i%26#39;m planning to propose to my girlfriend on our 2nd anniversary of dating, in paris. we are staying at the L%26#39;hotel in St Germain des Pres and i%26#39;d ideally like to find some place small, very romantic, where they will allow me to make use of a piano for five minutes, to serenade her favorite song, then propose to her (at midnight of our 2nd anniversary). the hotel suggested 2 jazz clubs, Chez Papa and Le Bilboquet, which are closeby but i%26#39;m not sure they will be accomodating at that busy time. any other places to recommend, where they would bend over backwards to help me in my romantic plan? i%26#39;m also willing to change hotels to a similar if not more romantic hotel in that neighborhood that has a piano on-site.
I (and my wife to be, I hope!) thank you...
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How lovely!
I know that the Cafe Laurent (very small and romantic) in the Hotel d%26#39;Aubusson has a grand piano and offers jazz on some nights --look at the Hotel d%26#39;Aubusson web site for a picture. Since it is small and not a jazz club per se, it might be perfect for your plan--especially if you were staying at the hotel. They were very accomodating on our honeymoon (as well as all our other visits there...) to all things romantic. The bartender at the time, Fabian, always greeted us with Champagne. I think it sounds like the sort of plan the hotel would love to accomodate.
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The Cafe Laurent at the Hotel d%26#39;Aubusson is an excellent suggestion.
It%26#39;s one of my favourite stops, perfect for a quiet and relaxing moment, yet in a comfortable and classy atmosphere.
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It%26#39;s been a few years since we%26#39;ve stopped into L%26#39;HOTEL (4-star deluxe) 13 rue des Beaux Arts, 75006, Metro: Saint Germain des Pres-- http://www.l-hotel.com/
but I recalled that they used to have music (a pianist) in the hotel%26#39;s bar in the evenings, which made stopping in for a drink, a very pleasant experience. The hotel underwent a major revovation a couple of years ago, so I wasn%26#39;t sure that the piano bar was still in existence. According to the hotel%26#39;s up-dated web site, they still have music three(3) nights per week, so the piano is still there--
http://www.l-hotel.com/bar-e.php
As has already been suggested, an excellent alternative might be the--
HOTEL d%26#39;AUBUSSON (4-star) 33 rue Dauphine (at rue Christine), 75006, Metro: Odeon %26amp; Pont Neuf--
http://www.hoteldaubusson.com/
which may suit your purpose quite nicely...and the Cafe Laurent, a good spot for the %26#39;performance%26#39; what your have in mind. If you%26#39;re interested in determining whether the room and the piano is up to your standards--
Cafe Laurent--
aubusson-paris-hotel.com/Images/Bar_pano1.jpg
In the same general neighborhood is the HOTEL La VILLA SAINT GERMAIN (4-star) 29 rue Jacob, Metro: Saint Germain des Pres-- http://www.villa-saintgermain.com/
which ussed to have a great jazz club on premises. Since it%26#39;s major renovation a few years ago, the jazz club is gone but they occasionally have music there and I suspect that they still have a piano in the lounge/bar. It%26#39;s in the same immediate neighborhood, so stop in and check as you pass it on your way about. It may be still another option for what you have in mind.
Over the years we%26#39;ve seen all manner of %26#39;..occasions..%26#39; being celebrated on Pont des Arts...and I%26#39;m reasonably certain that you could contract with a rental company to deliver a piano to the center of the bridge for you.
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Thanks for all the ideas!! i%26#39;m going to check them all out - including the piano delivery to the bridge - I love it!!!!!!!
keep em coming....
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On a seperate note, I suggest you get a book I saw in the fashion and textile museum library (in the louvre complex, on rivoli road), it has the top places to kiss in paris, alot of %26#39;off the beaten track%26#39; romantic locations, maybe for your honeymoon ;)
Good Luck
ps: book published by parigramme by Thierry Souflard
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Last year in Paris we saw a guy propose (and girl accept) on top of the Arc de Triomphe. Sweet :o)
Another place you might consider is under the willow tree at the Western end of the Ile de la Cite, often said to be one of the most romantic spots in Paris.
On the same trip last year we decided to have a lunchtime picnic there. When we got there, a wedding was in full swing, American couple I think, with 50 or 60 guests and a band playing French music - lovely :o)
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Hello!
I%26#39;ll give you a few ideas, I hope one of them you will like!
