 SPA NUXE 32 Rue Montorgueil
75001 Paris01 55 80 71 40Stepping into this chic retreat housed in a former wine and spirit storehouse in the heart of Paris is like walking into a shoot for an interior decor magazine. Intimate candlelight and elegant drapes hung from 17th-century beams create an amorous ambience. Two couples’ packages are available in a spacious two-bedded treatment room with its own whirlpool bath illuminated by precious mosaics. The Sweetheart Escape combines a frothy bath with an hour-long relaxing massage together, while the Tandem Escape involves a two-hour facial and massage using carefully selected French lotions and potions. www.nuxe.com
 Despite what Ernest Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald might have you believe, Paris has not historically been a cocktail-drinking town. Even today, the traditional pre-dinner drink—the apéritif or more familiar “apéro”—usually takes the form of a glass of champagne, a kir (white wine with a splash of cassis), or a pastis (an anise-flavored liqueur favored by pétanque-playing French gentlemen of a certain age).
This is beginning to change, especially among Paris’ young branchés (scenesters). Just as “speakeasies” are cropping up all over downtown Manhattan and Brooklyn, drinking holes that serve serious mixed drinks are on the rise in Paris. Skilled “mixologists” are at the helm of both renowned institutions and newer establishments, and they continue to raise the bar on both the quality and inventiveness of the cocktails they pour.
Nonetheless, one must know where to go. We know how seriously Paris takes its food, but unfortunately, the same rigorous standards are not always applied to mixed drinks. If you take a wrong turn, you can easily end up with a sugary concoction that evokes kindergarten rather than the Jazz Age.
Luckily, we’ve done the work for you. Here’s our short list of the best places to score real cocktails in Paris. In no particular order:
 Le Murano
13, Boulevard du Temple 75003 ParisOpened a few years ago, not far from the unexciting Place de la Republique in a former Renault garage, the Murano's bar has fast become one of Paris' hippest. Boasting … the largest selection of vodkas in the city, a colorful, minimalist design ethic, and a cool DJ-fueled ambiance, this lounge draws bright, young bobos from the surrounding gentrifying neighborhoods. Ask Sandrine, the head bartender, to prepare you a test-tube tasting of multi-flavored vodkas.[link]
 Kube Hotel
5, Passage Ruelle 75018 Paris Although located in one of the grungiest sections of Paris near the former gangster's paradise of the Porte de la Chapelle, the Ice Kube is located on the upper level of … the hotel of the same name and has the distinction of being the city's only ice bar. For €38 you get a half hour of access to the bar, and all the Grey Goose vodka you can drink. Remember to reserve in advance.[link]
 Pershing Hall
49, Rue Pierre Charron 75008 ParisA former American Legion hall, the Pershing was the former residence of the general of the same name, and is one of the city's most sought-after boutique hotels. Designed … by French architect superstar, Andrée Putman, the hotel is awash with cutting edge furniture, lighting effects, and a surprising vertical garden fabricated by scientific Renaissance man, Patrick Blanc. Service is gorgeous and the prices high, but this remains a staple on the Parisian avant-club scene. Try out their new Champagne bar.[link]
 Hemingway Bar
Hotel Ritz 15, Place Vendôme 75001 1 ParisCliché, yes, but this old-school bar is still the gold standard in Parisian mixology and has been considered a go-to spot since Hemingway’s “Lost Generation” frequented it in the ‘20s. Today, it is inhabited by a considerably more swanky set. Colin Field, the head bartender, has become somewhat of a celebrity among cocktail aficionados for his perfectly mixed drinks. Though they are stellar, they don’t come cheap. A Manhattan will run you 26 Euros, so save this place for when your sugar daddy is in town..[link]
 Prescription cocktail club
23, rue Mazarine,
75006 Paris.
The founders of these three bars seem to keep outdoing themselves. Starting with Experimental, they migrated to the left bank to open the other two. Inspired by the speakeasies of the prohibition you could easily walk by and miss the place. But once you know the nightlife gem that lies behind the closed doors and heavy drapery you’ll treck clear across the city in rain or snow to go there. Once inside exposed brick walls, chandeliers, and taxidermied curiosities await you. Oh and so does Paris’ most delicious cocktail menu. Great during the week or earlier in the night to share a drink with a friend or stay later and dance after they turn up the music
 Harry's bar
5, Rue Daunou
75002 Paris
One of Paris’ classic “American bars,” Harry’s has been open since 1923 and is considered a Paris landmark. It’s the kind of place your grandfather probably came for drinks when he was in Paris, but it has proudly stood the test of time and continues to attract a diverse, international crowd. With its dark wood paneling and American college penants adorning the walls, its friendly atmosphere makes you want to settle into a corner table for a night of swilling and story-swapping.
