Topic Wiki

Dan's TRs:
http://www.dansdeals.com/archives/7517
http://www.dansdeals.com/archives/27356

AJK's (very long) TR:
http://forums.dansdeals.com/index.php?topic=1573.msg150317#msg150317

Tzfas's TR:
http://forums.dansdeals.com/index.php?topic=1573.msg271358#msg271358

Yehoshua's TR:
http://forums.dansdeals.com/index.php?topic=53999.msg1209038#msg1209038

Other TRs:
Yitzy93,
Moishy36, deals, chuchem, milechazzer, LAXtraveler, fdg9, ChAiM'l, rots5, Ergel, steve L, sy guy, waterpri, MC dvol
CGR

Map of Jewish Paris
Kosher Paris Map
Kosher List-July 2015 or Here.

RESTAURANTS (the best of)

There are hundreds of kosher restaurants in Paris.  The locals generally don't eat the meat under Beis Din as they don't require Glatt meat.  But they will eat everything else under Beis din.

Search for restaurants by cuisine and hashgocha here.


NameLocationMetroTypeHechsherNotes
Darjeeling17thArgentine-1MeatRottenberg
Sar Eden19thOurcq-5BakeryRottenbergOrganic bakery
Charles Traiteur19thOurcq-5BakeryBeth-Din
Charles Traiteur20thSaint-Mandé-1BakeryBeth-Din
Charles Traiteur11thRue-Des-Boulets-9BakeryBeth-Din
Charles Traiteur16thVictor-Hugo-2BakeryBeth-Din
Charles Traiteur17thWagram-3BakeryBeth-Din
Charles Traiteur Halavi17thWagram-3BakeryBeth-Din Chalavi
Korcarz4thSaint-paul-1BakeryBeth-DinIn the Marais
Ardely’s19thOurcq-5Milk ChocolateKatz
Damyel19thOurcq-5Parve ChocolateRottenberg
L’As Du Fallafel4thSaint-paul-1FallafelBeth-Dinin the Marais
L’Inte Cafe12thMiromesnil-9,13DairyBeth-Din15 minute walk from the Park Hyatt
Kosher pizza4thSaint-paul-1PizzaRottenberg
Le Shine17thPorte Maillot-1ChineseLubavitchnear the Arc
Soumsoum11thVoltaire- 9MeatLubavitchGreat Israeli restaurent, there is a second one in the 8th
Doron ba Laïla19thGare Saint-Lazare 3-12-13-14MeatRottenbergNice meat restaurant
Tibs19thOurcq-5DairyKatz
Thai One2ndSentier-3MeatRottenberg
Le XXV16thTrocadéro-9-6BakeryRottenberg Chalavi
Le XXV8thTernes-2BakeryRottenberg Chalavi




Activities:
-Segway Tour. Please do not PM Ergel with requests for coupon codes. The codes are long dead
-Seine River Tour
-Eiffel Tour (Metro: Trocadero -6,9)
-Versailles Palace and Gardens. Never wait on line to buy tickets. 1. Use museum pass 2. Buy in advance 3. There are vending machines near the bathrooms (you have to poke around to find them) without lines. (if you go during a really busy time and the line seems endlessly long, go to the gardens first and return to the palace in the afternoon when lines are shorter). To get an audio guide, you usually proceed across the Royal Courtyard after passing security. If the lines for the audio guides are long, turn left in the Courtyard, to the Apartments of the daughter's of Louis XV’s. There you'll find another counter where you can get audio guides, with no lines at all. You can then exit the apartments and continue along the tour, bypassing the longer line.
-Louvre Art Museum (Closed Tuesday) (Metro: Palais Royal - Musée du Louvre -1,7) Shushan/Purim artifacts that can be seen at the Louvre, per the book Purim and the Persian Empire.
-D'Orsay Art Museum (Closed Monday) (Metro: Solférino -12)
-Musée de l'Orangerie des Tuileries (closed Tuesday) small museum featuring Monet's lilies (Metro Concorde: -1,8,12)
-Centre Georges Pompidou modern art museum open 11-9. closed tuedays (Metro: Rambuteau -11)
-Tuileries Gardens. (Metro: Tuileries -1)
-Paris sewer museum Smells really bad but an interesting look at the sewer system
-Champs Elysees shopping (Metro: Champs-Élysées - Clemenceau -1,13)
-Arc de Triomphe (Metro: Charles de Gaulle - Étoile -1,2,6)
-Operan National De Paris opera house. tours daily 11:30 and 2:30. Admission included in Museum Pass, tour extra
-Montmartre (Great neighborhood to walk around with boutiques, artists, and great views, and a funicular that kids will love) (Metro: abbesses -12, Anvers -2)
-The Great Synagogue (La Victoria) is beautiful but the main shul is only open on Shabbos mornings for Shacharis, but definitely worthwhile if you're there over Shabbos (Metro: Notre-Dame-de-Lorette -12)

