Luxury Suites and (Almost) Impossible Reservations Define the Ultimate Paris Culinary Weekend

Air France, the airline making many luxury moves as of late, launched their new La Première first class suites flying to Los Angeles late last year, and it’s easily the most luxurious way to get to Paris for a long weekend — although keep in mind tickets will set you back about $20,000.

For that price, however, you do get private car service to and from Charles De Gaulle Airport, complimentary Sisley facials in the airport lounge and dishes in the sky from some of France’s most celebrated chefs including Daniel Boulud, Alain Ducasse and Anne-Sophie Pic. And of course super spacious suites that ensure you’re well rested when you land in the City of Light.

Having gotten a taste of what’s to come en route to Paris, here’s your guide to an epic culinary weekend once you land.

Dining: Iconoclastic Chefs and Nine-Month Waitlists

There are well over a hundred Michelin-starred restaurants in Paris, but with only a few days in the city, I turned to the World’s 50 Best list instead. There are two Paris restaurants in the top 15 in the current 2025 ranking — Table by Bruno Verjus at number 8 and Plénitude at number 14.

Chef Bruno Verjus is a fine dining iconoclast in Paris, a self-taught chef who opened his first restaurant at 54 after a career as a doctor and entrepreneur. The menu changes daily based on ingredients received, and the open kitchen allows diners a full view of the cooking action, especially if you sit at the counter. The staff dons Issey Miyake uniforms in a shade of brilliant emerald green that I’m told is an exclusive collaboration with the restaurant. It’s giving Emerald City with Verjus as the jovial and eccentric Wizard of Oz sitting at the bar signing cookbooks and menus.

There’s no mise en place here, and rather than assembly line tweezer food, each dish is prepared to order from raw ingredients. Cooks are filleting fish, dicing vegetables and assembling eye-catching mille-feuille during service.

Verjus is friends with many of his contemporaries, and there are glimpses of global influences in his food. I recognized the same dragon triptych plates that chef Vicky Cheng uses at Wing in Hong Kong for the cheese course and a dish of carrot, apricot and turmeric mousseline surrounded by a green sauce of wild herbs reminded me of Pujol’s signature mole madre course, with two concentric circles of aged and young mole. Be warned, there is no air conditioning, which makes for a rather uncomfortable dining experience in summer.

On the other hand, Plénitude is the absolute pinnacle of Parisian fine dining. From the elegant dining room overlooking the Pont Neuf and graceful warm service, to the precise plating and complexity in each of chef Arnaud Donckele’s sauces, this is as close to culinary perfection as it gets. Sauces are the star, and diners are encouraged to taste each sauce on its own first, appreciating the depth of flavors, before diving into the composed plate. Sidecars of extra sauce are generously provided to enjoy with a tantalizing selection of breads, from multi-grain baguette to anchovy focaccia with olive oil and capers.

(Sylvie Becquet / Courtesy Plénitude)

From the first sip of tomato elixir layered with ginger, soy, cucumber, basil, shiso and marjoram, I was hooked. Brittany blue lobster is served with a duo of crustacean and citrus sabayon sauces sprinkled with raspberry drupelets for a bright burst of texture that was pure genius.

The wine list is absolutely stellar as well, with Dom Ruinart and Dom Pérignon P2 champagne available by the glass, which is not surprising considering the restaurant is owned by the same LVMH parent company as many of the world’s top wineries. Reservations are notoriously difficult to come by, with the restaurant regularly booking out nine months in advance. I know several friends who have planned entire trips around a coveted Plénitude reservation. All agree it’s worth it.

Accommodations: The Capital’s Most Coveted Keys and Elegant Pied-à-Terres

Le Bristol opened during the Roaring Twenties, and was famously home to the American embassy during World War II. The hotel’s timeless opulence and grandeur still attract luminaries and superstars, like Pedro Pascal, who I spotted at the bar watching the France vs. Morocco World Cup match.

