Eiffel Tower - Advance Ticket Sales - Finally!

Finally, not having to wait in line to purchase your tickets to enter the Eiffel Tower!

Soon to be available to all visitors are an on-line booking sight by the Eiffel Tower Monument.

Choose the day and time of your visit (depending on availabilities), pay using the secure server, print out your ticket at home…
*Only 200 entrance tickets on sale each day
for the second floor, except weekends,
and limited periods of time.
Purchase of a supplemental tickets for
the top floor available at Tower ticket booths.

RATES
FROM APRIL 4, 2009 TO MARCH 26, 2010 Adults

Elevator entrance tickets
(to second floor) 8.00 €
Elevator entrance tickets
to top floor 13.00
Stair entrance tickets
(to second floor)4.50 € 3.50 € 3.00 €

Blvd Beaumarchais - A Happening Area In The Old City Of Paris

Between the Place de la Bastille and the Place de La Republique is the Blvd. Beaumarchais. This Blvd and area surrounding it is the backbone of an incredible network of design shops, trendy boutiques and stores filled with exceptional arts and crafts, half hidden down a series of delightful passages, cul-de-sacs and alleyways.
This extraordinary neighborhood is attracting the fashionistas of Paris, but for the moment is still managing to keep its soul and sense of living alive. So make the most of it before its too late!

The famous "Clown Bar" with its tiled decor of sad clowns is nearby and has been the meeting place for artists since it opened in 1907!

Why Burgundy? I Only Have Three Words - Beautiful, but Fattening

Today I was taken to task by a friend in France; a Burgundian to be exact, why I have not highlighted Burgundy more often on my blog. Well, I do apologize, because Burgundy is my favorite area of France and so I have been remiss.
So, below is my tribute to Burgundy and more stories will following in the coming days.

Feel the rich texture. Feel your expanding waistline. The Burgundy landscape remains sumptuous with memories of its years as a centre of Christendom (Cluny, Citeaux, Fontenay abbeys) and big-time European power (the Ducal Palace, in Dijon).
Soon enough, though, the region took early retirement from such wearying prominence to play to its real strengths – eating, drinking and growing a little stout. A sound decision, given the resources. Wines flow in from some of the planet’s finest vineyards. Pastures way off any beaten track provide the Charolais beef. Dijon has the mustard, Bresse the chickens. The Hautes Côtes hills are thick with soft fruit and there’s honey and cheese all over.
This isn’t gluttony. The distinguished past bathes Burgundian eating in a cultured glow. Fine dining is a duty imposed by a benevolent heritage. And then, well, the world is your lobster, from the traces of Thomas à Becket in Sens cathedral to the vine-stitched hills of Chablis and the Côtes-d’Or. Towns ripened by the wine trade – Mâcon and, especially, Beaune – cede to gentle, then tougher countrysides. To the west, the Morvan uplands remain a world apart, of water, woods and lives lived hard. And don’t miss Guédelon, where they’re recreating a 13th-century chateau using only medieval means. Near St-Fargeau, southwest of Auxerre, it’s among the most fascinating historical sites in France.
To stay: lush is a good way to do Burgundy, and life doesn’t come much lusher than at the British-owned Abbaye de la Bussière, at La Bussière-sur-Ouche, in an undiscovered valley , south of Dijon.

What's In A Name? A Lot If Its Biarritz

Monte Carlo or St Tropez - there is something inherently glamorous in what the place happens to be called. Biarritz has that magical name and The Hotel du Palais and Biarritz are inseparable to most visitors to this turn the 20th century seaside resort.

Napoléon III and Empress Eugénie (of France) put the initial oomph into Biarritz when they built a holiday palace on a headland in 1854. The place suddenly became party central, drawing the great, the good and idle loafers from across Europe. Napoléon’s reign burnt out in 1870, the palace shortly afterwards — only to be rebuilt on an even grander scale as the Hôtel du Palais.

And the party continued. England's Edward VII (Queen Victoria's son) as a winter regular. The Duke of Windsor and Frank Sinatra, too. Deborah Kerr’s husband, Peter Viertel, took a plank out to sea, and so introduced surfing to Europe. This area is now a big surfers paradise, believe it or not.

Life slowed down in the 1950s and 1960s, but is speeding up again now. Brighter Parisians prefer it to the Riviera. Alain Prost and Karl Lagerfeld have houses in town. But the background, thank heavens, remains Basque, with its taste for berets, boisterousness in bars and putting the rest of the world right about rugby. If you want to dispute this, try the Red Café, on Avenue Foch.

