For those who missed the opportunity to
indulge in February's $25,000 per head dinner extravaganza
in Bangkok,
here's another chance. The $30,000 a head Dinner of the
Chefs will take place 17 September at Versailles. Only 60 guests will be able to sample a
lavish, 15 course meal prepared by 16 Michelin starred chefs,
including Gary Rhodes, Alain Passard and Charlie Trotter. The
evening will kick off with cocktails on Marie-Antoinette's
private estate, and the gardens will be lit by thousands of
candles. There will also be fireworks and a Chopin concert. Men
will go home with a flask of vintage Hennessy while women
will be given Marie-Antoinette's own perfume. Proceeds will go to
a children's charity.
If we had a penny for
everytime someone asked for a hotel recommendation in
Paris”¦ Welll, we
could have bought our own hotel there. The next place we'll be
directing people to is the Hotel le
Placide, located in the heart of St-Germain. The hotel is
located in a former 19th century townhouse, and has
just 11 bedrooms. The look is contemporary and funky; Cole & Son
wallpaper is used in the bedrooms, and the lounge has a 70s era
woodpanelling which matches the brown cube chairs. Each
floor has a different colour theme, ranging from taupe to black
and white and violet. One word of warning though if you are
planning a romantic weekend here:. all bathrooms are divided from
the rest of the room by a velvet curtain. Eek! Rates start at 350 euros. Hotel le
Placide, 6 rue Saint-Placide,
Paris 6eme, Phone: +33 1 42 84 34
60
In
Paris, Rue Cambon is synonymous with one person- Coco
Chanel. The legendary designer set up her home and atelier on the
street in 1910, and her store still stands there today. If you
want to stay in the heart of the city's best shopping, and bag a
few discounts as well, consider the “New Year, New You” Shopping
in Paris Package from The Starhotels Castille, located on
Rue Cambon. Available through March 31, the package starts at 699
Euro ( per room, per night, with a minimum stay of two nights),
which also includes champagne and flowers, breakfast,
and a half a day of shopping by limousine. The package also includes a 10% discount at “Printemps” or “Galeries
Lafayette” as well as a couple's
massage in your room and a two hour limousine tour to discover Paris by
night. For more information,
call (800)
816-6001.
Last month,
iTravel iShop headed to Paris
for a girls' weekend. Our mission? To shop,
shop, shop and eat well. Why Paris? It's one of those
cities, like New York
or Tokyo, that you never get sick
of visiting, no matter how many times you have been there. We
accomplished both missions, and found plenty of interesting
shops, cafes and restaurants that we fell in love with. Although
most of them aren't new, they were new to us, as they were
suggestions from in-the-know savvy locals. While it's hard not to
have a good time in Paris, these shops and
restaurants made the difference between having a good girls'
weekend in Paris, and having a great one.
Paris is one of the world's best shopping destinations for cutting edge fashion as well as tiny, one-of-a-kind stores. Where else can you find an entire shop devoted to selling 36 varieties of honey, or tiny, jewel-like chocolates?