There are 84 rooms and 106 suites, which is an unheard of ratio. This is definitely a hotel where it’s worth splurging on a suite, and there are so many to choose from. The newly renovated Eden Suite is one of the most spectacular, with a sprawling terrace, dining table for six, day beds and a glass-enclosed wellness sanctuary with a private hammam, Jacuzzi, sauna, rain shower and massage table. The lush landscaping outdoors is reflected in the soft green silk upholstery inside, with vintage lighting, a well stocked wine fridge and vinyl record player with an eclectic array of albums adding a warm touch for entertaining. It’s simply too beautiful a space not to share with friends.

(J.K. Paris)

If you prefer something more discreet, J.K. Place Paris is a lovingly restored private mansion just across the river on the Left Bank in the 7th Arrondissement with 29 rooms, a quiet courtyard and stylish Italian design by architect Michele Bönan My fifth floor junior suite with slanted ceilings and thick wood beams felt like a sophisticated friend’s pied-à-terre, but with reliable air conditioning and elevators. They get the details right here, from delicate linen napkins at Casa Tua to the complimentary minibar refreshments, including excellent dark chocolate and truffle chips. The intimate spa uses French skincare line Biologique Recherche and facials are excellent.

Just a block from the Arc de Triomphe in the 16th arrondissement, The Peninsula Paris adds a sleek modern perspective to Parisian design, restoring a historic hotel’s 19th-century Haussmann architecture with the brand’s Asian aesthetic. A bright and airy lobby greets guests with a larger than life sculptural art installation of 800 hand-blown glass leaves seemingly swirling in the wind. Rooms and suites have a more masculine energy with dark wood panels and black marble soaking tubs. I appreciated how lighting, curtains and temperature can be easily controlled from bedside tablets, and that TVs are neatly hidden within custom cabinets. There are even built-in nail dryers beside the vanity table to conveniently dry manicures, which was an unexpected but memorable touch.

The Peninsula Spa is the first and only hotel spa in Paris to partner with prestigious medspa Maison Lutétia. Their signature facial boosts cellular metabolism with a lactic and salicylic acid aqua peel, followed by a hyaluronic acid mask, electrostimulation, cryotherapy and soothing LED light therapy. The first steps felt a little like a HydraFacial, performed with a machine, but with far superior results.

The restaurants here are also magnificent. Rooftop restaurant L’Oiseau Blanc has two Michelin stars and stunning views of the Eiffel Tower, paying homage to French aviation heroes Charles Nungesser and François Coli, who vanished while attempting the first nonstop transatlantic flight. A life size replica of their biplane is suspended outdoors aimed towards the Eiffel Tower.

(Peninsula Hotels)

Chef David Bizet is a master of French cuisine, drawing from regional delicacies across the country to create something entirely new. A humble red onion is caramelized to perfection and topped with toasted bread crumbs, anchovies and black olive in a reimagination of pissaladière. Generous quenelles of caviar are juxtaposed with sweet and crunchy glazed fennel, and I even tasted a very rare farmed blue lobster from Bréville-sur-Mer, barely cooked to accentuate its sweetness. Herb garnishes and vegetables like zucchini and tomatoes come from the hotel’s own rooftop garden.

Pastry chef Anne Coruble ends the meal with a sweet flourish, adding unexpected savory foils to her desserts like XO sauce and fermented garlic to bring out the sweetness in strawberries or caper sorbet and oscietra caviar to contrast the richness of dark chocolate. The wine list is also phenomenal, and trusting sommelier Dylan Dos Santos and his friendly team on pairings is always a good idea. There’s even a table for two on a secret terrace with picturesque Eiffel Tower views that can be reserved for private dinners and proposals.

When you need a break from French cuisine, The Peninsula’s Chinese restaurant LiLi serves modern presentations of authentic Cantonese flavors, from dim sum and barbecued foie gras fried rice to a daikon carpaccio mosaic sprinkled with sweet goji berries and pickled shimeji mushrooms. I gravitated toward a dedicated menu of traditional specialties with more esoteric dishes like marinated jellyfish and hot and sour soup with sea cucumber. There’s live music each evening too, with a talented harpist playing the Chinese guzheng. On a hot summer day, it’s possible to dine like royalty without even leaving your hotel.