Pavement Talk

Flamingo and Mangrove tour, Celestun, Mexico

Even if you’re not a keen ornithologist, this tour really is worth the visit to the tiny, unassuming town of Celestun. We saw hundreds of beautiful fluorescent flamingos, and got right up close to a floating tree full of enormous nesting pelicans, as well as lots of other varieties of exotic birds. And if you’re more of the adventurous type: going full throttle in a speedboat careering straight for a dense wall of mangroves swerving at the last minute into a hidden opening that opens up into a cave of eerie, gnarled looking mangrove forest, should provide your thrills!

Hacienda Uayamon, Campeche, Mexico

Mayan architecture and crumbling, overgrown ruins hidden within the Mexican jungle… It might sound like a scene from Jumanji, but it’s actually the ruins of an 18th Century hacienda beautifully restored to a colonial luxury hotel & spa close to the walled city of Campeche. A turquoise pool with decaying walls and ancient pillars, and centuries-old silvery trees towering eerily over a dusty courtyard create an ethereal, forgotten world (with all the mod-cons of course.) There are 12 individual villas known as “casitas”, some with outdoor bathtubs if you like to be at one with nature (and the resident iguanas). Romanticism personified.

Au Passage, 1b Passage Saint-Sébastien, Paris

From the outside, a typically French neighbourhood bistro with its simple interior and relaxed vibe, but foodies come from all over Paris to sample its creative, light and absolutely delicious small plates which don’t cost the earth. Affordable gastronomy, what more could you ask for?!  

A huge favourite among Le Fooding fans so book well in advance.

Galeries Lafayette, the famous department store and Parisian fashion institution. The spectacular Belle Epoque style building holds every cutting edge designer and cosmetic brand that you could possibly imagine and many more that you couldn’t. It’s very easy to while away the whole day here mentally spending your entire next month’s paycheck, perusing the incredible food market, enjoying their latest pop up exhibition (photos above) or even just gazing at that stunning ceiling whilst sipping a café crème.

Paris may have changed a lot since the 20s but there are still remnants of that glamorous era in the undercover passageways hidden all over the Grands Boulevards quarter. Stunning architecture, treasure troves of old books and photographs and old fashioned salon du thé’s where Bourgeois Parisians sit nibbling on patisserie. Passage Verdeau, Galerie Vivienne and Galerie Vero-Dodat are some of the most spectacular.

Expo at Musée du Quai Branly called Les Maitres du Désordre (Masters of Disorder). A typically Parisian exhibition with its rather bizarre mix of ancient history and modern art (with maze like structures throughout the space that look like they were made by a 12 year old with some papier mache). Full of hip Parisians, these expo’s are the perfect way to get a feel for the real and more quirky side to Paris, even if globes covered in gaffa tape isn’t usually your bag. Fabulous restaurant upstairs too - a “journey” for the palate with an incredible view of the Eiffel Tower which is just next door http://www.lesombres-restaurant.com/

In the summer, the Parisians famously flee to the beaches in the south, but for those who sadly can’t get 2 months off work… there is an alternative: Paris Plages! Paris Plages brings the beach to Paris, creating a little Seine-side holiday, complete with sand, deckchairs, bean bags, beach cafés and even a way to cool off (that looks suspiciously like the same cooling system used for the fruit and veg section in french supermarkets). Here until the 19th August at 3 different locations, see the website for details http://parisplages.paris.fr Who needs Provence, right?!