20 hours in Paris: A luscious layover

Val and I had a 20-hour layover in Paris after spending a romantic week in the Maldives. While we both visited the City of Light separately (I haven’t been in Paris since my freshman summer of college when I studied abroad for my music minor), this marked the first time we experienced Europe together. So of course we had to make the most of it!

I booked us a one-night stay at the 5-star Park Hyatt Paris-Vendôme on World of Hyatt points—totally worth the redemption value. We arrived in the evening and noticed that the hotel’s staff couldn’t match the air of hospitality we received at the Park Hyatt Maldives. The surrounding boujee feel to the place, however, certainly lived up to the hype. Thanks to my Globalist status, the receptionist upgraded us to a suite at no charge (yay!) and we were welcomed with an iced bottle of champagne and a plate of macarons.

Our room presented gold finishes throughout the furniture and decor. And similar to the amenities of the Park Hyatt Maldives, the Park Hyatt Paris-Vendôme came fully equipped with a full assortment of Le Labo hygiene products. In between the cacophony of congratulatory engagement messages we received from our close friends, and exploring the onsite amenities, we took stock of the moment and soaked in the realization that we were physically present in one of the most romantic cities on Earth. We wound down our evening with a sorely needed hot shower (our suite had a separate bathtub but we were too tired to wait for it to fill), before dozing off in our cozy king-sized bed. We needed to be rested for the flurry of the following day. 

We woke up with less than 8 hours remaining to pack our belongings and explore the city. We first ate our Globalist breakfast buffet, and all its Parisian fixings, with gusto. I booked us an Airbnb photo tour with an outstanding experience host, being super intentional with supporting Asian-owned businesses (✊). We started our tour at the Eiffel Tower, followed by a walk along the Seine River, and ended near the Trocadéro Carousel. According to my own Airbnb review: “Hoàng was a masterful photographer who took my fiancée and me around some of the most breathtaking views of Paris. He knew exactly how to situate us within the framing of his camera for capturing creatively romantic poses fit for an urban sunrise engagement shoot. He quickly provided our photos to us within hours of the experience. We highly recommend his photography.”

After our Airbnb experience, we briskly walked to Champs Élysées to see the Arc de Triomphe and the surrounding shops. The nostalgia from the last time I visited as a college freshman certainly came flooding. It felt so alive to see the city booming post-lockdown. We only had time to shop inside Louis Vuitton before we cabbed back to our hotel. After quickly packing our belongings to travel backward in timezones, we made a pit stop to get drinks at Le Bar based on recommendations from a fraternity brother who had stayed at our hotel previously (thanks, Peter). Cheers to Liberty, Equality, Fraternity! 

We made it back to the airport with time to spare inside a Priority Pass lounge at the Charles De Gaulle Airport. And that’s how we made the most of our riveting 20-hour layover.