ON MY RECENT TRIP TO PARIS... I had the pleasure of staying at the Hotel Chavanel on rue Tronchet, in the chic Madeleine district. It sits elegantly betwixt bars, cafes and boutiques. The charm of Paris is inescapable, but most especially at the boutique hotel Chavanel. With only 27 rooms, this privately owned, small, service-oriented establishment serves up quality and luxury.
I arrived just in time in the late afternoon to settle in, get a fresh chop at the Jean Louis David salon on rue Cambon, and head to l’Etoile for an intimate Milky Chance concert. The lovely hotel staff made my night so much more fantastic by adding the convenience of having the concert tickets waiting in my room for me! And the concert was incredible—I got to hear songs from their new album and rub elbows with local Parisians while sipping on an aperol spritz. I capped off the night with some crispy frites and slid into bed for some shut-eye before a big day.
In the morning, I awoke to hazy sunlight poking through the white lace shades and opened the curtain to adore the quaintly shuttered residences across from me. Before heading out to catch all of the glistening sights, I enjoyed the hotels organic buffet breakfast downstairs in the stone walled vaulted cellar. Freshly baked croissants with raspberry jam were calling my name, so I indulged in the buttery goodness and then strolled outside for a café au lait.
The hotel is a quick 15-minute jaunt to the Tuileries Garden by the Louvre; the perfect walk with a coffee companion. If you havent been, the Tuileries Garden is one of the most beautiful places to visit and meander through aimlessly. The trees are always trimmed to match one another and the green benches are placed in all the right spots for people watching. The line to get into the Louvre was absurdly long given the unusually warm February weather, so I continued to Pariss lovely Marais neighborhood for shopping at Manoush, a drink at La Perle and lunch at Dame Tartine.
After gobbling up a delicious tartine with magrets de canard fumés and goat's cheese, I was ready for an afternoon of thumbing through used books in the Latin Quarter. The San Francisco Book Company and Shakespeare and Company are must-visits. And if you’re a fan of Hemingway, bring your new book purchase to Papa’s old haunt, Les Deux Magots, for a gooey croque monsieur. Saint-Germain des Prés is a fabulous area to spend the evening in. It is wildly charming and filled with dim bars, restaurants and enticing art galleries.
When the night grew tired, I dragged myself through the twinkling lights back to the Hotel Chavanel and had my last night of Parisian sleep before coming home.
To book your stay for the best rates in the city, email David (info@hotelchavanel.com) at hotel Chavanel and mention this article!