The presence of the royal French couple and their court attracted the wealthy English. And they imported their favorite sport, golf. Biarritz boasted the first golf course in France. Today, an air of English gentility still wafts over Biarritz, adding to its nostalgic charm and distinguishing it from the lustier, more folkloric towns around it, which form part of the Pays Basque, as the region is known.

I was there in April and feel in love with the hotel and the town. You feel here, that time has stopped and you are plunged back in the early 20th century.
To sit in hotels lobby and take a glass of wine and look out, on to the sea is worth the price of admission. One of my great experiences of traveling in France.

I promise that ,the beautiful and chic GM, Jeanne MARCHETTI will take good care of you, as she did myself and Actress, Michelle Pfeiffer and her movie company who were there filming, Colette's "Cheri" ( soon to be released this fall.)



PS: For great custom made jewelry,you must visit ( just across the street from the hotel) Dora Zee.

700th Anniversary Of The Popes in Avignon and a Room With A View at My Favorite Upscale BB in Provence

2009 and into 2010 is the 700th anniversary of the Popes in Avignon.
In the heart of Provence, just 25 minutes drive from Avignon, secluded in a romantic valley is the hilltop chateau home ( now a luxurious BB) of Chantal and Jean TOMASINO, Chateau La Roque. The nicest people you'll every meet in France!
With only 5 rooms, this BB is the gateway to the Luberon Valley and is a unique base from which you can explore!
Just to sit on the terrace and take in the valley below, after a full day of touring the area with a glass of wine in hand, is worth the price of admission!
Jean also is the chef here and cooks the most fabulous meals.

A Drink Of Liquid History -Come to London and Enjoy a Glass of 1770 Cognac

The Lanesborough Hotel in London, one of my favorite places to stay, has just acquired the world's oldest bottle of cognac, distilled in 1770, and is offering it to patrons of their plush Library Bar (above) for £4,000, or about $6,000, per shot. In addition to the 240-year-old tipple, the Lanesborough, has just installed a new walk-in cigar humidor, the first of its kind in a London hotel. The humidor houses 1,000 cigars and contains 25 private lockers for the personal collections of top patrons, who can enjoy Cuban and even pre-Castro smokes in the hotel's posh Garden Room.
Although British Law prohibits smoking in restaurants, private clubs, bars and hotels, the Lanesborough GM, the affable Geoffrey Gelardi has established (after a long fight with the local powers that be) at the rear of the hotel in the garden a semi enclosed room to smoke your favorite cigar and and enjoy
a glass of Port or even, a shot of 1770 cognac.
The hotel is offering some phenomenal winter rates that include daily breakfast, round-trip airport transfers, room upgrades and much more. Please contact me for more information.

Top Paris Pavement Cafes

Although winter is descending on Paris, my thoughts go forward to Spring and Paris cafe life; you know, "April In Paris" and the great Gallic ritual that begins with strong black coffee in the morning, through to a kir or pastis at lunchtime, and then chiiled rose or a ballon de blanc for the evening apero.
I have many favorite hang outs, but one I'd like to highlight here is Le Select ( Left bank)
Montparnasse has changed a lot since the decadent days of the Belle Epoque when an explosive mix of chic cafe society and bohemian artists flocked to grand Art Nouveau locales like La Coupole and the Closerie des Lilas, but today, it is still worth grabbing a table on the terrace outside legendary literary cafe - Le Select, once the haunt of Hemingway, Picasso and Henry Miller. Opened in 1925, apart from the prices which are not cheap, it still posses a slice of Left Bank Life. Students earnestly discussing philosophy, businessmen holding an impromtu meeting or elegant fashionistas taking a break from shopping.
* 99 boulevard du Montparnasse, 6e Take the Vavin metro stop

October 09, Friday Evening Memories - I Love Paris

So, what's stopping you?
Give me a call or Email and lets plan a trip to Paris for you!

2 Things To Always Remember or You'll Get the Famous Gallic Shrug

Two hints to always remember in order to make your stay in France that much happier:
1) PARIS - most Michelin starred restaurants ( especially 2 and 3 ones) are closed on the weekends and thus Thursdays and Fridays become the hardest days to get reservations. Plan ahead!

2) In The Countryside: Because shops and restaurants are open on Saturdays, they certainly are closed on Sunday and many, you'll find on Monday also, especially food stores and restaurants. So if you have a villa OR an apartment, make sure to stock up on Saturday, because for the next two days it may be hard to find a market open.

My brother and I had rented a barge in Burgundy on Saturday and thought we had stocked up with enough for 2 to 3 days, but ate ourselves out of house and home ( on Saturday and Sunday) and on Monday, along the canal and small villages, we found not a store was open. We ate crackers and drank wine for the entire day until Tuesday morning!

