Au Revoir Lyon, Salut Paris
If there’s anything I’ve learnt from our Lyon trip, it would be: ‘don’t book for just three nights as we did, stay a whole week or more!’ Lyon, the culinary capital of France has shown Kent and I not only gourmet food, this often picturesque and walkable river city has so much more to offer. We had a taste of Lyon’s renown food culture while discovering its beauty within our short stay (posts are coming); and just when we were hungering for more Lyonnaise deliciousness, it was time to go, time to return Paris. Au revoir Lyon… I was feeling a little bit heartbroken.
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Oh my luggage! It turned out that my suitcase was somewhat broken once we collected it from the baggage carousel at Paris Orly Airport. A small rip I spotted right after the flight to Lyon had become a much bigger tear on the return flight; which now pulled apart the front pocket’s zip. It’s hard not to raise a question mark over the baggage handlers of Air France considering this very luggage had been in an impeccable shape over the last 10 years travelling everywhere with me. Damage on both domestic flights? While I may never get an answer from Air France, I hope it’s just an innocent coincidence. Luckily, I had Paris to cheer me up.
A Late Check In At Hotel WO Wilson-Opéra
This time we chose a lovely 3-star hotel in Paris’ elegant 8th district. A short walk to Boulevard Haussmann and two major department stores – Printemps and Galeries Lafayette. Our 2pm check in happened to be one hour late due to a late check out. Instead of being ignored, we were seen to by apologetic staff, and later on a manger came to offer us a complimentary room service breakfast for the next morning. ‘Yes thank you’. What really impressed us was the team’s sincere attitude and their warmth; we knew straight away that we were in good hands.
Our Charming Deluxe Terrace Eiffel Room
If you have read my previous posts, you’d know that I absolutely adore the loft room. But this was not an ordinary loft room, it’s a Parisian loft room with an outdoor balcony and an Eiffel Tower view! The room itself was decorated with inviting, earthy colours – olive green, orange and chocolate. And of course, true to its name, there were framed photos of the famed tower and an Eiffel Tower lamp too.
Next to the wardrobe there was a desk. A minimal yet elegant desk. Well for Kent and myself who travel with our laptop and are constantly working on uploading, viewing and editing our travel pictures, this addition no doubt comfortably helpful. A nespresso coffee machine and tea making paraphernalia were also on this table. Hmmm, somehow editing images while having a cup of coffee or tea sounds like an ideal match!
‘There’s a bathtub in the bathroom!’ I felt like singing the moment I saw the bathtub! For a 3-star hotel room in Paris, you expect a small room and an equally small bathroom with a tiny shower. This was cleanly beyond your standard 3-star room, this was exceptional. ‘How wonderful!’ I gushed, picturing myself indulging in a bath after a long day of walking and sightseeing… A true luxury in Paris if you ask me.
A Balcony With A View Of The Eiffel Tower
Bonjour Paris… Yes that’s the view from our balcony. The Eiffel Tower, together with an array of charcoal-grey Parisian roofs and red chimney pots. I had finally fulfilled my Parisian fantasy by having this rooftop terrace to call my own even if just for a few days. A low table and outdoor chairs made it easy for us to sit down, enjoy a snack, sip on French wine all while overlooking the Parisian skyline.
The nearby apartments all had tall French windows, Juliet balconies with decorative iron balustrade and mansard roofs. Similar but not the same. If you looked closely, you’d find that each had its own unique features. I liked the ones with plants growing inside and I envied them having their own mini urban jungle in the middle of the city.
Heatwave In June
I had experienced Paris heatwave in the middle of the summer both in 2011 and 2013. It happened in July and August. I remember that temperature hit high 30s in Celsius by midday already. It turned out that on this day, the 20th of June, as we were warned by the weather report on TV, it was set to reach high temperature and extreme heat in the coming few days. I do ‘love Paris in the summer when it sizzles’… Hotter and perhaps longer summers seem to be the new normal here too.
A Night In To Unwind And Recharge
After checking out several local patisseries and a trip to a supermarket. We settled for a night in and prepared ourselves a simple meal. French fromage, saucisson and baguette; making a tasty sandwich with a bottle of French red wine. Summer time here, the sun does not go down until 10pm. In between vegging out watching French cooking shows and stepping onto the balcony to see the night gradually falls, after all the waiting… the evening disappeared rather quickly. It was the first day of our last nine days in Paris, we had some plans and it was important for us to relax and recharge from our previous weeks of travel. Bonne nuit Paris! We put our cameras to rest and had one last gaze at the shimmery Eiffel Tower before we called it a day.
A Room Service Breakfast To Start A Fabulous Day
With an outdoor terrace and a view like this… If there’s anything we could add to this picture-perfect frame, it’d probably be a wonderful continental breakfast. Kent and I definitely made the most of our complimentary morning meal; a very tasty apology for being checked in one hour late. Making the most of the gift, we even did a breakfast fashion portrait right here! The hotel manager’s act of kindness surely travels through my articles. We had our day fully planned and we felt energetic for it. Plenty sunshine and a good breakfast truly do wonders.
We Look Forward To Your New Reincarnation
Hotel WO Wilson-Opéra is currently under an eight-month long renovation. This cosy 3-star hotel is soon to be upgraded to a 4-star Hotel and Spa and perhaps a name change. We have very pleasant memories from staying here, partly from this dreamy loft room, and also to be credited, a very helpful and friendly team. In fact, out of all the accommodations we stayed in France during this trip, I felt the warmest welcome here. WO Wilson-Opéra – we wish you the very best for the reopening and we look forward to your new reincarnation. Au revoir et bonne chance!
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Hi Viv,
What a lovely account of your visit.
I feel you have a ‘connexion karmique’ with Paris?
xx Margie
Thank you for the read and comment dearest Margie. Oui!!! Strongly feel like j’étais Parisien especially in Paris! X
Loved this article. The hotel looks so warm & beautiful to stay in. Thanks for taking me to Paris for a moment on my Sunday morning.
Thank you for the read and I’m glad you enjoyed it Olivia. We’ve got more Parisian escapes coming, stay tuned! X
During Covid it’s great to visualise and immerse yourself in the luxury and experience Parisian life has to offer- thank you for a great story ….
Thank you Mary. I’m very pleased to hear that! X
That’s a beautiful city view of Paris from your hotel room!
I like the picture with Évelyne Dhéliat’s forecast on TF1 about Paris heatwave. 🙂
I don’t like flying from North to South, I prefer taking a train even if it’s more expensive. 🙂
Cheers
It’s so nice to hear your feedback Claire.
Kent and I also love travelling by train; I guess we tried to ‘buy time’ by choosing air travel back then.
By the way, don’t you think Évelyne Dhéliat looks lovely in her LBD?!!! 🙂
Paris airport is notorious for its thieving baggage handlers. They target luxury luggage such as Louis Vuitton.
We have no Louis Vuitton luggage but thank you for your feedback Pip.
Great looking at these pictures again. A charming boutique hotel in a fascinating part of Paris!
Yes Kent. Well, I adore this hotel just the way it was… Oftenly, we find not all the renewing is improving.