Paris

Apr 15th - Apr 17th 2011

Friday 15th April 2011

Home to Paris

Up by 06:30 ready for our 08:30 departure. Feeling a bit rough after a Wednesday night Lottery shift and an AdExchange curry night on the Thursday night.

Did our final bit of packing - well I say final bit - actually we packed! (I contest this - I was packed NJ)

Started loading the car around 08.00ish and realised we were too early again. I figured the trains from Luton Airport Parkway go regularly enough so decided we'd leave around 08:15.

Quite a quiet journey to Luton. When you're in a rush, every single traffic light is on red - when you've got time to waste then they're all green.

Got to the station about 09:20 - we were booked on the 09:50 train with special assistance but when we went into the station we were met by a very friendly chap who took us straight to the platform. Funny impression we were left with. There were three chaps at the gate to go through to the train - one very over-weight white chap and two Indian chaps. I approached the three and asked about assistance. Fatty said "Nothing to do with me guv'" and then ignored me - the two Indian chaps came straight over and couldn't have been more helpful. One took our case and the other led the way into the lift and on to the platform. Both waited with us for 10 minutes until the train arrived and then got the ramp out and helped us on to the train. Very helpful indeed.

Train got a bit crowded by the time we got to St Albans. We were in the vestibule by the door so we were crammed in a bit - but it was only 25 minutes so not too bad at all.

Got into St Pancras about 10:20 and were met by another chap with a ramp who helped us off and then escorted us through to the Eurostar bit. Very smooth indeed. Impressed with St Pancras - lots of bare brick and wooden floors.

At the Eurostar area there were about 3 or 4 people waiting around to help. We went through security easily enough and got ourselves a coffee and pain-au-chocolat from a reasonably unhelpful woman. She rolled her eyes when I paid using my card so I apologised for putting her to any trouble by buying something from her shop.

Wanted to get some cheap headphones so we could listen to some stuff I'd downloaded on my laptop so went into 

W.H. Smith. Saw some headphones for £7.99 so queued up to pay for them. When they were scanned I was told they were £19.99. I pointed out they were breaking Trading Standards law by displaying them for a price that wasn't available - my heart wasn't in it though so I gave up!

Our assistance man came back to meet us and loaded us on the train - very good ramp. Our seats were in the Business Class carriage so it was one seat for me and a wheelchair space for Nikki.

Very comfy and roomy seat, with a little table in the seat-back in front (like an airplane, but bigger). Our case was stored behind Huw's seat, so anything we needed (like a plug adaptor, as the plug socket in the seat was a French one) we could just get out. No need to worry that it was in the cargo hold...liking this train travel malarky a LOT! Vowed we would definitely do this again, rather than the scramble that is air travel to Paris.

Our “meal” was brought around and I have to say – it was rubbish. Couscous and a sort of nut cutlet followed by a kind of raspberry thingy. Very disappointing. On the other side of the argument, Nikki thought it was delicious. 

Watched an episode of Have I Got News For You on the I-Player and before we knew it we were passing Charles de Gaulle Airport. 

Packed up all our stuff and got ready to get off. Chap was there with our ramp so getting off the train was pretty straightforward. 

I’d done a lot of research into the various busses we could use to get from Gare de Nord down to La Republique. We were supposed to catch the Number 56 which went from the street opposite the station. When we got there, there was no sign of a 56 on the bus stop. We went back into the station and found a big bus board and realised they’d moved it! We went down another street and found it easily enough the second time. 

Bus came after about 10 minutes and popped the ramp down. Quite crowded but we managed to get on. I had to keep moving to let people off so I was quite glad when we arrived at La Republique. Short walk to the hotel and we checked in and got our room quite quickly. 

