is located there too. 

And speaking of Hermès- (as promised if you read my last post) I’ll share my Birkin news here. Sadly, I didn’t win the lottery for the bag appointment where I’d hoped to have a chance to purchase a Kelly or a Birkin. I tried for 3 days out of the 6 that we were there. You basically need to keep your schedule wide open for the day you’re applying for and I wasn’t willing to do that for every day that we were there, as we did pre-schedule a few activities as you saw above. And my odds were 0 for 3.  

However, I did get another Chanel bag, which is perfect for my dressier going out looks. It’s gorgeous and certainly not a consolation prize. And unlike the Birkin, it’s Beyonce approved. I also need to note that SAs in Chanel were absolutely lovely to work with. This is where I got my Birthday hugs (insert heart eyes emoji).

But…as for Hermès, I might try again next time. The form is very easy to fill out. You do it the day before and get notified by 8 PM if you’ve been selected. Here it is in case you’re interested.

And of course we dined–

There are far too many restaurants to name. They were all fantastic and I’m not exaggerating. But I’ll say that we did visit Sir Winston’s, Le Jardin- the rooftop bar at our hotel, and La Terrasse Kléber- Paris’ largest enclosed Terrace located at The Peninsula Paris Hotel, more than once. The multiple visits had more to do with proximity. The Peninsula Paris hotel was right next door and it’s one of the most magnificent hotels I’ve ever seen. If you don’t mind being set back about 4K a night then this one might be for you!

And for next time-

The Louvre- We did visit the beautiful Tuileries Garden near the Louvre, which we stumbled upon while shopping one afternoon. We grabbed gelato from a nearby shop and strolled through the gardens, past the parks, fountains, and Ferris Wheel, until we reached the Louvre, but the lines were already quite long. We intended to come back the next day for a tour, but alas time got away from us. Though it was high on my must-see list (well technically I saw it) I wasn’t really disappointed that we missed touring it this time. We really made the most of our time there and It definitely won’t be our last visit.

We’d also like to visit Normandy next time. It is hailed as the 21st arrondissement (district or neighborhood) of Paris and is of course located by the sea. 

So that’s pretty much my take on our Paris vacation. It was the perfect place to bring in my 50th birthday in style.

I’d love to hear about your summer trips too. And let me know if you have any questions about Paris that I didn’t address here.

Until next post, 

Xo Tonya Parker