..another beautiful village in France, outside Lyon

One of my clients just returned from France and spent a few days in the Beaujolias area, which she said was vastly underrated as a tourist area and one should explore it. She recommended a hilltop village called Oingt and a restaurant, Donjon to have lunch at. The terrace overlooking the valley is to die for!
The village of Oingt has been classified at one of the most beautiful villages in France
At 30 km from Lyon, perched on a hill and surrounded by the Beaujolais vineyards, Oingt is one of the jewels of the "Pays des pierres dorées". With a medieval past, the village has kept from this time period the ancient chapel of the castle, the fortified door of Nizy, and a dungeon from which you will have a splendid vista on the valley of the Azergues river. In the heart of the village, ocre yellow facades houses are home of craftsmen and artists.

The World Of Tea In Paris

According to an old English proverb "The Path To Heaven Passes Through A Teapot:.
I have found as of late, that more and more Parisians swear by the virtues of tea.
Below is a brief look at the Capital's best addresses for tea-time tastes from all over the world:

CHINA: La Maison des Trois Thes - Yu Hui Tseng, who is one of the worlds greatest tea experts manages this tea tasting room and shop, light, sober and serene, decorated with splendid antique Asian furniture. 1, rue Saint-Medard 5e

EAST: Zyriab - Seated comfortably in the sun on the open terrace of Zyriab, on the 9th floor of the Institut du Monde Arabe, just ordering an enchanting mint tea, the only thing missing is a flying carpet!
1, rue des Fosses Saint-Bernard, 5e

JAPAN:Kilali - (in Japanese it means 'spark of Light') a Japanese teahouse and sales outlet in a setting that is subdued, elegant..zen..of course! 3, rue des quatre--vents, 6e

ENGLAND Tea Caddy- Opened in 1928 by a former English housekeeper, this tea room has preserved its original decor of dark wood and even its willow pattern porcelain. Very English! 14, rue Saint-Julien-le-Pauvre, 5e

FRANCE:Dammann Tea Shop ( in the photo above)- Since 1825, today this shop offers close to 250 teas from the best origins and is installed in a luxurious boutique with a hint of Asian atmosphere, all in black and deep red.
15, place des Vosges, 4e

"You Say Oyster and I Say 'Erster'

“As I ate the oysters with their strong taste of the sea and their faint metallic taste that the cold white wine washed away, leaving only the sea taste and the succulent texture, and as I drank their cold liquid from each shell and washed it down with the crisp taste of the wine, I lost the empty feeling and began to be happy and to make plans.”
-- Ernest Hemingway, A Moveable Feast
For any true lover of Paris, upon landing, one must make a beeline for their favorite oyster bar and have a dozen or so with a glass of flinty Sancerre and crusty French bread.
For those wanting the best of the best, the (120 years old) Gillardeau family oysters ( from Rochefort) are the Rolls Royce of the bi-valves. They only grow speciales; which are plumper than the standard oyster.

Two New Finds In The Paris Suburbs - Art Deco and a Gourmets Delight

There are two new finds in the Paris suburb of Boulogne-Billancourt; southwestern part of Paris.
Just 10 stops ( by metro )from the Trocadero, This industrail part of Paris sports( home of the first Renault Auto works and home to Paris's movie studios) , here you'll find a brand new restaurant that is sure to be on the Paris Restaurant radar very soon. The restaurant is ;Ducote Cuisine. Their 43 Euro three-course lunch menu is a jewel and a must for any "foodie"

After lunch, the other must see here is the new Art Deco museum; the Musee des Annees Trente; a modern complex - 5 floors of some of the best examples of the art deco period to be found anywhere in France.

Because of the old movie studios in the aera, the first major career retrospective of sex kitten/actress, Brigitte Bardot will be launched at the Landowski Exposition Hall nearby.( unitl 31 January 2010).

Roussillon (Provence) - The Village Where The Paint Bucket Fell Upon

The village of Roussillon. Perched on a hilltop on the northern side of the Luberon range, is classified as one of France's most beautiful and owes its bright wall colours to the ochre quarries located nearby. It is said that the village boasts 17 different shades of ocher ranging from pale yellow to vivid orange or deep red with all manners of peach, banana, nutmeg or rose tones in between.
Ochre is a natural pigment extracted from the earth and just outside the village, the old quarry trail provides a dramatic scenery of red and orange cliffs against bright green pine trees and vivid blue skies - a real Van Gogh palette. The village itself hosts a large number of arts and crafts studios and galleries as well as some great restaurants. It isn't hard to fall in love with the place.
One of my clients, The Steinfeld's just returned and recommended having lunch at the Hotel David in the center of town.