A SLOW GUIDE TO PARIS
Hotel Experimental Marais via Conde Nast
Paris is never simply a destination—it is a rhythm, a way of moving. The city doesn’t rush you; it invites you to wander, to pause, to take notice of the details that make it endlessly alive. In the heart of September, with its softer light and cooler evenings, the city feels like a gentle threshold between seasons.
We began in the Marais, where Hotel Experimental has quietly become a home for travelers who value both beauty and atmosphere. Part of the Experimental Group, its bar and restaurant hum with life, while upstairs, the rooms are serene in their design—an unbeatable location for slipping easily between galleries, shops, and hidden courtyards.
A short stroll away, Monocle Café and Shop has opened its first Paris outpost, blending coffee culture with quiet design. From there, it’s only steps to NOSE, one of the city’s most curated perfume boutiques—an olfactory journey that feels more like art than retail.
Dining in Paris is always a study in contrasts. At Cheval d’Or, a revived French-Chinese bistro, tradition meets invention in dishes that are bold yet refined. For something more casual, Oobatz—recently voted France’s Best Pizza by Le Fooding—offers a fresh take on the classic. Seasonal ingredients, a touch of playfulness, and a “pizzookie” that lingers in memory. (We recommend the salsiccia—a favorite of both locals and critics.)
Cravan Paris via Yatzer
Evenings can end at Cravan, now with a new address in Saint-Germain. Housed in a 17th-century townhouse, its four stories hold three cocktail bars and a library in partnership with Rizzoli. The atmosphere is layered: historical yet modern, intimate yet expansive.
If the weather is kind, a morning spent at Marché aux Puces de Saint-Ouen is essential. More than a flea market, it is a living museum of design—furniture, tableware, antiques, vinyl, and rare fashion pieces spilling from stalls and ateliers. Within it, Marché Paul Bert and Marché Serpette hold treasures of mid-century design and decorative arts that feel timeless.
For lighter pauses, Paris offers its own rituals. The Rose Bakery at Dover Street Market serves as a gentle refuge, where coffee, cake, and fashion share the same space. And in the Marais, Christophe Louie has become a quiet legend for his panettone—ethereal, layered, unforgettable. His panettone ice cream alone is worth the pilgrimage.
Paris has many ways of reminding us what it means to live well. In its cafés, its ateliers, its quiet courtyards, and its crowded markets, it continues to show us that beauty is not only in the grand gestures—but in the textures, the flavors, the details we carry as values at our house.