December 29, 2011 by Badaude
Winter in Paris is the perfect opportunity to indulge in creative layering, colorful tights and stylish boots. While stylish Parisiennes abound in Paris, the people-watching on the cobblestoned streets of Montmartre is one of our favorite ways to while away a lazy afternoon on a heated café terrace. Fashion guru and dear HiP Paris contributor Badaude shares here some of her favorite cold-weather items, courtesy of the lovely Montmartro-girls, here. – Geneviève
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Written by Badaude for the HiP Paris Blog. Looking for a fabulous vacation rental in Paris, Provence, or Tuscany? Check out Haven in Paris.
Posted in Parisian Living | 6 Comments »
January 25, 2011 by Jenny Jimenez
Jenny Jimenez, a talented Seattle wedding and portrait photographer, recently stayed at Haven in Paris’ Houdon Montmartre 1-bdrm. Since a photographer can never leave her camera for long, Jenny and her husband Robin Dupuy logged their Paris stay through these amazing pictures… Which we’re happy to share with you now! Be sure to also check out her great blog and pics from her recent trip to Iceland.
Staying at Houdon was a great opportunity to live life as a Parisian would, with our own neighborhood boulangerie around the corner along with other locally-owned specialty shops. Two days of our one week stay were spent walking around Montmartre and getting to know the ins & outs of our little Abbesses part of it…
View from the Houdon balcony
Winding 5 floor walk up to the apartment. It became old hat by the second day. My buns thank you
Left: our bright, naturally lit kitchen with lots of helpful amenities. Right: our greeter Evelyn cut a bouquet of fresh flowers to welcome us
Continue Reading »
Posted in Parisian Living, Reader Tips & Reviews | 15 Comments »
October 18, 2010 by Amy Thomas
Amy Thomas (God I love Paris), Kim Laidlaw (I Heart Paris), Forest Collins (52 Martinis) and our very own Erica Berman recently got together for a very special meal at the elusive Montmartre restaurant, Guilo Guilo. Renowned for its Japanese wunderkind chef Eiichi Edakuni, its fixed menu (which changes daily), and the near-impossibility of scoring reservations if you’re not prepared to make the treck up to Montmartre in person, it did not fail to impress these serious food-blogger dames…
Amy Thomas – Guilo Guilo’s open kitchen and staff
Eight Courses and Four Reviews of Japanese Gem Guilo Guilo
What do you get when four foodie bloggers come together for reservations at one of Paris’ most under-the-radar yet hard-to-get-into spots? A mélange of approving opinions and happy bellies. A review of Guilo Guilo, sliced four ways:
Let’s start with the food
Forest: Chef Eiishi Edakuni concocts beautiful, intricate, tasty, tidy, subtle, little mystery-mouthfuls. Not being certain about all the ingredients is part of the fun— but maybe not for the vegetarians!?
Kim: It was a seemingly never-ending flow of courses presented in bite-sized gems, bursting with flavor. I love this style of eating where you get to try so many different tastes. It’s a real success at Guilo Guilo where you are able to sample a far more interesting side of Japanese gastronomy than you would in sushi-centric joints.
Erica: Creative, original and delicious. The chef expertly pairs diverse and unexpected ingredients to create some of the best food I have had in 18 years of Parisian living.
Amy: Oh, how I love experiences like this. Every little dish was a gift: pretty to look at, thoughtfully constructed and artfully crafted, creative but pure and, bien sur, delicious. And the hits just kept coming! Eight courses? Gift after gift…
Erica Berman – Guilo Guilo delicious morsels
And to go with the food?
Forest: For a nice change from French bubbly, crystal clear sparkling sake isn’t as strong as expected but it still delivered a delicate kick with a dry, clean and refreshing finish. Continue Reading »
Posted in Food, Restaurant Reviews | 6 Comments »
August 25, 2010 by Parisien Salon
Hip Paris blog friend and fabulous resource on all things Paris, Parisien Salon, recently stayed in our little Montmartre studio and published this article about our very own Erica Berman and her amazing job renovating Pilleux, Haven in Paris’ cozy Montmartre studio. We are pleased to share the story and the before-and-after shots here.
Erica Berman has a gift. She can look at a crumbling shell of a hovel and see its potential as a beautiful apartment. This gift has served her well over her 18 years living in Paris, as she’s renovated upwards of 15 apartments that started out as “blah” (at best), only to be transformed into “wow.”
