F&E Paris
- Thread starter cactus_79
- Start date
I went paris london barcelona venice rome and finally back to paris for a month long holiday in dec last year...
Rinnie, if u like shopping, I recommend going paris and london as london will be having their winter sales.... but that would be somewhere end of dec to early Jan.... and the sales is really GOOD....
If not, I recommend barcelona too... good for shopping for zara n MNG clothes....
Rinnie, if u like shopping, I recommend going paris and london as london will be having their winter sales.... but that would be somewhere end of dec to early Jan.... and the sales is really GOOD....
If not, I recommend barcelona too... good for shopping for zara n MNG clothes....
Thanks Mindy..I'm looking at travelling from early to mid Dec...won't be staying till the end of dec...saw from online that there's a lot of Christmas markets in Paris. Are those nice? Also, when you went to Disneyland, did you stay at the resort there? They seem nice online but quite pricey though..sorry ar..me alot of questions..doing my research at the moment..haven been able to make up my mind where to go..surfing and gathering information..but now I guess it's down to 4 possibilities:
1. Paris and London
2. Paris and Italy
3. New Zealand
4. Maldives
Haiz...a lot to reasearch to be done..but you all have been very helpful. Thanks!!!
1. Paris and London
2. Paris and Italy
3. New Zealand
4. Maldives
Haiz...a lot to reasearch to be done..but you all have been very helpful. Thanks!!!
hi rinnie,
i've been to all places u mentioned accept NZ...
personally i hate london..most pple i know doesn't like tis city as compared to paris n rome..france n italy is so much more romantic
but hor, if shopping is really wat u want for ur honeymoon then maybe london can be one of ur choice. italy is juz less than 2hrs away by flight, not tat far lah..
maldives is a totally diff kinda place to go leh...sun sand n sea..but romance qoution is definitely high coz most resorts r very exclusive n private
i've been to all places u mentioned accept NZ...
personally i hate london..most pple i know doesn't like tis city as compared to paris n rome..france n italy is so much more romantic
maldives is a totally diff kinda place to go leh...sun sand n sea..but romance qoution is definitely high coz most resorts r very exclusive n private
Hi chinoiserie and ant,
Thank you for your comments on Emirates. Now I know the airport is not any better than the one at Doha (for Qatar Airways). Furthermore, Emirates is not that cheap.
I think it's better to transit at Schipol Airport (Amsterdam) flying by KLM, as we did last year for our honeymoon. Schipol Airport is top class, comparable to our Changi Airport. In fact, they are the ones that sometimes pique us to first place. The fares on KLM are quite reasonable too. We paid SGD 1,381 per person inclusive of all taxes to fly to Zurich. http://www.klm.com.sg
Thank you for your comments on Emirates. Now I know the airport is not any better than the one at Doha (for Qatar Airways). Furthermore, Emirates is not that cheap.
I think it's better to transit at Schipol Airport (Amsterdam) flying by KLM, as we did last year for our honeymoon. Schipol Airport is top class, comparable to our Changi Airport. In fact, they are the ones that sometimes pique us to first place. The fares on KLM are quite reasonable too. We paid SGD 1,381 per person inclusive of all taxes to fly to Zurich. http://www.klm.com.sg
hi rinnie, my trip is shorter.. only can spare 11 days of leave (exclude the flight from sg to paris). spending 3 days in paris n the remaining in italy. but this is really a sight seeing trip for us with little time devoted to shopping. probably only on our last destination which is rome whereby i will check out some gucci stuff.
new zealand will be summer in dec.. depends on what climate u wish to experience. new zealand has very old british colonial feel and life is super laid back. scenary is beautiful too n has great food. great for extreme sports like white water rafting.
maldives will b very beach resort type of honeymoon and super exp since it is in USD.
raymond, why not take direct flight instead?
new zealand will be summer in dec.. depends on what climate u wish to experience. new zealand has very old british colonial feel and life is super laid back. scenary is beautiful too n has great food. great for extreme sports like white water rafting.
maldives will b very beach resort type of honeymoon and super exp since it is in USD.
raymond, why not take direct flight instead?