 The Paris City Council has a movie division, and they have kindly prepared a map showing where parts of Woody Allen’s latest film was shot. You couldn’t really do an exhaustive map of where Woody Allen’s picture postcard movie was shot: he was in every single famous or picturesque part of the city! Of course Paris is eager to surf on the buzz around the film and the fact that it opened this year’s Cannes Film Festival, so they’ve provided a neat little map that you can use to follow in Woody’s (and Carla’s) footsteps. So if you want to see or revisit the Pont Alexandre III, Orangerie, Bouquinistes, banks of the Seine or the Eglise Saint-Etienne-du-Mont (a personal favourite), just check out the map below! http://www.v2asp.paris.fr/commun/v2asp/v2/MIDNIGHTinPARIS_internet.pdf
The Marais neighborhood is full of amazing little shops. This is one of our favorite shopping areas!
 Best for: Eclectic fashion, unique jewelry, antiques and fine art.Getting there: Metro Saint-Paul (Line 1) or Hotel de Ville (Line 1, 11)Main streets: Rue des Francs-Bourgeois, Place des Vosges, Rue de Turenne, Rue des Rosiers The historic Marais quarter is prime stomping ground for shoppers with an eye for the unique and finely-crafted, not to mention antique and art lovers. Try antiques or fine-arts shopping on the Place des Vosges, jewelry shopping at boutiques like Satellite on Rue des Francs-Bourgeois, or explore boutiques featuring up-and-coming designers on Rue des Rosiers.
 Sit back and watch the sites of Paris pass you by as a personal driver tours you around the city. Be picked up at your apartment by a minivan and dropped off with direct access to the museums and sites you would like to visit, and they can arrange to pick up pre-purchased tickets as well. They offer a range of tours and will customize tours and times to suit your needs. Choose from Paris half day, Paris full day, Versailles, Fountainbleau, Giverny.
This company organize also some great tours out of Paris in the countryside:
Champagne region
This tour is dedicated to the most famous sparkling wine in the world : the Champagne; we will be head first towards Reims where you will be able to visit a cellar; then you will have the choice between visiting another cellar or the cathedral of Reims (lunch in Reims); then we will drive through the vineyards and reach Hautvilliers, the very charming village of Dom Pérignon; finally we will go to Epernay,the capital of Champagne; visite of a cellar).
Loire Valley
The Loire valley is the craddle of the French Renaissance;to have a better understanding about what happened here in this part of France during the 15th and 16th C. ,we will visit 3 palaces among the most famous: Amboise* which overlooks the Loire river and where L.da Vinci is buried. Chenonceau which was built over the river and the impressive chateau of Chambord built for the king Francis I; an unforgettable day along that delightful river.
D-day Normandy Beaches
After a 3-hour drive, we will reach Arromanches, where was built by the allies one of the 2 artificial harbours ; then we will go to Longues Sur Mer, (the only battery which still has its guns and its observation post where scenes from the movie “the longest day” were filmed; right after the lunch we will drive towards "Omaha beach" and visit the moving American cemetery where 9387 soldiers are buried. Finally we will head towards the spectacular Pointe du Hoc, stormed by Colonel James Rudder and the 2nd battalion of Rangers at the dawn of the D-Day .
Reservations: Required and will be made by your Destination Host.
 GUERLAIN INSTITUT DE BEAUTE 68 Avenue des Champs-Elysées 75008 Paris
01 45 62 11 21
You can shop, sightsee then spa at this architectural landmark on the Champs Elysses, where the French dames finish off a session with a bespoke perfume.
The Institut de Beaute is essentially just that. There is no gym, sauna or whirlpool bath. Food: None to speak of, bar: an array of delicious herbal teas.