Very nice Exec Room (262) overlooking the inner courtyard of the hotel so we weren’t troubled by noise. Big French windows (or as they call them – windows) Did a brief bit of unpacking and I had a shower and we decided to check out the Exec Lounge. Quite a decent size and with a very nice coffee machine. I put forward my new theory on lounges as a whole. When you’re not allowed in them, then you really imagine what delights await those who are – and when you’re in, it’s often a question of what’s all the fuss about! This doesn’t apply to the Virgin Lounge at Heathrow or the Emirates Lounge in Dubai! 

Having said that, the coffee was free and they had Sky News on so a result all round. 

Back up to the room for a bit of a kip. It was getting on for 17.00 French time (or as they call it – time) by this point so feeling a bit knackered. Managed about half an hour before I decided to go out and find out where we could have dinner. I had a wander around some the streets leading off La Republique and found a nice Italian place at the same end of the square as us. 

We went back down to the lounge for coffee and nibbles around 19.00. Not the greatest selection available for veggies – I had some disgusting taramasalata by mistake at one point. 

Stuart arrived just after 20.00. They put him in 260 right next door to us. After a quick visit back to the lounge to discuss our options we went out for some food.  

Ended up in the Italian place on the corner called Pizza Pino. Initially it was very busy so they stuck us on a table next to the kitchen door. Basically there was our table with waiters crashing by every few seconds. We spoke to the woman in charge and she moved us to a much nicer table in the main restaurant.

Had some great garlic bread and a very nice stone baked pizza. Nikki had pasta with goats cheese and Stuart had a Bolognese. Came to about €63 in total. I was going to leave €70 to include the tip until I noticed on the bill at 15% was already included as a service charge. I left €63 on the nose. 

Walked back round the square to McDonalds for our now traditional McFlurry desert. Great innovation – you can place your own order on a touch-screen and pay using your card and then pick up at a designated window. This we did and then walked back to the lounge with our McFlurrys. Nice end to a busy day. And tomorrow is the big one.

Saturday 16th April 2011

Paris

Woke up around 07.00. Didn’t like the look of the coffee in the room so I went for a hunt downstairs. Ended up back in the lounge so got some decent coffee there. 

By the time I got back upstairs Nikki had already had her shower and started packing. It’s not like we’re keen or anything you understand! Met Stuart for breakfast in the lounge around 09.00. Not the best spread I’ve ever seen but certainly did the job. I had an omelette which I nicked from the main restaurant along with some French bread (or “bread” as they call it here).

Check out was smooth enough so we went outside to get a cab for part two of the journey. Quite a quick transfer to the Intercontinental - took about 10 minutes.

We pulled up outside and were greeted by various helpers who whisked away our cases and got the chair out of the boot. There was a little disabled lift outside to take us up to the main lobby area. We walked in with some trepidation but it was very relaxed. Stuart started the negotiations about lounge access and check in time. We were probably 4 hours early but what the heck!

Our room wasn't ready so they asked if we'd like to wait in the lounge. We agreed. Up we went to the top floor. The lounge is on two levels with a disabled lift between them. Me and Nikki got in to go upstairs and half way up it decided to pack up. Initially we thought a door had been opened or a fuse had blown - but nothing that simple sadly. Our heads were at floor level or the second floor so we could see people's feet - not that there were any people. The lounge was deserted. After about 5 minutes one of the staff came followed a few seconds later by a cat - which just looked at us. We then worked out she wasn't there to rescue us but to chase the cat!

Getting a bit annoyed by this time so rang Stuart. He came upstairs with a tranche of people and maintenance were summoned. They managed to get the door open and we crawled our way out. Not a very dignified way to arrive at the upstairs of the lounge in the poshest hotel in Paris. The staff then dashed around bringing us water, coffee, cakes, biscuits and doughnuts to make up for our trauma!

We sat and revived ourselves for a while next to an open window which had a view out over the Paris rooftops.