Hotels:
-Park Hyatt Paris (Hyatt cat 7) is an outstanding value for your points. They used to give a phenomenal kosher breakfast but now it's barely even worth requesting.  Still rooms are a decent size for Paris, the Spa facilities are very nice, and the intoxicating smell used throughout the hotel for forever be linked with the romance of Paris. Ideally located between the Opera and Tuileries metro stations.
The Park Hyatt has free parking, though driving and parking elsewhere in Paris is very difficult.
The Park Hyatt has also complimentary bikes for guests.
There is a backdoor for entry on shabbos.

-The InterContinental Paris - Le Grand is not far from the Park Hyatt. It cost 70k IHG points per night or you can use IHG free nights. It is a good alternitive if the PH is not available or if you don't have/don't want to spend 30k Hyatt points per night.

-The Westin (SPG cat 6) is not as luxurious at the Park Hyatt but is located nearby and does the trick if you only have Starpoints and not Chase or Hyatt points.

Shabbos meals:
-Chabad of Champs Elysees has great shabbos meals and you're sure to bump into other tourists there as well to share tips.
It is a 30 minute walk to the Park Hyatt, but the walk is quite lovely via the Tuileries Gardens and the Champs Elysees.
Reservations are required: http://www.chabadchampselysees.com/templates/articlecco_cdo/aid/888847/jewish/Shabbat-at-Chabad-Champs-Elyses.htm
-if you don't/can't eat at Chabad, they suggest getting takeout from Ben & Cook located in the 8th. Hashgacha: rabbinate Lubavitch De France 33 1 45 61 03 95. 35 Euro for 2 challas, 2 dips, meatballs with noodles or veggies for 2. they close at 3pm on Fridays (in the summer). call for more info
- Friday night meals at Grand Synagogue http://www.tiny.cc/chabbat

There is no eruv in Paris. Consider taking the metro to shul with your talis bag along with return tickets for motzei shabbos.

Transport from CDG:
-If you are going to the Opera area you can take the RoissyBus (pronounced Wahsee-Boos as you will get blank stares if you ask for the Royzee-Bus) which goes there nonstop. You can pay by credit card in the RoissyBus waiting station or on the bus.  The cost is €10.  It is a 5 minute walk to the Park Hyatt.

-There are also train options from CDG: the subway is located in terminal 2E/2F, to get to paris its ligne B (Blue) it should take approximately 30minutes to get to Gare Du Nord
it cost 9€10 each way per person

- Mendy Taxi: 0(1133) 6 50 99 82 93 http://mendystransport.com/en/
- Shimon taxi: 0(1133)6 98 27 16 08  Tamidshuttle@gmail.com

- Uber, Bolt are the best option to get to paris cheapest and fastest

Metro:
The subway is fast, efficient, and cheap. A book of 10 tickets is 13,30€ for adults and 6,65€ for kids.
The subway closes between 12:30 and 2am.

Map:
Streetwise Paris cannot emphasize enough, this is really a must. Of course, if you have GMaps and data you don't need this map unless you really like paper.

Guidebooks
Rick Steves' Paris 2013
Fodor's Paris 2013 (Full-color Travel Guide)

Other Tips
-If you plan on visiting several of the items covered by the Museum Pass - make sure to check it out and price out your options.  Many times it is worth it to get a one-day or multi-day Museum Pass to save some money and more importantly, time (see link for more details: http://en.parismuseumpass.com/)
-Double check days when museums/sites are closed as many do close on different days of the week.
« Last edited by yitzy93 on November 27, 2023, 04:50:39 PM »

Author Topic: Paris Master Thread  (Read 946760 times)

Offline AJK

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Re: Paris Master Thread
« Reply #360 on: November 30, 2011, 11:16:50 PM »
Great TR! Sounds like a great trip.