Hi Raymond I flown with Emirates about twice and I must say I never had any problems with them. The first time was a co-share flight London-Colombo by Sri-Lankan and Colombo-Singapore by Emirates and vice versa for the return. I was sorry that Emirates was on the shorter leg. It was certainly more comfortable than Srilankan.
The second time I travelled with Emirates was from Manchester-Dubai-S'pore. I think Dubai airport is among one of the better airports I've been to. It definitely beats Istanbul or even Heathrow and Manchester for that matter. I arrived in Dubai airport in the wee hours of the morning and it was surprisingly lively. In fact I would class it in the same league as Changi and Schiphol.
My parents when they come up to UK tend to fly by Emirates too and so far they've nothing but compliments for Emirates and Dubai Int'l Airport.
I guess to each his own eh?
I won't hesitate to pick Emirates again if I'm lucky enough to find a cheap flight home with them.
The second time I travelled with Emirates was from Manchester-Dubai-S'pore. I think Dubai airport is among one of the better airports I've been to. It definitely beats Istanbul or even Heathrow and Manchester for that matter. I arrived in Dubai airport in the wee hours of the morning and it was surprisingly lively. In fact I would class it in the same league as Changi and Schiphol.
I guess to each his own eh?
I won't hesitate to pick Emirates again if I'm lucky enough to find a cheap flight home with them.
piggersorous
New Member
hi all,
tink i mus hv been quite lucky on the emirates flight. like Mrs N, my trips with them have been ok. I flew with them from SG-Dubai-Vienna and from Paris CDG to Dubai and few days later, from Dubai back to SG.
I must say that their terminal is quite packed. its probably due to the huge volume of flyers transiting at Dubai so the number of pple is quite scary. there isnt as much facilities as Changi has but all in all, good enough.
hi rinnie,
i went austria, italy and ended my trip in france last apr/may. not sure abt the other options u have but based on the three countries i went, u shld attempt paris. its realli beautiful..jus sitting at the cafes is nice.. i personally find tat paris is much safer at nite as compared to rome. its easy to get to most of the places so quite alrite to F&E.
tink i mus hv been quite lucky on the emirates flight. like Mrs N, my trips with them have been ok. I flew with them from SG-Dubai-Vienna and from Paris CDG to Dubai and few days later, from Dubai back to SG.
I must say that their terminal is quite packed. its probably due to the huge volume of flyers transiting at Dubai so the number of pple is quite scary. there isnt as much facilities as Changi has but all in all, good enough.
hi rinnie,
i went austria, italy and ended my trip in france last apr/may. not sure abt the other options u have but based on the three countries i went, u shld attempt paris. its realli beautiful..jus sitting at the cafes is nice.. i personally find tat paris is much safer at nite as compared to rome. its easy to get to most of the places so quite alrite to F&E.
Hi Cactus,
Yes, it is Montreuil. It is in the same building as the ETAP hotel. Website:
http://www.etaphotel.com/etaphotel/fichehotel/fr/etp/5037/fiche_hotel.shtml
Take note that it is in a slightly dingy area though so be a little more alert at night.
Yes, it is Montreuil. It is in the same building as the ETAP hotel. Website:
http://www.etaphotel.com/etaphotel/fichehotel/fr/etp/5037/fiche_hotel.shtml
Take note that it is in a slightly dingy area though so be a little more alert at night.
Hi Astrogirl,
How many days do you have? All those sights will take you at least four days without getting tourist fatigue.
Any guide book or even the Internet can show you a list of tourist sights and other interesting non-touristy sights, I can never list all of them here. There are just too many.
How many days do you have? All those sights will take you at least four days without getting tourist fatigue.
Any guide book or even the Internet can show you a list of tourist sights and other interesting non-touristy sights, I can never list all of them here. There are just too many.
