I LOVE PARIS IN THE SPRINGTIME!

SAT.16-MON 18 APRIL 2011:

Paris was sparkling in the April sunshine like the jewel that it is and we shone like the sun as we ambled from street to boulevard,lost in it's beauty.
My friend Joumana, who lives in Paris, warned me that the temperatures had drastically cooled down from the heatwave they had the week before and that I shouldn't bother with sandals,my biker boots would do...lucky I packed my ballerina shoes. My feet were expanding within my biker boots with each step I took and they were screaming to be set free before they burst on to the pavement. Yes,folks the temperature was soaring as our spirits but my dogs were miserable! Enter ballet pumps for rest of the stay but the damage was done: my swollen feet resembled individual portions of camembert pouring out of my delicate pumps + the redening of the sun....camembert fresh from the oven...Didn't spoil my stay, no siree ! I soldiered on like a trouper.

We stayed at this delightful hotel in St.Germain , just off the Blvd Raspail which is a lively area full of people and bars and restaurants including the well known chic eatery : La Coupole.
The Hotel des Academies et des Arts is luxurious boutique hotel which first opened its doors in 2007. It is listed as a 3* but it is 4* all the way. There is no restaurant or bar just a lovely breakfast/tea room "Chez Charlotte's" which serves the most exquisite macaroons and tea from the Palais des Thes between the hours of 2.30pm and 6pm...we missed the time slot on both days!
You will see silhouettes known as the "white Figures" everywhere inside the hotel and rooms as a wink to the arts and the famous artists that were drawn to this area back in the twenties, such as Picasso, Modigliani and Fujita. They ad such a whimsical touch and almost seem to guide you from room to hall,from elevator to lounge and usher you out into the street to enjoy the pleasures of Paris while they silently await your return.
The hotel also boasts a "wellness spa"which we didn't visit but a menu of the treatments offered was at our disposal in the room and massages were on the list. A cosmopolitan selection of guests were seen and heard but never a hindrance... well other than the overly merry woman who was shouting "Wake up,wake up" in the wee hours of Sunday morning outside our room and persisted in being a wee pain in my ass. 
Thankfully the reception area is small and cosy, tasteful and chic...more like a comfy sitting room in a country manor and smells so delicious thanks to the divine candels burning all day and night. They are thankfully sold at a mere snip of 24€, a lovely souvenir or gift you'll be hard pressed to be parted with,believe me.
Let me not forget the staff who were extremely friendly and helpful ,the likes of which one rarely gets in big and busy hotels.We got in mid morning and since check in wasn't before 3pm the receptionist kindly juggled things around and gave us a room straight away,that sold it for us.

We will return,this hotel is perfect in every way, check their website for more details, I give it 2 thumbs up. Must mention breakfast,it is fab french fayre that even my BF who is a hearty eater, especially at breakfast,had his fill. There is no menu,they just put everything before you and you start salivating, trust me...if you don't like warm chewy croissants,hot baguettes...you are screwed and will just have to eat the fruit and yoghurt. Breakfast:16€
http://www.hoteldesacademies.com/

*The stairwell*



*Cosy lounge area*

*It is all in the detail and this hotel has it in spades*

*Breakfast room*

*wall outside room#34 window*



 Pictures speak for themselves and I will let our stay in Paris shine through the photos I took..you can add your own thoughts and words.

Abercrombie and Fitch yet to open on the Champs Elyssees

                                         Old fashioned tricycle chained to railling...I kid you not.

                                                  *Paul Smith: hole puncher gone wild...*

Magical Pont des Arts with all the padlocks everywhere...lovers locking their hearts to the railing of Paris's famous bridge..they are all over the railing! Amazing. *My dad would be in hog's heaven...he has always had a thing for padlocks!* See the Dad Hatter*

I loath posting pictures of myself...but this is apt : Lovers on Pont des Arts..and more padlocks behind us!

Paris would mean nothing without our dear friends Philippe and Marc both modelling the Toby Peace bracelet @ Les Petits Carreaux Restaurant in Montorgueil.

Love you guys.

                                But love my boo more..Dregs of Tea by The...still a great stop.

                 *Last lunch under the fabulous dome of Mega dept.store le Printemps,blvd Haussman*

Well,there you have it....our weekend away in Paris: less words and more pictures.
Thank you Marc,Philippe, Joumana and her lovely girls for their company and Fabulosity.

FOR THE FOODIES:
Saturday lunch at "Noura" for lebanese,delish but horribly expensive.
Dinner Saturday night in the Marais" Des Gars dans la cuisine": cosy,great vibe but soon became quite rowdy which overshadowed the good food and even better company.
Quick tea break at Tea by The, off rue du Rivoli...perfect.
Sunny Sunday lunch at "Les Petits Carreaux" on rue des carreaux and Montorgueil:fine french food, great steak au poivre and wonderful rose: Mont Redon.
Dessert:The best gelato known to man or myself at"Pozzetto Gelato Cafe"in the Marais.Very small list of homemade ice cream.Try the fig...I died and went to heaven...DIVINE. 
Sunday dinner,home cooking at Joumana's:fabulous spaghetti al forno...and no,she doesn't take reservations.
Monday lunch at Le Printemps:" La Coupole":Carpaccio with a poached egg and heavenly french fries swallowed down with chilled Cotes de Provence rose...don't say I didn't share!
Orly airport,departure lounge: a diet Coke and a stick of gum....all fooded out!