Nice!

Thanks guys.

And, to top it all off, the $440 ticket actually got coded as a Y fare, so between my Delta status and the class bonus for flying KLM, we accrued over 40,000 miles, almost equal to two-round trip domestic award tickets :P

Seems our flights paid for themselves.

EDIT: Seems like only business class tix get the class bonus, so honestly, I'm not quite sure why we got it.
« Last Edit: November 30, 2011, 11:22:15 PM by AJK »
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Offline gswannabe

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Re: Paris Master Thread
« Reply #361 on: December 01, 2011, 01:26:16 PM »
Tx for the great report !

Offline PlatinumGuy

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Re: Paris Master Thread
« Reply #362 on: December 01, 2011, 01:39:17 PM »
Sounds absolutelty awesome. Very well written too. But...

AJK - how did you get into the lounge?
the KLM one I mean
Also how far is the great synagauge from your hotels?
״וזה כלל גדול: שישנא אדם כל דבר שקר. וכל מה שיוסיף שנאה לדרכי השקר – יוסיף אהבה לתורה.״ - אורחות צדיקים

Offline LAXtraveler

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Re: Paris Master Thread
« Reply #363 on: December 01, 2011, 01:45:23 PM »
Sounds absolutelty awesome. Very well written too. But... the KLM one I mean
Also how far is the great synagauge from your hotels?

When I stayed at the Westin (down the block from the PHP) it took about 15-20 minutes to walk to the Great Synagogue.

Offline AJK

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Re: Paris Master Thread
« Reply #364 on: December 01, 2011, 01:46:50 PM »
Tx for the great report !

Your welcome! Thanks for posting.

Sounds absolutelty awesome. Very well written too. But... the KLM one I mean
Also how far is the great synagauge from your hotels?

I used my Delta status (that's in the TR :P). Anybody Gold Medallion or higher is deemed SkyTeam Elite Plus, which gets access for two to all lounges of SkyTeam members.

The great synagogue is about a 12-15 minute walk from the Opera (close to both hotels).
2015: 116K bkd | 1.6M brnd | F: OZ,NH,AA,EK | J: UA,CA,TK,DL,TN,AF,VA | LIH,NRT,ROR,PEK,CNS,BOB,MEL,TLV & Pacific Hopper

Offline AJK

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Re: Paris Master Thread
« Reply #365 on: December 01, 2011, 01:48:01 PM »
When I stayed at the Westin (down the block from the PHP) it took about 15-20 minutes to walk to the Great Synagogue.

I saw the Westin a few times, it looked nice. Did you like it? In fact, we met two couples at Chabad on Friday night who were staying there.

They were blowing close to a million *W points on AA business flights, and 72K/night at the Westin for two rooms.
2015: 116K bkd | 1.6M brnd | F: OZ,NH,AA,EK | J: UA,CA,TK,DL,TN,AF,VA | LIH,NRT,ROR,PEK,CNS,BOB,MEL,TLV & Pacific Hopper

Offline LAXtraveler

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Re: Paris Master Thread
« Reply #366 on: December 01, 2011, 01:52:26 PM »
I saw the Westin a few times, it looked nice. Did you like it? In fact, we met two couples at Chabad on Friday night who were staying there.

They were blowing close to a million *W points on AA business flights, and 72K/night at the Westin for two rooms.

I thought it was nice. I believe I wrote a TR about it back in March as well. We stayed in a Jr. Suite for only 22,500/night (IIRC) which is only 2,500 more per night than a regular room. From what I heard, the regular rooms are pretty small. I thought the jr. suite was pretty nice and more than enough space for my wife and myself. We had a small sitting area with some windows, a nice size sleeping area with a desk in the corner and a bathroom with shower/bath combo and separate toilet room with badet. I would stay there again considering the relatively cheap rate for the upgraded room. 

Shabbos at the Westin was really easy because there is a staircase from right in the back of the lobby, so we didn't have to even ask for someone to unlock a special side door for us.

Offline AJK

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Re: Paris Master Thread
« Reply #367 on: December 01, 2011, 02:18:46 PM »
I thought it was nice. I believe I wrote a TR about it back in March as well. We stayed in a Jr. Suite for only 22,500/night (IIRC) which is only 2,500 more per night than a regular room. From what I heard, the regular rooms are pretty small. I thought the jr. suite was pretty nice and more than enough space for my wife and myself. We had a small sitting area with some windows, a nice size sleeping area with a desk in the corner and a bathroom with shower/bath combo and separate toilet room with badet. I would stay there again considering the relatively cheap rate for the upgraded room. 