Just to add on; the best of Paris is not in the tourist sights. The real Paris is hidden slightly beneath the surface; the only way to discover it is to walk the various streets of Paris on your own and discover the character and culture of each arrondisement (Paris district).
Currently, my wife's favourite arrondisements are Marais and Bastille.
So if you really want to see Paris, I suggest a mix of the overvisited and overcrowded tourist sights, and also some random walking around, maybe even go to a park.
Currently, my wife's favourite arrondisements are Marais and Bastille.
So if you really want to see Paris, I suggest a mix of the overvisited and overcrowded tourist sights, and also some random walking around, maybe even go to a park.
i book the 13th sep tour, check-in on 13th, depart on 14th 1am flight.
erm.. extension wise control by SQ lo... according to dynasty they check le say those extension dates i wan not very high chance cos flight quite full le.. so they gave me two dates to reqeeust which have 80% chance type lo... but this would mean stay longer in paris.. haha.. i.e. abt 7 more nites... bobian..
erm.. extension wise control by SQ lo... according to dynasty they check le say those extension dates i wan not very high chance cos flight quite full le.. so they gave me two dates to reqeeust which have 80% chance type lo... but this would mean stay longer in paris.. haha.. i.e. abt 7 more nites... bobian..
astrogirl,
u may start ur itinerary research from tis site:
http://www.virtualtourist.com/travel/Europe/France/Ile_de_France/Paris-99080/TravelGuide-Paris.html
u may start ur itinerary research from tis site:
http://www.virtualtourist.com/travel/Europe/France/Ile_de_France/Paris-99080/TravelGuide-Paris.html
Hi ya, my bf and I have finally decided on our honeymoon destination! Yippee..will be taking a package tour to switzerland and Paris and we'll extend another 4-5 nites F&E in Paris..any recommendation of hotels in Paris? Also, how long in advance should I book the hotels? I'll be travelling in dec...I have not booked my package tour yet..waiting for in-house fairs/NATAS...
Hi Midas,
I guess we shouldn't be naughty and recommend Hotel de Crillon (http://www.crillon.com/) or Hotel Ritz Paris (http://www.ritzparis.com/)?
Hi Rinnie,
I've used http://www.accorhotels.com for all our stays in France so far, and we are quite satisfied with the IBIS range of hotels. Take note that hotel rooms in Paris tend to be small due to the high cost of land there, as in any large city.
I guess we shouldn't be naughty and recommend Hotel de Crillon (http://www.crillon.com/) or Hotel Ritz Paris (http://www.ritzparis.com/)?
Hi Rinnie,
I've used http://www.accorhotels.com for all our stays in France so far, and we are quite satisfied with the IBIS range of hotels. Take note that hotel rooms in Paris tend to be small due to the high cost of land there, as in any large city.
Hi Raymond and midas, thanks for the websites...dun reali have a budget but should be nice nice..at least ok for honeymooners...i tink near to metro stn more important cos with that it'll be easy to get around...
I looked thru the website that you gave me midas..it's very informative with all the reviews...=) which hotel did you stay last time?
I looked thru the website that you gave me midas..it's very informative with all the reviews...=) which hotel did you stay last time?
Hi Rinnie,
How would you be travelling to / from your hotel? Taxi fares are crazy (about EUR 50 to the airport) so don't take those. If you are taking the RER (local trains which go to the airport) and the metro, take note that the metro system is quite old and most of them do not have escalators or elevators, so if you have lots of luggage you will be dragging them up and down lots of stairs.
If you stay near a station on RER line B, then when you leave for the airport, it is a lot less hassle.
How would you be travelling to / from your hotel? Taxi fares are crazy (about EUR 50 to the airport) so don't take those. If you are taking the RER (local trains which go to the airport) and the metro, take note that the metro system is quite old and most of them do not have escalators or elevators, so if you have lots of luggage you will be dragging them up and down lots of stairs.