Her most recent project really put her abilities to the test, as she and her partner Alain renovated a small studio overlooking the Cimetière de Montmartre. Having stayed in what is now a fantastic apartment, I was stunned when Erica shared the story of its evolution.
“There was nothing there but the bones when we bought it,” explains Erica. “Just a shelf.” Looking at some of the “before” photographs also reveals peeling walls, unremarkable floors and an enclosed bathroom that cut the space dramatically. “There was nothing in there we wanted to keep,” she adds.
Erica and Alain worked with an architect to determine the best way to use the space. Once they agreed on the layout, they got to work with a contractor. Continue Reading »
Posted in Design, Homes, Parisian Living | 13 Comments »
June 16, 2010 by Rosa Jackson
Rosa Jackson, the fabulous food writer and chef, is based in Nice where she conducts market tours and succulent Provençal cooking classes. She travels to Paris frequently (as one must) in order to keep up with the restaurant scene. Last year, she stayed at Haven in Paris’ very own Houdon flat. This lovely write-up ensued on her blog…
I have a vision of my perfect Paris apartment. It would be high up – stairs don’t scare me – with a small balcony and a sweeping view over the zinc rooftops, punctuated here and there with church spires and glimmering domes. There would be parquet floors, big windows on both sides (east and west, ideally) and a sunny kitchen that opens onto the living space. Oh, and it would have central heating.
When I first laid eyes on Erica Berman’s apartment just south of Abbesses Métro station, I felt slightly breathless. That might have had something to do with the five flights of stairs required to reach it, but it also came from the certainty that this was my dream apartment. I loved the antique table and mismatched chairs, I loved the contemporary paintings and well-tended plants, and I especially loved the vintage wooden pâtisserie sign above the kitchen, which Erica found at a market in Provence.
It’s no surprise that Erica’s flat should seem so effortlessly tasteful, given that she is the owner of the hippest apartment rental agency around: Haven in Paris. I first met Erica when she came to do one of my food tours in Nice, and I immediately realized that we had many things in common: our love of Paris, Provence and Italy (especially Liguria), our fondness for off-the-beaten track bed-and-breakfasts, and our insatiable curiosity about new Paris restaurants.
When I dropped by her Paris apartment before a meal at the nearby bistro Le Cul de Poule (here is a report on the Haven in Paris blog), she beckoned me onto the balcony for a glass of Italian wine. Erica has lived in Paris for 17 years and there is almost nothing she doesn’t know about the city, as proved by her frequently updated blog. We chatted about good and not-so-good meals she has had in the Pigalle and Montmartre area: her current favorites are Le Miroir (94 rue des Martyrs, 18th) and Guilo Guilo (8 rue Garreau, 18th), the second run by a renowned chef from Kyoto.
Continue Reading »
Posted in Homes, Parisian Living, Travel | 8 Comments »
June 2, 2010 by Meg Zimbeck
Every year, in a closed chamber on the Ile Saint-Louis, a panel of carb-loving judges select the Best Baguette in Paris. The top ten winners of this annual contest – the Grand Prix de la Baguette de Tradition Française de la Ville de Paris – are listed below.
Click here to view these bakeries on a google map.
Grand Prix de la Baguette de la Ville de Paris 2010
1. Djibril Bodian (Le Grenier à Pain Abbesses), 38 rue des Abbesses, 75018
2. Daniel Pouphary, (La Parisienne) 28 rue Monge, 75005
3. Dominique Saibron, 77 avenue du Général Leclerc, 75014
4. Yves Desgranges, 6 rue de Passy, 75016
5. Philippe Gosselin, 258 boulevard Saint-Germain, 75007
6. Xavier Doué, 163 avenue de versaillais, 75016
7. Sébastien and Sylvie Lohézic (Boulangerie Lohézic), 31 rue Guersant, 75017
8. Michel Chorin (Boulangerie d’Isa) 127 rue de Charenton, 75012
9. Mohamed Zerzour (Boulangerie Zerzour), 50 rue de l’Amiral Roussin, 75015
10. Mohamed Zerzour (Zerzour II), 324 rue Lecourbe, 75014
PS: The 2010 winner, Le Grenier à Pain, is located just down the street from Haven in Paris Montmartre apartments Abbesses and Houdon!