Shabbos at the Westin was really easy because there is a staircase from right in the back of the lobby, so we didn't have to even ask for someone to unlock a special side door for us.

22.5K a night for a junior suite in that area of Paris seems like a steal.

Maybe I'll check it out next time :)
2015: 116K bkd | 1.6M brnd | F: OZ,NH,AA,EK | J: UA,CA,TK,DL,TN,AF,VA | LIH,NRT,ROR,PEK,CNS,BOB,MEL,TLV & Pacific Hopper

Offline YudiG

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Re: Paris Master Thread
« Reply #368 on: December 01, 2011, 05:17:00 PM »
1,000,000 *W points? Ouch!

@AJK

How many points was the Le Grand?

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Re: Paris Master Thread
« Reply #369 on: December 01, 2011, 06:31:43 PM »
1,000,000 *W points? Ouch!

@AJK

How many points was the Le Grand?

Yea, he spend a million every year on his CC, so he uses a million a year on one grand trip.

The Le Grand was 40,000 Priority Club points/night.
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Offline seemorehabs

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Re: Paris Master Thread
« Reply #370 on: December 13, 2011, 12:07:21 PM »
any good bakery and or choclate place in the 17th

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Re: Paris Master Thread
« Reply #371 on: December 14, 2011, 08:06:58 PM »
I saw the Westin a few times, it looked nice. Did you like it?

Just one person's opinion on the Westin - It's a great location and nice lobby area, but for people that are looking for luxury rooms, I don't think it's the best.

The rooms seemed somewhat plain and sparse. I stayed in the Ambassador's Suite. I came from another 5* hotel the night before (InterContinental London) and there was a noticeable difference.

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Re: Paris Master Thread
« Reply #372 on: December 14, 2011, 08:10:45 PM »
Just one person's opinion on the Westin - It's a great location and nice lobby area, but for people that are looking for luxury rooms, I don't think it's the best.

The rooms seemed somewhat plain and sparse. I stayed in the Ambassador's Suite. I came from another 5* hotel the night before (InterContinental London) and there was a noticeable difference.

Comparing the hotels in London to Paris is, from what I understand, tantamount to comparing apples to hand grenades :P

Have you stayed on other hotels in Paris proper?
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Re: Paris Master Thread
« Reply #373 on: December 14, 2011, 08:21:04 PM »
Comparing the hotels in London to Paris is, from what I understand, tantamount to comparing apples to hand grenades :P

Have you stayed on other hotels in Paris proper?

No, I don't have much experience with Paris hotels. So whoever reads my opinion should in fact take it with a grain of salt. But I'm scheduled for the Park Hyatt in a couple weeks...

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Re: Paris Master Thread
« Reply #374 on: December 14, 2011, 08:22:17 PM »
No, I don't have much experience with Paris hotels. So whoever reads my opinion should in fact take it with a grain of salt. But I'm scheduled for the Park Hyatt in a couple weeks...

Looking forward to your thoughts on the PHP vs. W!
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Re: Paris Master Thread
« Reply #375 on: December 14, 2011, 09:05:00 PM »
Great TR, AJK.

A few comments.

1. I would have done 25K DL miles for an upgrade without batting an eye.  They are always running promotions like the current one for 1.06 cpm so it's extremely unfair to call that $150/hour.  25K miles is just $265 currently, a no-brainer for international business IMHO.

2. You read reviews, such as mine, about the PH Paris from people with Diamond status, and had your expectations too high.  Had you received expensive champagne, extravagant free kosher breakfasts, free perfumes, etc, etc, you would have been raving about the place.  Without that it's just a nice understated luxury hotel in a great location. Happy you got to enjoy the lovely spa though.

3. Glad you enjoyed Chabad of CE.  The food was great there for us and we met many interesting couples from around the world.  And as you said the walk back to the PH is amazing.  The shliach there is also fascinating, originally from Rio, and fluent in tons of languages.  A break before maariv is common in many chabad shul as we don't like to say sh'ma before the proper time (about 38-45 minutes after shkia).