If you stay near a station on RER line B, then when you leave for the airport, it is a lot less hassle.
rinnie,
i stayed at Castex hotel last time...120euros per nite..its located very near the Bastille metro stn. tis stn is a small interchange stn, a few metro lines runs thru here
it has alot of gd reviews in venere tats why i picked it...here's a pix of my humble double rm..
if u hv Multiply ID can add me(midas400) as contact...there's more pix of tis hotel n its surroundings there
i stayed at Castex hotel last time...120euros per nite..its located very near the Bastille metro stn. tis stn is a small interchange stn, a few metro lines runs thru here
if u hv Multiply ID can add me(midas400) as contact...there's more pix of tis hotel n its surroundings there
oh...n Raymond is rite..the metro stn in europe hv more staircase then escalators so if u got luggage is a big problem. i do hv some tips for airport transfers though...check my blog at:
http://midas400.multiply.com/journal/item/12
cheaper door step transport as compared to taxi
http://midas400.multiply.com/journal/item/12
cheaper door step transport as compared to taxi
Hi Rinnie,
Here is another alternative if you are looking for something cheaper, with a small sized but adequate room complete with bathroom and shower. IBIS provides consistent quality, "no surprises" as one French waiter commented to me. My wi
We stayed at this hotel which was near the Gare du Nord, where you can take RER B direct to the airport. It is about five minutes walk to Gare du Nord, and Metro Louis Blanc is even nearer.
http://www.accorhotels.com/accorhotels/fichehotel/gb/ibi/1823/fiche_hotel.shtml
It cost us about EUR 87 or EUR 83 depending on whether it is weekday or weekend. Weekends tend to be cheaper. We also booked in advance and I managed to get two nights (Fri and Sat) for EUR 49 each night, which was extremely cheap.
Happy researching.
Here is another alternative if you are looking for something cheaper, with a small sized but adequate room complete with bathroom and shower. IBIS provides consistent quality, "no surprises" as one French waiter commented to me. My wi
We stayed at this hotel which was near the Gare du Nord, where you can take RER B direct to the airport. It is about five minutes walk to Gare du Nord, and Metro Louis Blanc is even nearer.
http://www.accorhotels.com/accorhotels/fichehotel/gb/ibi/1823/fiche_hotel.shtml
It cost us about EUR 87 or EUR 83 depending on whether it is weekday or weekend. Weekends tend to be cheaper. We also booked in advance and I managed to get two nights (Fri and Sat) for EUR 49 each night, which was extremely cheap.
Happy researching.
Midas, your hotel room looks pretty.
- I've always loved the Haussman buildings.
Essentially, when we booked out 2N stay in Paris, we were concerned about the lack of elevator (as most century old buildings would be) as we'll be lugging 2 monsters of a bag. In case anyone is interested, we're going to stay in Hotel du Cygne. Then we're off to Berlin and then when we get back into Paris 4 days later, we're staying in this apartment for 10 nights. Both accomodations' parties are easy to correspond with and the latter even obliged (with no extra charge) to change the dates when we had to make a date change due to our last-minute travel to Berlin.
Essentially, when we booked out 2N stay in Paris, we were concerned about the lack of elevator (as most century old buildings would be) as we'll be lugging 2 monsters of a bag. In case anyone is interested, we're going to stay in Hotel du Cygne. Then we're off to Berlin and then when we get back into Paris 4 days later, we're staying in this apartment for 10 nights. Both accomodations' parties are easy to correspond with and the latter even obliged (with no extra charge) to change the dates when we had to make a date change due to our last-minute travel to Berlin.
Hi Idyll,
Fabulous, it brings back so many memories of gorgeous and romantic Paris. Ahh...
Here are just four photos from our recent trip to whet your appetite.
