Hotels & Resorts Archives

JSL Paris Guide: Where to Stay

04/02/2018 By Sarah Leave a Comment

I’ve been getting many requests for tips on Paris, from where to stay, what arrondissements are best, where to shop, what to see, and more! So it only makes sense to start a SJL Travel guide segment specifically for Paris. It’s been a long overdue series!

Having spent a decent amount of time in the city, this will be a series based on all that I’ve learned and my personal experiences. I may not know everything about this special city, but what I do know will be very helpful to get the groundwork done so you know what to expect when visiting Paris!

Read more to hear my recommendations on where to stay and why!

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Paris from my Window

12/01/2017 By Sarah Leave a Comment

Our last days in Paris brought us to the coziest little hotel in Bonne Nouvelle. It wasn’t planned, we ended up here on a whim. The hotel was tucked away on a quiet street. It was Sunday morning, and it had just rained. The church bells were ringing through the empty streets, and I couldn’t have been more in love or more at home, there in that moment.

We checked in at Hôtel Bonne Nouvelle and rode the lift to the 4th floor, where we had to climb the spiraling stairway with whimsical, dizzying striped carpet to our room on the 5th floor. I asked for a top floor room so we would be away from street noise and have a view of the rooftops (a must!)

It was so quaint, quiet, and warm. Not like the somewhat old and drafty, street-noise-ridden places one might equate with this city that never sleeps. It felt like we had the whole hotel… no, the whole neighborhood to ourselves! The only person we saw in the hotel was the lovely lady concierge, who was so helpful to us.

It was one of the moments we got to slow down during the craziness of Fashion Week. I spent a while leaning out the window, staring out across the rooftops, watching the Eiffel Tower disappear and reappear again from the low clouds. Parisians came and went from their windows. Because window life is an actual thing in this city. Below, a young man smoked a cigarette out the window across from us. And when he left, his lover appeared to cut fruit and cheese on the table. Pigeons cooed on windowsills, and voices echoed softly down the cobblestone streets, but the somber sleepiness of Paris on Sunday filled the rainy air.

We had to run for baguettes and cheese, of course, but on Sundays almost everywhere is closed in Paris. So we had to forgo the iPhone GPS and follow our instinct. Or, well, stalk people who were walking the streets with baguettes under their arm, until we found our way to the nearest Boulangerie that was still open. We were pretty stoked, considering we didn’t bring any food with us to our hotel, and had to head to a fashion show in the evening.

The baguette expedition led us to Rue de Petits Carreaux- one of the prettiest streets one thinks of as the iconic Paris. Well, Paris if full of so many types of areas and cliches. But I suppose this is the vibe that sings the same frequency as my soul, because I was so utterly happy. The area really took hold of my heart with it’s timeless vibes, and I’m so glad we got to experience it. Our baguette adventure and a walk through the streets of Bonne Nouvelle will be coming up next to the blog, so stay tuned!

Read More to see the photos from our Parisian window, and get the outfit details at the bottom of the post!

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JSL Travel Guide: Cobblestone Paris

10/13/2017 By Sarah Leave a Comment

My stay with Cobblestone Paris during my recent trip was probably the best experience! It’s very easy to talk about because it was literally perfect. So I’ll just share a bit about our days while staying at their Le Passage Du Marais apartment.

We met up with David, the charming Cobblestone Greeter who took us through the passageway to our building. It was hidden away in a private, quiet passageway that was like out of The Secret Garden! Climbing the spiral stairway led us to our apartment on the second floor. We were immediately in love with the absolute coziness of the place! It felt like a welcoming hug after all the Airport madness.

If you’ve traveled to Paris before, you’ll know the all the buildings are very old. So even some of the best places to stay have that aged feel and can be just a bit grungy. Well it was literally the best surprise to find that Passage Du Marais was like brand new inside, except for the beautifully exposed, original wood beams. The bathroom was a dream, and the kitchen spotless. Everything was so quaint. I thank Cobblestone Paris for having the most impeccable standards for their rentals, creating for literally the most comfortable and effortless stay that is what you dream of in Paris!

I was also so excited about the area our apartment was located in. It is central to all the important Paris sights, and the area is one of the nicer neighborhoods. The vibes there in Marais are probably my favorite! Right down the street were the Franprix market, lots of cafes and restaurants, and the hustle of Parisians going about their day. But the absolute quiet of the apartment made you feel completely safe and tucked away like on a retreat. And trust me, that is rare, because there is a LOT of city noise in Paris!

