When traveling Internationally there is no reason to stay in a chain hotel. Ever. Where one stays when traveling can be just as impactful as the destination itself. Below is a roundup of a few hotels we each stayed at in the past year. Pack your bags!
Chile | Tierra Patagonia
This is a hotel that inspires. The architect, Cazú Zegers, won several awards for her design that was inspired by the landscape and weather in Patagonia. The hotel was designed to blend into the typography from one viewpoint and to have the low curved forms reminiscent of the windswept shrubs from the other side. The interior was stunning. Large spaces with intense textural palette - all of the same wood used in varying applications. I could wax-poetic about this place. The rooms had all of our favorite designer touches - Noguchi pendants, wool throws, linen seating, Tolomeo lamps as nightstands (one of Shannon’s signature moves) AND ALL LIGHTING ON DIMMERS. Yes, even inside the WC. It was a dreamy place to rest my head at the end of a long day of hikes and the wilds of Patagonia.
Nourish | La Crêperie de Josselin, 67 Rue Montparnasse, 14th arrond.
Classic cafés line the sidewalks of Paris. Two-seater tables face the street where the locals sip on drinks and watch the crowds stroll by. Chic, food-forward restaurants with creative chefs and sleek decor are dotted throughout the city. Josselin is unlike either of these.
A rustic, crowded, loud, and boisterous restaurant with a line out the door most nights, Josselin is a fantastic crêperie in the middle of Paris. Do not be fooled into thinking this is a tourist trap - it is a restaurant full of locals who are looking for a good, down-to-earth, simple, and delicious meal. The menu is limited and coincidently gluten-free, they only serve sweet or savory buckwheat crêpes and a few kinds of cider. The simplicity of the dishes is deceiving; they are incredibly rich, buttery, and filling. Cider is served in handmade local pitchers, that we wanted to source and bring home, and the crepes are served in a mishmash of old plates and silverware, adding to the charm. Packed into the room, elbow to elbow with other patrons, the people-watching is ideal. The dance between the tiny kitchen and front-of-house staff is quite entertaining as well.
Stroll | Luxembourg Gardens to Rue des Saints Peres to the Seine | 6th and 7th arrond.
The vast size of Paris can feel overwhelming to some, so much so that it seems almost mandatory to use the Metro to explore the city. However, if one can take a bit of extra time, it is quite enjoyable to walk.
One of our favorite walks takes us from the Luxembourg Gardens to the heart of Paris at the point of the Île de la Cité. Considered by many to be a favorite park for Parisians to relax, the Luxembourg Gardens and Palais were built by the mother of Louis XIII, Marie d'Medici. (Yes, she was from that line of Medici.) Designed in an Italian Renaissance style and covering 23 hectares, it is a lovely park to grab a book and relax. From there you wander up to the street that divides the 6th and 7th Arrondissements, Rue des Saints Peres, a street that is lined with high-fashion and boutique shops nicer than those you find on Saint Germain du Pres. These shops have no desire to show off or garner the attention of tourists. Rue des Saints Peres is a quiet one-way street with intimate boutiques specializing in tasteful high-end fashion, quiet sophistication, rare antiques, and beautifully tailored interiors. People come here with a purpose or desire specifically to visit these shops. Among many of our favorites are Debauve & Gallais (the most beautiful chocolatier), Sonia Rykiel, Molcini & C Dada, and Acne Studios. Half-a-mile long from beginning to end, it starts just beyond Bon Marché and ends at the Seine, directly across from the Louvre.