The gardens of Trocadéro or the Champs de Mars ( you
will have less people around you), if you%26#39;re there
at the beginning of each hour, on the first ten
minutes (when dark) you have a special twinkling
illuminations (ie from 9 to 9h10 pm, 10 to 10h10
pm...) that is beautiful.
The view to the Eiffel tower from the Pont Alexandre
III is also very romantic (same thing about
sparkling)
Or if you want something more original, I know of a
legend with the Pont Marie. To bring the best of
luck to a couple, in the Middle Ages, people used to
come and bring their future bride under the Pont
Marie (near the Marais quarter) and the kiss they
exchanged right under it is supposed to seal the
couple for eternity, sometimes people still do it
but rarely so you won%26#39;t be crowded :-)
And of course, one of the places I find the most
romantics in Paris, the gardens of the Musée Rodin
with the scultures outside and the tiny cafeteria
(well the inside of the museum is great too of
course, forgive me Rodin%26#39;s soul :-p)
On the borders of the Ile Saint Louis, there is a
bench made of white stone next to one of the oldest
trees in Paris and gives a marvellous view(it’s also
one of the only places where you can see ducks gliding
on the Seine if you’re lucky). In the evenings a lamp
post gives out a very romantic lightening. To get
there, take the stairs under Pont Louis Philippe or
under Quai Bourbon (Metro: Pont Marie)
In the Bois de Boulogne, there is a water fall and
it is quite unknown but you can get behind it and hide
or you can also rent dinghies (?) and propose on the
Lake
The “Je t’aime wall” in Montmartre
(http://www.lesjetaime.com/english/index.html) Artist
Frédéric Baron wanted to imitate Jules Verne’s
Philleas Fogg and do a world tour in 80 “je t’aime”:-)
He began by asking his brother to write “je t’aime” in
French, then asked his arab, russian, portugese
friends to do the same and visited embassies. He ended
up with 311 “je t’aime” each in a specific language
and different handwritings. He then created this wall
in the tiny, well hidden ”square” (small city garden).
I’d advise for a very early time (8am) to avoid
tourists (square des Abesses on the Place des Abesses,
Metro: Abesses)
Square Barye: you can see boats on the Seine seated
on one of the 5 (i think) benches that are sealed to
the extreme point of the Ile Saint Louis. There are
sculptures around you and pendula (?) trees. It’s a
very nice place in the evening or end of the afternoon
( Pont de Sully, Metro Sully Morland)
The wild garden of Saint-Vincent: no gardeners here,
only wild plants, many of them very rare, absolutely
lovely (17, rue Saint Vincent, Metro Lamarck
Caulaincourt)
In the very hilly Parc des Buttes Chaumont (my
favorite) there is a “kiosque” (small construction
designed to welcome musicians up till the middle of
20th century) on the highest point of the parc. It’s
here that in 1814, Czar Alexander 1st decided to stop
the fighting when he saw how Paris was in flames and
tears (in the latest time possible in the evening
would be great, the parc opens late at night during
the summer)
Another thing I thought of is Lapérouse. It’s a
restaurant that has the particularity of having small
“salons” designed for 2 on their first floor. It used
to be the meeting place of lovers (and still is
sometimes) some of them as famoux as Victor
HugoMautpassant, Colette, Alfred de Muset, George
Sand, Zola, Dumas..). Bourgeois and aristocrats would
take their mistresses there (or a “cocotte” name for
kept women) and you can still see on the mirrors on
the walls the mark of the diamonds they would “test”
to see if they were real :-) You wouldn’t be
disturbed as by tradition the Maitre d’Hotel never
enters the salon without your pulling the small rope
that is linked to an old fashioned bell. It is said
that there is a secret tunnel leading to the Sénat,
allowing senators to join their mistresses discreetly,
how very french, lol. It’s also a very good reputed
restaurant.
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I agree about the Musée Rodin, very romantic, esp the gardens. But the thing about the Mont Marie and the middle ages can%26#39;t be true, the bridge was only built in the 17th century, and nothing particular about it. The Pont des Arts, Pont Alexandre III are much better. I agree about Hotel d%26#39;Aubusson, didn%26#39;t realise they had a piano or a bar but the decoration inside is nice and cosy, romantic feeling...
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Raphy,
You%26#39;re so right about the Pont Marie, it%26#39;s stupid of me, I was simply repeating a legend that actually does exist, can%26#39;tr emember where I read it, i%26#39;ll find the source for you if you%26#39;re interested?
however, it can%26#39;t have been middle ages, silly me :-p
Ness
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