Paris Recommendations, Curated for Your Pleasu
Cliché, yes, but clichés begin in truth—Paris is sexy. It ranks for me high on my list of sexiest cities in the world, which yes! I have listed here.
Speaking of cliché, it’s a French word, and you must admit the French language is sexy: lingerie, boulangerie, patisserie, brasserie… they even make green beans sexy by calling them “haricot verts.” Aurore is a French name, which means “dawn” and I named this space in part for a new beginning of erotica, and a nod to the fact that in many ways, she was conceived in Paris. That story is here.
Is Paris the city of love? That’s up for debate. But it is certainly a city built for romance, especially if you love food, art, and beauty, the enjoyment of which I think is intrinsically connected with erotic pleasure.
And I believe there’s a way to enjoy Paris in which you give in a bit to the cliché of it all while digging deeper, seeing what’s outside the expected itinerary while indulging in the classic, and carving your own version of sexy into a storied city that is one of the most touristed in the world.
Read for my hotel, restaurant, bakery, art, and shopping recommendations for a spicy few days in Paris.
Where I Stayed
I have a few requirements for hotels when I travel.
Your hotel room should have a window with a view—doesn’t have to be a $1,000/night view of the Eiffel Tower! And in fact, it really shouldn’t, because that is a boring part of town. I just want the view to remind me where I am, so even in the room you are still on vacation. In Paris, this isn’t very difficult, because 80% of the city is ornate Haussmannian architecture.
Your hotel room should have a bathtub—or some kind of water feature that is luxurious. It should ideally fit two, so that this avenue to relaxation is a shared experience. A hotel spa is nice but it’s not as intimate as sharing a bath in your own room.
Your hotel should flow with whatever vibe you’re seeking on vacation, which varies depending on the destination and moment. Sometimes I find myself feeling intruded on in larger hotels with turn down service etc., and want to feel more anonymous, left alone, but still taken care of. Like I want to pretend I actually live there but someone will discreetly makes my bed while I’m out for the day.
I landed on Hotel du Sentier for this trip—a tiny boutique hotel in the 2nd arrondissement with an unattached lobby and restaurant so you can avoid interacting with the hotel staff if what you wanted to do was sneak a new lover up to your room each night. But!! If you needed an umbrella or wanted to have an espresso among strangers each morning, the lobby and restaurant were always there.
It also was conveniently located across from a wonderful bakery and was an easy 5 minutes to the nearest metro station. I am loyal to the right bank in Paris, and Hotel du Sentier’s placement made it an easy walk to the neighborhoods I planned to frequent: the Marais, Montmartre, and Canal St. Martin.
No notes! Perfect hotel. Also made a nice backdrop for pics.
What I Consumed (food, art, experience)
There are an outrageous number of good restaurants, museums, and sights to see in Paris, so half the secret of enjoying your trip is just making peace with the fact you’ll see only a small sliver of the city. I prefer quiet to crowded, and niche to world-renowned, but I’ve also spent enough time in Paris to have already checked some of the most iconic things off my list. This trip, I was traveling with a first-timer so I tried to balance a bit of both.
Below are three perfect sexy days that can easily be stretched into a slow sensual week. I’ve arranged them geographically for ease of experience.
Tapisserie Charonne is a patisserie in the Bastille, named in an homage to the neighborhood’s roots, in furniture & tapestry making, but you will hardly recognize its humble beginnings, because it’s now one of the chicest areas in Paris. The patisserie is by the owners of nearby Septime, a popular and delicious restaurant nearby which you should also add to your list (if you can get a res.) At Tapisserie, select whatever seasonal tarte they are serving—I’m grateful it was apple season when I visited.
Only on your sexy vacation in Paris is it appropriate to visit not one but two bakeries in one morning. Mamiche is a must try, and the only way to order wrong is to not order enough. Get a sampling and save some for later back in your room.
Digest your indulgent breakfast at the striking gallery and former home and workshop of Azzedine Alaia, a designer who truly worshipped women’s forms, creating clothing that emphasized the waist in fabrics that don’t take away your ability to move and breathe. It’s just the right size to occupy an hour, and the next door bookshop can add an additional half. Don’t miss the bronze breast in the entryway.