Every treatment is transformed into a unique and personal occasion, a moment created especially for you -this is the essence of the Guerlain experience, the perfect union of effective know-how and aesthetic expertise.
www.guerlain.com
 L'ébauchoir
43-45, Rue de Cîteaux
75012 Paris
Metro Reuilly Diderot (line 1 and 8)
Area: Bastille
You won't need distracting from the food but there's plenty to look at while you eat in L'Ebauchoir (the sketchboard?). It's somewhat out of the way, off the main street, several minutes walk from the nearest metro, Charonne. In the 12th behind Bastille, the rue des citeaux doesn't look promising, but if you're passing, or if you're looking for an interesting, typically French cafe-bistro to take friends to, it's worth a look in.
The food is excellent. You'll find traditional French dishes such as cold meats or egg mayonnaise for starters, beef "en daube" (a rich casserole) or kidney with mashed potatoes, for mains, and creme caramel, or apple tart for dessert. As you can see, it's not great for vegetarians or for the faint-hearted. Lower budgets may flinch at the prices for such a small, seemingly low-key, out-of-the-way place: there don't seem to be any "set deals", and anything over one course with wine will probably take your bill over 100F (a tenner).
What you're paying for is the quality of the food and the atmosphere. There are VERY few tourists yet the place is usually full midday and evening. My rule of thumb is: if the locals like it, it's doing something right. The clientele varies in age and type. I like to guess who's who - couples, office-workers, manual labourers.
The other thing to look at is the mural. Done by a young, contemporary French artist called Tati Mouzo, it takes up all of one wall and depicts local life in a sort of "faux-naive" style. It's not imposing, or gaudy but it provides some extra colour.
 Le 114 Faubourg
Hôtel Le Bristol
112, rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré
75008 Paris
Metro Miromesnil (line 9 and 13)
Area: Champs Elysées
Imagined by the interior designer Daniel Patzelt and Guendalina Litta Modignani (creator of private parties), the new table of the Parisian Palace is resolutely contemporary with large dahlias (emblem of the hotel) and hot colors to dress up the walls. Located on the ground floor of the new wing of the hotel (which includes 26 rooms and suites), the Bristol brasserie offers a filtered lighting, enhanced by gold patina columns, a purple carpet and some attractive benches. In the kitchen, the young chef Eric Desbordes, introduced by Eric Fréchon, chef of the palace’s kitchens, who treats the regulars and new curious faces very well. We love the potato waffles with smoked salmon or the Bourbon vanilla millefeuille and salted caramel. New also, custom-made cooking: a small revolution in Bristol, which allows customers to choose between the grill, the steam, the plancha or the pin for large parts like the tail of monkfish. Tailor-made to address this fresh and cheerful, floral and poetic, surprising address.
 The most famous flea market in Paris is the one at Porte de Clignancourt, officially called Les Puces de Saint-Ouen, but known to everyone as Les Puces (The Fleas).
Flea Market Hours:
Every Saturday from 9h - 18h
Every Sunday from 10h to 18h
Every Monday from de 11h to 5h (please note that many stalls close around lunch time)
If you get there early, plan on having a leisurely Café Crème and watching the antiques world start up for the day. If you're a serious shopper, watch out as it becomes very crowded after lunch!!
Important Note: Be careful to hide wallets and purses; as in any city, big crowds are a great place for pickpockets to work - and the Flea Market is no exception. When guests reserve our apartments in Paris we repeatedly advise them to hide their wallets in a fanny pack and to leave their passports in our apartment safes, but every few months we get a phone call from them, telling us they have lost their passports and credit cards. Do be careful.
Size of The Flea Market: The Puces covers 7 hectares and is the largest antiques market in the world, receiving between 120,000 to 180,000 visitors each weekend.
 L’Epi Dupin
11 Rue Dupin Paris 75006 France
01.42.22.64.56
Metro: Sevres Babylone line 12
Area: St. Germain
L’Epi Dupin is a great bargain in the 6th arrondissement. The place is cramped and the service is rushed but the quality of the food and the low prices can’t be beat. Reserve at 9:00 p.m. in order to get quality service and stay as long as you like. Set lunch is 25€ for a two-course meal (entree and plat or plat and dessert) or 34€ for a three-course meal. There is a choice of about five starters, six main courses and five desserts plus a daily cheese plate in case you would rather have cheese than dessert. There are several well-chosen wines by the glass at 7€ and a pretty decent list of reasonably-priced wines by the bottle.
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