Stuart was in negotiations with the Assistant Manager by this stage. We were told our room would be ready "shortly" but they couldn't give us an exact time. Problem was the chap in our room was also an Ambassador and was also entitled to a late check-out. The negotiations came to a conclusion with the hotel inviting us for dinner at Cafe De La Paix - the restaurant of the hotel, which also happens to be one of the best in Paris! They gave us a menu to look through. £140 for a bottle of champagne and £44 for steak and chips. Oh well, they were insisting we take them up on it

They gave us another standard room so we could go and freshen up - basically somewhere we could dump all our stuff. We decided to go for a wander. We were aiming for Galleries Lafayette - but ended up in the Apple store - or La Pomme as they'd call it here I guess. Had a quick look at things that were far too expensive for us and made our excuses.

We were feeling a bit peckish by this point so trooped back up to the lounge. By this time the lift man had come and carried out all his repairs so we used it with slightly more confidence - though to be fair, not much! Lunch was made up of a buffet of bread, cheese, cake, champagne, coffee, ice-cold water and Sky News on the TV. Nice.

We decided we'd go for another wander until our room was ready so ventured out to Galleries Lafayette. The idea was that we'd buy a few more appropriate clothes for our big, posh, free dinner. After a good half an hour wandering around we basically came out with nothing!

By this point Stuart's new friend the Assistant Manager had rung and said our room was ready. She met us in reception and took us up personally to the "room". It's very hard walking into the biggest and most opulent room I've ever been in outside somewhere like Blenheim Palace and trying to remain nonplussed until the Assistant Manager leaves!

The room was just jaw-dropping. A huge lounge dominated by a fireplace, a ceiling like something out of Versailles and two bedrooms which were simply stunning. We spent a good half an hour walking around and taking pictures. The balcony overlooks the Opera House which has to be one of the best views in Paris. I could go on and on about the room but I think I'll leave it to the pictures and video to do it justice!

We had a free mini-bar - actually there was a mini-bar in the sitting room and another one in each of the bedrooms. We cracked open the Sprite and Diet Coke and tucked in to the M&M's while sitting there taking in our surroundings.

Myself and Stuart then trekked back to the spare room they'd given us to retrieve the things we'd left there. We got hopelessly lost and ended up walking up a staircase near our room. Two floors up we came to another suite but with two men sitting outside. They were clearly bodyguards for whoever was in that suite!

Found our way back and I decided I was knackered by this stage so went and tried out the four-poster bed for half an hour. So comfortable and bearing in mind our central location - no noise from outside at all. The only thing we picked up on was the subway trains which obviously run underneath the hotel. Every 10 minutes or so there was a sort of rumbling. Didn't stop me falling fast asleep though!

Decided to give the shower a go before we headed down for dinner. Decent shower in a huge bathroom. I've stayed in hotel rooms smaller than that bathroom!

We went up to the lounge for some pre-dinner drinkies and were again met by the Assistant Manager. She escorted us down through a back door and into the Cafe De La Paix so we didn't have to fight our way through the people hoping against hope to get a table for tonight!

The Maitre d' was tasked with looking after us. Our table was ready with a £140 bottle of Champagne on ice. I don't drink but had half a glass to join in. They then brought me Sprite on a silver tray! The one thing that struck me immediately was how relaxed it was there. I felt a bit under-dressed with jeans on when we arrived but soon noticed people in flip-flops and jeans with holes in. Admittedly their jeans probably cost more than our meal but hey - when in France!

The meal was outstanding. We worked out it would have cost us close to £400 if we'd been paying. We had soup to start which was delicious. Me and Nikki had a veggie option which was OK while Stuart had effectively steak and chips. The waiters kept bringing more wine, Sprite, Champagne and bread so we were all set!

We passed on the cheese course and moved on to desert. Me and Stuart had a mint thingy which was amazing. You get the taste of mint in normal mint foods and then there was this taste - it was like picking fresh mint and letting it sit on your tongue. Nikki had something covered with raspberries.

Halfway through desert we’d nipped out for a comfort break. It was at this moment we realised just how much Champagne and wine Nikki and Stuart had consumed! Very funny - but at least they weren't swinging from the lights.

Back up to the room and collapsed into bed. What an amazing day!