Walk around Place des Vosges, and if you’re in the mood for more culture, stop into the Maison Victor Hugo. The acclaimed writer was also an interior design enthusiast, and his former home is full of ceramics, epic heavy wood furnishings, and ornate art.
There’s a lot of shopping in this area, but go too close to the heart of the Marais and you’ll get big box stores you find everywhere in the US. Instead, stick to the outer areas and the many local vintage shops—my favorite was Erem, run by a lovely woman who curates well made vintage furs, coats, and other designs in a cozy atmosphere.
Bistrot Paul Bert is kind of Instagram famous, but for good reason: their poivre sauce is drinkable. You must order the steak for two rather than the individual servings (even if you’re one person!) because you want it served with scalloped potatoes rather than frites (trust me.) The perfect end to the meal is their tarte with their assorted cheese as accompaniment.
Second only to Moulin Rouge in the ranks of famous Parisian cabaret experiences albeit racier and more upscale, Crazy Horse has been around since 1951 and hosted as many (if not more) famous guests. The burlesque theater is known for its topless numbers, some of which are campy, others that are truly astounding in beauty and eroticism—I was honestly amazed by the lighting effects, they gave new meaning to the art of the tease and the slow reveal.
~~~this could be the next day, or spread over a few days~~~
It is my opinion that sweet crepes (ones filled with nutella, or my favorite, lemon sucre, should be eaten in hand, from open air places on the streets, though this is a definite tourist activity. The additional folds in the crepe that make it transportable create layers of texture for the sweet fillings.
Savory crepes however, should be eaten with knife and fork at a place like Bernadette, with dignity and an egg over easy. Modern savory additions here include artichoke hearts, black garlic, wakame seaweed, many variations of fromage, and mustard (which is a common and welcome accompaniment to many meals in Paris.)
Pere Lachaise is the home to many famous graves, and it’s a gorgeous place to walk through. Of special note for the sex fiends among us: French journalist Victor Noir’s grave. The sculpture has a noticeable bulge that has made it a popular visitation rite for people seeking luck in sex and fertility—as a result of the legend, the mouth and bulge are shiny, having been humped and rubbed for decades.
Nearby Caché serves creative seafood dishes and the space is oh-so-sexy. Perfect for a palette cleanser after many meals of red meat.
Get a post dinner drink at Les Oeillets, a natural wine bar with a crowd that feels always on the edge of partying. Maybe you’ll make a friend.
Le Raidd Bar is an iconic gay bar in the Marais that features “shower shows” in which a beautiful man enters a stall and soaps himself up until liquids become indistinguishable. It’s an experience you should have at least once.
If that’s not your thing, one of the sexiest things you can do in Paris is take a long walk on the river or sip something at a cafe terrace—people watching is an activity and can be foreplay if you let it.
~~~this could be the next day, or spread over a few~~~
Buy a dual ticket to the Musee L’Orangerie and Musee D’Orsay. The former is small, famous for Monet’s Water Lily panels, designed to experience his massive room-spanning murals of his gardens at Giverny. The special exhibit when we visited was a collection of the artists dealer Berthe Weill championed during her career, and you know I love an exhibition that stars a woman, even if this one was primarily working behind the scenes.
The latter is much larger, but not on a scale like the Louvre, so it still feels intimate. Housed in a former train station, the D’Orsay holds an important collection that traces impressionism from pre Manet to post Gauguin, and though you can see impressionist work in any museum in the world, there’s something special about seeing it where it was born.
Post museum, you are going to need a pick me up. There are a ton of famous cafes in the nearby St. Germain du Pres, and most of them will have lines that are not worth it. Nearby, equally chic and cozy is Le Bonaparte Bistrot, where I had a life changing hot chocolate: steaming milk served separately to pour into a chocolate dipped cup.
For sustenance, but really for butter, visit L’Avant Comptoir de la Terre. Have a glass of wine and a few small plates, and the butter. You’ll see…
Théâtre Chochotte is a burlesque show but decidedly NOT Crazy Horse. It’s more intimate, more grunge, and a little more erotic. More French, less touristic? So close you could reach out and touch them, and you’ll really, really want to.
Worth a visit.
That’s all for now. I’m in Miami this week, should I do another travel guide?
xxx