4. Shame you missed Pitzman, we thought it was some of the best pizza we ever had.

5. Glad you listened to the advice about eating at Tib's and dessert and LM.

6. Did you miss the chocolate shops?

7. Westin does not have any luxury hotels, but most are quite comfortable.  Not in the same class as a PH at all, regardless of the city.
Save your time, I don't answer PM. Post it in the forum and a dedicated DDF'er will get back to you as soon as possible.

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Re: Paris Master Thread
« Reply #376 on: December 14, 2011, 09:34:54 PM »
I must say, I've been waiting for your comments on the TR.

Glad you enjoyed it; you and DDF were a large part in making it happen, so thank you.

To answer your questions:

1. I would have done 25K DL miles for an upgrade without batting an eye.  They are always running promotions like the current one for 1.06 cpm so it's extremely unfair to call that $150/hour.  25K miles is just $265 currently, a no-brainer for international business IMHO.

I hear you. Perhaps with enough time to reflect, I might have chosen differently. However, when cast in the light of exchanging up to $1,000 in domestic travel for (what turned out to be) 5.5 hours in international business, I just couldn't pull the trigger.

My wife asked me: "You mean if we choose not to fly business now, we can go to LA for the weekend instead?"

She sealed the decision when I answered, "yes."

2. You read reviews, such as mine, about the PH Paris from people with Diamond status, and had your expectations too high.  Had you received expensive champagne, extravagant free kosher breakfasts, free perfumes, etc, etc, you would have been raving about the place.  Without that it's just a nice understated luxury hotel in a great location. Happy you got to enjoy the lovely spa though.

Yes, I agree. It's quite possible I did not do a spectabulous job managing my expectations. All in all, though, the PHP was a hotel to which I would definitely return. The spa is something that is truly luring and was noticeably missed at the Le Grand (especially after all the walking in Versailles).

3. Glad you enjoyed Chabad of CE.  The food was great there for us and we met many interesting couples from around the world.  And as you said the walk back to the PH is amazing.  The shliach there is also fascinating, originally from Rio, and fluent in tons of languages.  A break before maariv is common in many chabad shul as we don't like to say sh'ma before the proper time (about 38-45 minutes after shkia).

Didn't know about the traditional Chabad break, but the overall the experience was simply great. From the food, to the company, to the Rabbi, everything was perfect. And you cannot beat the price, especially for the timing luxury it affords.

4. Shame you missed Pitzman, we thought it was some of the best pizza we ever had.

Yeah, we were pretty disappointed. But we went to Tib's and La Marina that night instead, so I can't call it a complete failure :P

5. Glad you listened to the advice about eating at Tib's and dessert and LM.

Yes, great recco.

6. Did you miss the chocolate shops?

We tried to go to them when we ate at Tib + LM, but it was a Saturday night and they were closed :(

To make matters even worse, when our friend from Paris found out we missed the chocolate stores, she really let us have it.
 
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Re: Paris Master Thread
« Reply #377 on: December 14, 2011, 09:49:43 PM »
Glad you enjoyed it; you and DDF were a large part in making it happen, so thank you.
YW.  Just got around to reading it now.

Sure, miles can also be worth 50cpm, but to me they can't be worth more than what you can buy them for.
As you can buy them directly from Delta for ~1.06 cents per mile, that is their top value and the number you should have used in your calculation, as that is their replacement cost.

Not all Chabad shuls have a break before maariv.  Chabad houses geared to non-frum people probably won't have a break, while those geared to frum people will likely have a break.  The break between mincha and maariv shouldn't be more than 35 or 40 minutes though, and will often be less if mincha was late, as is often the case.

And you'll just have to go back for Pitzman and the chocolate shops.  And to stay at the PHP as a diamond ;)
Save your time, I don't answer PM. Post it in the forum and a dedicated DDF'er will get back to you as soon as possible.

Offline AJK

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Re: Paris Master Thread
« Reply #378 on: December 14, 2011, 09:52:38 PM »
Yes, it seems the replacement cost would have been a better metric by which to judge, but I have a feeling my wife still would have nixed it when she asked about LA for the weekend :P
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Re: Paris Master Thread
« Reply #379 on: February 21, 2012, 11:29:57 AM »
Can someone get me an address of Ardely or Damyel. A google search is comeing up with somewhere in the 9th district. I was looking on google street maps next to la marina and tibs, but couldn't find it. Did they move?