Oooo La La!!
I’ve been wanting to talk about the hotels we have been staying at but I didn’t want to speak too soon.
Not to brag but Kevin and I had accumulated over one million Marriott Bonvoy points over the past couple of years through various methods. And those one million points bought us six weeks of hotels. There were a couple of nights I booked half points and half cash but for the most part our hotels were all paid for. Nice huh? I’m not sure but I think it saved us between $8k & $10k.
And the quality of hotels has been superb! Not to brag again, but we are considered platinum elite with Marriott so we get upgraded at every check-in. Really nice, right? So we have been upgraded probably 90% of the time and sometimes to suites at the highest floors. It’s been a great experience! Normally I am very frugal and when we travel across country I am hard pressed to book a 3 star 🙂
Marriott has taken really good care of us! I bring this up because it is a very important part of the whole travel experience. If we do something like this again, I’m not sure we will have these resources available to us.
And a trip is nothing without a good night’s sleep!
With that being said, there is one line of hotels Marriott has that is a little out of character for them. It is the Moxy Hotels. They are super trendy, kind of cheesy. You walk in and it is a big playroom/bar. You register at the bar and they offer you a welcome drink.
There are little notes everywhere telling you how awesome you are.
The employees are all young adults (I want to say kids, but they are in their young 20’s). They are all perky and helpful and ready to help you party!
The play area has an area for people who want to plug in and work on their computer, there are wicker hanging chairs, a library and of course a bar where you can also order food. That’s their restaurant.
When you get to your room, it’s kind of small but again, super cute! No drawers or closet to hang your clothes but a cute wire thing with hooks on the wall to put your stuff. There are pillows thrown around to put under your knees or behind your back. And one that says “I woke up looking like this”. Or something to that affect.
All good! But then there’s the bed. It’s awful! Hard as a rock! If you have sciatica or back problems, you are doomed. I woke up feeling completely beat up. We stayed at 3 or 4 of the Moxy’s and it was the same at each one.
ONTO PAREEE!!
The first thing we did when we got to Paris was take a hike to the Eiffel Tower. Oooo la la! We were so excited to see it! I woke my kids up with pictures!
The Eiffel Tower is named after Gustave Eiffel, who designed it. It is 1,063 feet tall, has 1,665 steps and a secret apartment (well not so secret anymore). The Eiffel Tower is considered to be very romantic because it is elegant and timeless. It creates a romantic atmosphere.
I have to say, I was mesmerized by it!
It has never been my dream to see the Eiffel Tower and it has never meant much to me when looking at pictures. But when you see it in person, it has like a magical effect! I saw the effect on so many other people. Every time it comes into view, it is exciting! It brings joy! It is magical!
Such a WOW factor!
On our way to the Eiffel Tower, we stopped at a park to rest and watch the little kids play. I sat on a bench while Kevin walked around with his camera. His goal was to take pictures of people that look like the traditional French people. That’s kind of tricky because people are suspicious of people taking their picture. So he got sneaky 🙂 I think he did pretty good. I call it Frenchies in the park.
After our time with the Eiffel Tower, we took a bus tour of the Paris historical area. There was the Presidential Palace, Notre Dame, the Louvre Museum and many more all confined to a small area. It was hard to know what we were looking at and most of the time we were looking up.
But there was no mistaking the Eiffel Tower 🙂
Yayoi Kusama is a Japanese artist that is partnering with Louis Vuitton (for the second time) for a special collection, “all dressed in polka dots.”.
We ended the day with a river cruise down the Seine River. It is another way to see the high points of the city, as it runs right through the heart of Paris. The left bank of the Seine River has a history for being linked to writers and artists. Famous artists were known to call the left bank their home. I’m guessing they set up shop and painted many a picture on the banks. And the best part of the river cruise?
The view of the Eiffel Tower 🙂
The Paris Metro is awesome!! You can get all around Paris and it doesn’t cost much. It is very easy to navigate and we were able to figure it out pretty quickly even in French! It beats walking or paying for a taxi. It is kind of a cultural experience all in it’s own. And guess where it takes you?
Right to the Eiffel Tower 🙂
To all the moms today:
Bonne fete des meres!
Nice!
Did you notice a pattern?
Cool day! So does someone live in the secret apartment in the Eiffel Tower?
Gustave Eiffel built it for himself. He used it for entertaining and doing experiments. Guess he was kind of a science geek. Not sure what it’s used for now.
So entertaining, Denise. I loved, loved, loved the “Frenchies in the Park” photo. And I did see a pattern in today’s blog… It’s fascinating the way you describe the effect the Eiffel Tower had on you when you saw it in person. With some things, pictures can’t capture the full effect, although Kevin’s photo looking up at the Tower from below sure was a new perspective for me.
Congratulations on your Marriott points. How perfect! Enjoy Paris!
Glad you liked “Frenchies in the Park”. It’s exactly how you might picture them right?
Oui, madame! Kevin, I love the photo of the Frenchies. These photos bring back fond memories.
Kev wants to know are the memories from family or your time in France?
🤣 😂 The memories are of France. I went in late Spring twice and didn’t experience air pollution. But that was nearly 20 years ago and it’s sad to learn that things have changed.
😂🤣. I was referring to my memories of traveling in France. I went twice more than 20 years ago.
It’s sad to learn of the air pollution in Paris. It wasn’t always that way.
Love ❤️
Oui oui madame!
Good to know to avoid the Moxy line of hotels if you want a good sleep! That is so cool that you had so many points available to use!!
I never heard that there was a secret apartment in the Eiffel, that’s awesome!!!
Sounds like an awesome experience!
I’ve never been to Paris but I sure want to go now. Just reading your post and viewing the pictures pulls me in!
Maybe not after reading “The Louvre” 🙂