Sunday 17th April 2011

Paris to Home

Woke up around 06.30 Paris time. The one downside of Intercontinentals is that they don't do room coffee. Half heartedly called down to ask how much coffee was and was told €14 or it might have been €40. Either way I decided to go up to the lounge.

Nikki was still asleep so I lingered on my own there sampling the various coffees. Nice start to a Sunday.

Went back down to the room by which time Nikki had had her shower so we went into the lounge. I went out onto the balcony to watch Paris waking up. Totally different to the day before - so quiet - hardly a person in sight. Me and Nikki then went back up to the lounge for more coffee and a cheeky pain-au-chocolat.

Stuart surfaced around 08.30 and we sat and admired the room for a bit longer before going to the lounge for breakfast. Decent spread. Had some fruit and yoghurt, coffee, juice, eggs and toast. Very nice indeed!

We went back to the room and started watching coverage on the London Marathon on BBC1. Had to wait for the bloody Grand Prix to finish as we didn't have BBC2!

By about 11.30 I was flagging so went back to bed for a nap. Had a nice half an hour before having another shower to freshen up. Changed in to travelling clothes and did our packing. Boo.

Back up to the lounge for some lunch - just bread, cheese and coffee and bits - it hit the spot.

Went down to reception via the room. We think there must be cameras or pressure pads - the minute we arrived in reception the Assistant Manager appeared - just like Mr Ben. She asked if we needed a car or if our driver was picking us up. We didn't have the heart to tell her we were catching a bus around the corner so we just said we were going to walk around a bit first!

Found the bus-stop and as we arrived so did the bus. The driver popped the ramp down and we were off. Really quick journey up to Gare de Nord - took about 10 minutes. Bus dropped us off at the bus station at the rear of the station and we walked through to the Eurostar check-in.

Very quick through security and so we thought we'd chance our arm in the Business Class Lounge. There are two types of Business - Leisure and Business. We were in Leisure so weren't allowed to use the lounge. After some sweet-talking by Stuart we got in. Very comfortable with a nice array of food and drinks. We sat there for about 50 mins until our train was called for boarding.

Chap had got the ramp out so boarding was no problem. Stuart was in economy so I tried to sweet-talk the carriage manager into letting him join us but she was having none of it.

Quite a quick journey back. Our carriage wasn't full so we moved to two seats near the window so Nikki didn't have to sit in the chair. I wandered back to find Stuart and we then came back so he could say goodbye to Nikki as he was getting off in Ashford. Before we knew it we were through the tunnel and approaching Ashford so he dashed back to get his bag.

Arrived into St Pancras about 5 minutes late which had a knock-on effect. We were due to get the 17.00 train to Luton but by the time we'd got off and gone down in various lifts it was 16.50. Walked through the main terminal towards the departures board and a chap from Special Assistance saw us and asked if we were "James". Agreed we probably were and he hustled us into a lift with another lady whom he was helping. We got as far as the train and just as he heaved the other lady's bag on board, the doors closed and off it went leaving the lady and us stood on the platform. He was very apologetic and arranged for her bag to be dropped off at the first stop so they could be reunited. To be fair she was quite sanguine about it!

We were told we could go for the slow train or wait an hour for the quick one. There wasn't much in it so we chose the quick one. Went off to get a coffee and a sit down. We sat watching all the London Marathon competitors coming back which was fun - great to see so many people with their medals on.

After 45 mins we reported back for the train. The same chap took us down and got the ramp sorted and got us settled. Very quick journey back up to Luton. I was getting a bit worried as this train was only stopping at Luton - not terminating - so I figured we'd need to be swift getting off. By about St Albans we were poised by the doors. Didn't need to worry. As we pulled in to Luton I saw the chap with the ramp who got us off.

Back to the car and drove home. Both totally exhausted by this stage but totally worth it!

What an amazing trip. A night in a room that normally costs around £7,500 a night is not something one normally does on a weekend you understand!

Wow!