City break: Paris

LECHE vitrine" is a French phrase that translates literally as "window licking". This expression perfectly describes what I feel like doing, as I promenade through the 8th arrondissement of Paris, past Chanel, Dior, the biggest Louis Vuitton shop in the world, as well as loads of other designer boutiques - all of which have glass doors manned by slick-looking doormen.

However, the shops are nothing compared to the eye-candy provided by the local hotels - most notably Hotel de la Tremoille, my rendezvous point for a weekend in the city of romance. Unlike some five-star hostelries in the UK, this understated place, which was once the hub of the Sixties jazz scene, isn't stuffy at all. In fact, as soon as you stroll into the low-lit, carpeted lobby, with its aroma of Diptyche fig candles, there's a sense of calm that makes you feel as if you could kick off your shoes there and then.

The staff are also very kind when it comes to communicating with tourists. On arrival, they clocked our peely-wally Scottish complexions a mile off and, before we could reach for our phrase book, they welcomed us in perfect English. Also, unlike many of the other Parisians we encountered on our trip, they didn't look at us as if we were something nasty that was stuck to the sole of their Louboutins when we did attempt to speak a little Franglais.

Our third-floor room had two enormous picture windows and was decorated in a style that could only be described as kooky. The pair of khaki-coloured armchairs were upholstered in a fabric that was printed with cheeky sausage dogs and goldfish, while the enormous bed was resplendent with a brown fur throw and shiny black headboard.

My favourite features of our room, however, were the little dressing room area and two stone balconies which, had we been able to bulldoze a block of buildings, would have given us a direct view to the Eiffel Tower on our left and the Champs Elysees on our right (this hotel is in the Triangle d'Or district, which encapsulates these attractions). As it was, we enjoyed looking straight down at the beautifully groomed Parisians striding along the street or weaving through the traffic on their bicycles.

The hotel has also recently added "hatches" to its rooms, which are, essentially, dumb waiters. These allow staff to deliver your breakfast discreetly - so you don't have to open the door bleary eyed and boasting a bed-head.

We used this facility on both mornings of our stay, and loved opening the closet to a foodie Narnia of strong coffee with warmed milk and a basket of pain au chocolat, plump sugared pastries and buttery croissants – all of which we could eat undisturbed in our fluffy bathrobes.

Unfortunately, you can't wear your slippers down to the Louis 2 restaurant, which is on the ground floor of the hotel – it's way too chi-chi for that, with its modernist chandeliers and dark wood furnishings. Instead we chose to dress up in our finest smart/casual threads, in order to munch our choices of a very rare tuna burger with roasted vegetables (me) and sushi with wasabi cream followed by sea bass with Parmesan gratin (my partner, Rolf).

Our meal was completed by two cups of cafe creme, which were served alongside a plateful of bright-green, pistachio-flavoured sponge cakes whichlooked like something Alice might have

enjoyed in Wonderland. We reckoned that the famous Laduree tea-rooms, which are on the Champs Elysees, just round the corner from the hotel, couldn't have produced anything half as nice.

When our sojourn was over, we didn't want to check out. And, the hotel's relaxed nature is such that you could almost convince yourself that, were you to hide away in your room quietly, the staff

would turn a blind eye and you could carry on living there. We weren't convinced, however, that they'd be happy delivering our continental breakfast every morning until the end of time. Therefore, these windowlickers resigned themselves to the fact that it was time to clear the hotel's bathroom of mini Molton Brown products and head back to Gare du Nord.

THE FACTS

Fares from Edinburgh to Paris start from around 92 with Eurostar and National Express East Coast, see www.eurostar.com

Hotel de la Tremoille, 14 rue de la Tremoille, 8th arrondissement, Paris (00 33 1 56 52 14 00, www.hotel-tremoille.com).

Until 31 August, a double room starts from E335 (usually E545). We used this facility on both mornings of our stay, and loved opening the closet to a foodie Narnia of strong coffee with warmed milk and a basket of pain au chocolat, plump sugared pastries and buttery croissants - all of which we could eat undisturbed in our fluffy bathrobes.

Unfortunately, you can't wear your slippers down to the Louis 2 restaurant, which is on the ground floor of the hotel - it's way too chi-chi for that, with its modernist chandeliers and dark wood furnishings. Instead we chose to dress up in our finest smart/casual threads, in order to munch our choices of a very rare tuna burger with roasted vegetables (me) and sushi with wasabi cream followed by sea bass with Parmesan gratin (my partner, Rolf).

Our meal was completed by two cups of cafe creme, which were served alongside a plateful of bright-green, pistachio-flavoured sponge cakes whichlooked like something Alice might have enjoyed in Wonderland. We reckoned that the famous Laduree tea-rooms, which are on the Champs Elysees, just round the corner from the hotel, couldn't have produced anything half as nice.

When our sojourn was over, we didn't want to check out. And, the hotel's relaxed nature is such that you could almost convince yourself that, were you to hide away in your room quietly, the staff would turn a blind eye and you could carry on living there. We weren't convinced, however, that they'd be happy delivering our continental breakfast every morning until the end of time. Therefore, these window-lickers resigned themselves to the fact that it was time to clear the hotel's bathroom of mini Molton Brown products and head back to Gare du Nord.

THE FACTS Fares from Edinburgh to Paris start from around 92 with Eurostar and National Express East Coast, see www.eurostar.com Hotel de la Tremoille, 14 rue de la Tremoille, 8th arrondissement, Paris (00 33 1 56 52 14 00, www.hotel-tremoille.com). Until 31 August, a double room starts from E335 (usually E545).

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