Paris weekend tips

A few weeks ago I went to Paris on a Friday for work and ended up staying for the weekend…

Well, it was just 2 days before the Notre Dame cathedral burst into flames… I passed in front it a few times and I remember looking at it… Mesmerised…

Paris mesmerises me all the time… It doesn’t matter how many times I have visited…

This weekend was not supposed to be a touristic one… If that is ever possible in Paris…simply because, every corner is a post card…

The hotel I stayed was awful… The location is spectacular… From its balcony, one can touch the Arc du Trimph… But that is it… really… Although considered a 4 stars superior, I would not give it 1/2 star… It was used and abused… Curtains and seats with holes… Chipped wall paint… Incredible… for a renowned chain… Not even worth naming it.

My husband came to join me on Friday evening and we decided to go for a date in a Brazilian bar / restaurant called Uma Nota…

The first restaurant opened in Hong Kong and the Parisian followed… a first come, first served type of place… the restaurant was packed when we got there…

The menu was composed of meals made to be shared… so we ordered several dishes, and ate them all… some of the highlights, were the coxinhas… Ah, I love coxinhas… I even wrote a post all about this brazilian delicacy… check it out and prepare to feel hungry as you read it…

Another main dish was the fish with banana farofa…. OMG, the flavours were just incredibly good… my favorite dish of the night…

Paris is the city of fashion… I know, London, Milan and NY claim also to be… well, forgive me but Paris is unbeatable…

A couple of new discoveries in terms of brands…

Exquisite bags – Verbreuil

www.verbreuil.com

I visited the shop at the Rue Sait Roch –  The shop is just incredible as it is encrusted in the wall of the Basilica… The brand is a young and modern, 100% made in France by highly skilled artisans. The pieces have unique shapes and are made mostly with exotic skins…

I fell in love with them all… but my favorite is the La Gare model… Stunning!

Casualwear – Kilometre Paris

www.kilometre.paris

For those who follow me on Instagram, probably will remember that I have already talked about the brand… I saw its collection when introduced in Geneva.

Kilometre Paris has an unique approach to fashion… it makes confortable pieces for women who are globetrotters. The idea behind it is to make pieces which play with colours, textures and forms and that can be used in any longitude and latitude. The summer bags are funky and feminine… super creative pieces.

Last but definetly not least – Silk pieces – Soi Paris

I discovered this brand through Instagram. I immediately fell in love with the creativity of the designer. The pieces are just very beautiful, colorful and chique. A total must have… prices are excellent and deliver in several countries…

This time I also had the opportunity to visit the Printemps shop… the intention to go there was to eat at the Perruche.

The perruche is a restaurant at the rooftop of the Printemps which has a 360 degrees view over Paris. On a sunny day, it is a great place to sit down, relax, sip a good glass of wine and let the time pass.

As the location is quite famous, the restaurant books quite quickly. So, I suggest you reserve in advance otherwise it can be a complicated to get a place. The food was good, but I think I would prefer to visit the place more for a drink rather than to eat. Not that the food was bad… but it was not extraordinary and Paris has amazing places to eat.

Paris was fun… without wishing to sound too cliche, when it is not? For a day or an year, the city offers so much to do…

Hope you liked the tips… but remember if your are planning to stay close to the Arc du Triumph… write to me first and I will make sure you do not go to that awful hotel I stayed in… disclosable under request only.

xx Valentina