Right around the corner was the Cafe we ate dinner, called Le Grand Cerf. Naturally I was drawn to it, sitting on the corner with it’s striped awning catching the golden hour sunlight. Everything was smiling and enjoying their meal, so we sat down in the corner and ordered our meal. Josh was determined to be bold this trip and try lots of new things, so Escargot it was! I never in my life thought I’d eat snails, but I was pleasantly surprised that it tasted warm and buttery with herbs, with texture similar to a cooked mushroom. I ate maybe a total of 6 snails while in Paris… baby steps! I ordered a mushroom flatbread, and we celebrated our arrival in Paris with some champagne and people watching.

Read more to see the photos from our stay at Cobblestone Paris – Le Passage Du Marais

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noir et blanc

04/27/2017 By Sarah 6 Comments

Paris, the city for lovers, offered a romantic backdrop that inspired my work in ways I’d never gotten to experience before. The architecture is what sets this city apart, being so old and full of boundless detail and beauty. I’m not lying when I say there are more streets than even a full time Parisian could explore, and each building has those picturesque elements. Our second story flat in Montmartre became our little hideaway in the middle of the busy city, where vespas buzz up and down the streets day and night. I spent a lot of time people watching from our balcony, soaking in the sound of the birds in the morning or at dusk.

There’s a different way of life in Paris, as compared to LA, that I can’t quite put my finger on. One might think that it’s like a movie, but I learned differently my first visit. Paris is much more tangible than you glimpse from dreamy movie scenes. Some even find it shocking when they arrive- because it’s actually a real life city. Lots of people, traffic, noises, smells, and… well, trash. You’d be surprised at the amount of graffiti that marks the beautiful buildings, and the fact that there is actually a scary ghetto area that, when I stumbled upon, reminded me of Chicago or NY.

I won’t lie, I was a bit overwhelmed when I first experienced all of this. And the March weather, plus my acute bronchitis I had for 2 weeks, made me more of a homebody than I’d have preferred. But it gave me a cozy appreciation for this adorable flat we were lucky to book so last minute (thanks to Perfectly Paris on AirBnB)- and it became our home away from home for the month.

Here’s a little roundup of our lazy days spent inside, being sleepy lovers.

Flat:
Artist’s Corner – Paris Perfect Rentals

P.S!
If you don’t have an AirBnB account yet, sign up here and get $40 off your next stay!

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Korakia | part 2

09/26/2016 By Sarah 4 Comments

We arrived at Korakia in Palm Springs right after the sun dipped behind the rocky mountain backdrop. The earth still radiated with a heat I’d never experienced before. I’ve been in Death Valley on the salt flats in the direct sun, and I’ve been in Tucson during August. But this was different. It was like standing in a clay oven heated by the sun, and radiating with the solar energy. It was quite the experience, but I sort of got used to it by the end of our stay.

We shot for Spell Designs for 2 days, and before leaving I was determined to take location photos of every pretty thing I saw and fell in love with while there. So we walked around, camera in hand, snapping away. It was nearly impossible to stand in the sun longer than 15 seconds. Even for the above photo I had to keep running to the shade in-between shots to keep from frying. You could have fried your bacon on the sidewalk! And speaking of breakfast, we had the most delicious avocado toast with tomatoes, early in the morning, under a canopy of umbrellas and tree branches strung with moroccan lanterns.

Every little corner of Korakia holds something beautiful and inspiring. Like I’ve said, it’s photogenic from every angle. I could have shot there for days had I had the time and the temps were lower. It was quite the survival process making it through the 2 days we were there!

Palm trees swayed above, casting long shadows on daybeds. The pops of color from the bougainvillea bushes scattered throughout the hotel brought the desert to life. Little nooks created with billowing white curtains provided escapes from the sun, while the 2 different pools became the watering hole for us and the other guests to de-stress and mingle. There wasn’t much to do out there besides let go of any of your cares and just be in the moment.

Moroccan music plaid from hidden speakers around the hotel, so I felt transported to another world. I was sweating profusely just to traverse the winding paths through the pensione in order to capture these photos, utterly grateful for my favorite straw hat to keep me protected from the sun, but I knew it was all worth it to have these amazing photos to share and keep forever!

I hope you enjoy them, and be sure to share to Pinterest! Comment below if you love these types of photos and would want to see more resort and wanderlust photos on the blog here!

And if you missed here, check out Korakia Part 1 for more photos!

XOXO

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