Written by Meg Zimbeck. Looking for a fabulous vacation rental in Paris, Provence, or Tuscany? Check out Haven in Paris.
Posted in Food | 6 Comments »
May 26, 2010 by Amy Thomas
As a New Yorker, I find it equal parts utter insanity and totally logical that as soon as I moved to Paris last year—with visions of millefeuilles, pains au chocolat, artisan chocolates and good old Nutella street crepes dancing through my head—I wound up Velib’ing through the back streets of the eleventh arrondissement seeking the city’s then cupcakes-only bakery. It took a few wrong turns down some side streets, but I found Cupcakes & Co, with sunlight happily spilling across the sole café table—an auspicious signpost pointing to the delicious display case of American delights.
Rebecca and Maggie Bellity, the two sisters who opened Cupcakes & Co in 2008, pride themselves on using natural and organic baking ingredients for their petits gateaux. And even though the concept arose from their travels to the states, their recipes are all French. They’ve dreamed up combinations like jasmine and vanilla, lemon and coconut, coffee and hazelnut and over a dozen others that set my heart racing and ensured many weeks of repeat business.
That was well over a year ago. And as my American obsession has waned (grace à new obsessions with macarons, violet éclairs and salted caramels), the Parisians’ has exploded. Continue Reading »
Posted in Food | 23 Comments »
March 11, 2010 by Maggie Battista
I attended my first Paris party last week, and arrived with this apple and rhubarb tart from Les Petits Mitrons. (More on that Paris party in another post soon.) I was so enraptured by the crunchy crust, glazed apples and tender rhubarb that I fell in love on the spot. I carefully prepared for its purchase, visiting the shop a few times to ensure I’d find a fresh one on the day of the party. It was lovingly nestled into this pretty pink box.
The tart was so lovely on this delicate plate, provided by the hosts. No one wanted to cut into it, but everyone wanted a bite.
Continue Reading »
Posted in Food | 2 Comments »
March 5, 2010 by Maggie Battista
Introduction by Maggie Battista
I’m in love, and it’s not just with Paris.
As a member of the Haven in Paris team, I feel very lucky to get to know amazing people from all over the world who stay in our luxury Paris apartments. Guests are very dear, and it feels as if we let them in on a little secret: they can indeed feel like real Parisians by staying in well-stocked, carefully decorated Paris homes. The saying ‘home away from home’ was coined for our apartments.
While each and every guest is special, I met up with the perfect guest at the perfect moment last week. I’ve been a bit lonely, missing my husband, Boston friends and all my blogger friends. And as I’m still learning French, it’s not easy to make new friends. That’s where our guest Kari saved the day.
Kari happens to be a New York City blogger, photographer and all-around great lady. We met up for a quick drink. Four drinks and four plates later, we were fast friends. She blogged about her Haven in Paris apartment and let us re-post it here. If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to stay in one of our apartments, and specifically one of our Montmartre properties, read on. Thanks for the kind words, Kari!
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Posted in Parisian Living | 6 Comments »
February 17, 2010 by Haven in Paris
Blogger Kari Geltemeyer is currently staying in Haven in Paris’ Livingstone Penthouse, and we were so excited to find that she’s been writing about her experience on her blog Litwit. It’s always so fun to see this city through someone else’s eyes, and first-time visitors like Kari often have a knack for recognizing the obscure details and nuances that are often overlooked by more seasoned Paris dwellers. We’ve selected some excerpts from her blog that highlight her decision to come to Paris and some of the discoveries she’s made here. We’re glad she took the leap!
Text and photos by Kari Geltemeyer
Day 1
When I say it’s a very big deal to come to Paris, I don’t say it because I’m an idiot, I say it because where I come from people stay in their places. And this can’t be understood, perhaps, unless you grew up in exactly the same way, in a town of 8,000 people and a family of seven in the middle of Wisconsin surrounded by dairy farms, where—when I was young, at least—nobody seemed to stray too far. It wasn’t done, it wasn’t much considered, and if it was talked about, it was something impossibly foreign and unbelievably expensive and certainly too far away to actually be real… (To this day my parents’ reaction is “Ack! Paris! Alone??! Aren’t you scared!”) Of course I’m scared! That’s why I’m doing it. Continue Reading »
Posted in Parisian Living | 5 Comments »