One of the places we stayed at.
http://img232.imageshack.us/img232/4851/img2389dq4.jpg
Some friendly feathery friends.
http://img183.imageshack.us/img183/2701/img2621tl2.jpg
Fruits de mer. The freshest huitres (oysters) we have ever eaten.
http://img517.imageshack.us/img517/5762/img2633hg1.jpg
A photo of me with my wife's dessert, maybe the world's tallest dessert?
http://img412.imageshack.us/img412/4156/img2377be2.jpg
Guess the exact location of any of them and... win a free trip to Paris. Hehe... terms and conditions apply.
Fabulous, it brings back so many memories of gorgeous and romantic Paris. Ahh...
Here are just four photos from our recent trip to whet your appetite.
One of the places we stayed at.
http://img232.imageshack.us/img232/4851/img2389dq4.jpg
Some friendly feathery friends.
http://img183.imageshack.us/img183/2701/img2621tl2.jpg
Fruits de mer. The freshest huitres (oysters) we have ever eaten.
http://img517.imageshack.us/img517/5762/img2633hg1.jpg
A photo of me with my wife's dessert, maybe the world's tallest dessert?
http://img412.imageshack.us/img412/4156/img2377be2.jpg
Guess the exact location of any of them and... win a free trip to Paris. Hehe... terms and conditions apply.
Hi Idyll,
Yes Paris is indeed something. However none of the pictures were taken in Paris. Your guess of Lille is a good one, but unfortunately the place is not North of Paris. I am actually being unfair here because it is rather hard to guess the exact towns those were taken in, unless you've actually been there.
Hint: They are all not in the "famous" cities like Paris, Marseille, Lyon, Strasbourg. Not Lille either.
I think I made a mistake with the "Freshest oysters" claim, that was in a different place. The freshest oysters actually have both shells still intact and the shell just slightly open. It is so fresh the oyster sticks to both the upper and lower shells.
Hi Midas,
Hehe that was my wife's dessert. She actually had to carry it off the table to eat it.
Glad you all liked the pics; I will post a blog up eventually with more nice pics.
Yes Paris is indeed something. However none of the pictures were taken in Paris. Your guess of Lille is a good one, but unfortunately the place is not North of Paris. I am actually being unfair here because it is rather hard to guess the exact towns those were taken in, unless you've actually been there.
Hint: They are all not in the "famous" cities like Paris, Marseille, Lyon, Strasbourg. Not Lille either.
I think I made a mistake with the "Freshest oysters" claim, that was in a different place. The freshest oysters actually have both shells still intact and the shell just slightly open. It is so fresh the oyster sticks to both the upper and lower shells.
Hi Midas,
Hehe that was my wife's dessert. She actually had to carry it off the table to eat it.
Glad you all liked the pics; I will post a blog up eventually with more nice pics.
Hi Rinnie, have you tried going to Switzerland and Paris on your own (ie. book flights, hotels and plan itineraries yourself)?
--> It should be an easier job to do as geographically speaking, they are bordering each other and plus, you get to save money planning your own self. I'm sure most people who have been to both these places would be able to help. Oh..and you get to do things at your own leisure instead of being "herded" around.
--> It should be an easier job to do as geographically speaking, they are bordering each other and plus, you get to save money planning your own self. I'm sure most people who have been to both these places would be able to help. Oh..and you get to do things at your own leisure instead of being "herded" around.
Hi Rinnie,
Yes, my wife and I would completely agree with Idyll. Many of us have gone F&E and not only have we survived, but we thoroughly enjoyed the flexibility and being able to really get to know a country and its people, as well as to see the non-touristy places as well.
In fact, you can fly to Paris, take a train to Geneva or Zurich, explore Switzerland, then take a train back to Paris. And if you book early enough sometimes you can get really cheap train tickets.
Yes, my wife and I would completely agree with Idyll. Many of us have gone F&E and not only have we survived, but we thoroughly enjoyed the flexibility and being able to really get to know a country and its people, as well as to see the non-touristy places as well.
In fact, you can fly to Paris, take a train to Geneva or Zurich, explore Switzerland, then take a train back to Paris. And if you book early enough sometimes you can get really cheap train tickets.
