No city in the world can rival Paris when to comes to eating and drinking. As the world’s greatest gastronomic city, you’ll want to make a lot of time for dining in Paris.
Ranked at number 27 on the list of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants, Chateaubriand is overseen by self-taught chef Inaki Aizpitarte whose Michelin star nose-snubbing style has been described as ‘cuisine de vagabond’. There’s a 65 Euro tasting menu and a sizeable waiting list.
Le Wood
Almost Scandinavian, the seating at Marais hipster eatery Le Wood Paris
1 place Thorigny Arr. 3 METRO: Chemin Vert
The bar area of the funky Marais eatery Le Wood
Le Wood is a funky little restaurant tucked away in the Marais, run by hipsters and serving seriously delicious food for relatively reasonable Paris prices.
Sweet treats and light lunches are the meal d’jour at Carette.
25 place des Vosges Arr. 3 METRO: Chemin Vert The original Patisserie Carette was founded in 1927 at Trocadéro, and its Place des Vosges outlet with its pretty salon and outdoor seating is perfect for tea and sweets or a light lunch.
Le Pré aux Clerks is a famous local brasserie without the tourists,
30 rue Bonaparte Arr. 6 METRO: Saint-Germain-des-Prés
Hang out at a favourite of Ernest Hemingway, Le Pré aux Clercs without hordes of tourists.
Le Pré aux Clercs in Saint-Germain-des-Prés was a hangout of Ernest Hemingway back in the day and is not as touristy as Brasserie Lipp, Café Flores or Les Deux Magots around the corner.
Cosy up in the corner at Le Pré aux Clercs
Welcome Café
The dining room at the Welcome Cafe is heaving during Fashion Week.
210 Rue de Rivoli Arr. 1 METRO: Tuileries
The chandalier at the Welcome Café
On the Rue de Rivoli, Welcome Café is jumping during Fashion Week when the fashionistas spill out of shows nearby and take a seat for unctuous Gratin Onion Soup and petit servings of fois gras.
Now reopened with the Plaza Athénée itself, Alain Ducasse au Plaza Athénée features a mod white-on-white dining room and some of the best food in the world from one of the world’s undisputed best chefs.
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A tea (or should that be thé) experience like no other on Faubourg Saint-Honoré
260 Faubourg Saint Honoré Arr. 8 METRO: Ternes
Mariage Frères’s original tea salon in the Marais, or the one on Faubourg Saint Honoré near the Arc de Triomphe, are gorgeous rooms festooned with colonial-sequence furniture and white orchids where taking tea is a joy.
As Parision as it gets, Café Marly is a traditional Parisian bistro style food in one wing of the Louvre overlooking I.M Pei’s Pyramid.
Palais de Louvre, 93 rue de Rivoli Ar. 1 METRO: Palais Royal
One of the best seats in Paris, at Café Marly overlooking the courtyard of the Louvre.
Musée de Louvre Café Marly is the ultimate place for coffee with a view, located under the colonnade of the Louvre Palace overlooking I. M Pei’s Pyramid.
Monoprix / Paul
Various locations throughout the city
The Monoprix chain of supermarkets are dotted throughout the city and many have separate shops attached selling readymade baguette sandwiches, croissant and pastries for a few Euros. The Paul chain of boulangeries also does pretty amazing bread and pastries for next to nothing that you can eat while walking.
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Quentin Long is the Co-Founder and Managing Director of Australian Traveller Media. Quentin is a sought-after travel media commentator. He is Australia’s most trusted source for travel news and insights, having held weekly radio segments across the country since 2006, and regularly appearing on Channel 9’s Today and A Current Affair programs from 2010. Don't ask him his favourite travel experience as that's like asking him to choose a favourite child. However he does say that Garma Festival is the one travel experience that changed him the most.
Wellbeing means different things to different travellers. Here’s how to pick a hotel that gets it right for you.
The best wellness holidays aren’t necessarily spent wrapped in a spa robe. Sometimes they’re found around a dinner table in Cambodia, on a hiking trail in New Zealand or after finally beating jet lag on the other side of the world. The hotel you choose is what makes them happen.
1. Easy access to good food
Taste delicious meals at Novotel Bangkok Sukhumvit 20.
One of the quickest ways to derail healthy habits on holiday is to spend half of it working out where to eat instead of digging into the culture around you. Thankfully, Novotel has done much of the hard work already, with chefs building menus that lean into the flavours, ingredients and traditions of each destination.
In Sihanoukville, Cambodia, Korkor soup – often dubbed ‘Cambodian ratatouille’ – sits alongside raw blue crab dressed with lime and chilli, best enjoyed with views across the Gulf of Thailand.
In the lovingly chaotic city of Bangkok, the presence of food cranks up the sociability. At Novotel Bangkok Sukhumvit 20, you can settle in with mango sticky rice and stranger-turned-friends beside the pool at Sky on 20 rooftop bar, or bring them along to tackle river prawns and stir-fried crab with holy basil at the buzzing Crab Paradise Dinner Buffet.
Then Novotel Dubai Al Barsha welcomes you with a laidback twist on the level of indulgence the Middle Eastern city is best known for up on Deck Se7en. Looking towards Burj Al Arab, the rooftop lounge has everything from Mediterranean-style dishes like seabass ceviche to Italian prosecco sundowners.
At the other end of the scale, in the hills that surround the Novotel Bali Ubud Resort, calm comes from nature. At Siralada restaurant, Balinese traditions shape the menu while thunder rumbles over the surrounding jungle – proving the setting is as nourishing as the food itself.
While at Novotel Nha Trang, chef Kieu Thi My Hanh and her team showcase Vietnam’s knack for balancing freshness, texture and fragrant herbs. Pho remains a favourite, while seafood salad with pomelo and mango brings those flavours together in one bright dish.
It’s all an approach backed by partnerships with expert food creators such as Alfie Steiner, whose plant-forward recipes prove healthy food should never taste plain.
2. Better sleep options
Sleep deeply with Novotel.
There are few travel experiences more disappointing than arriving in a new country, determined to seize the day, only to fall asleep fully clothed by 3pm.
For Australian travellers, jet lag is often an unavoidable part of the journey. That’s one reason Novotel runs sleep-focused initiatives that help guests adjust quickly without compromising on health. We’re talking partnerships with Sydney-based sleep specialist Olivia Arezzolo, known for her advice on everything from better sleep habits to beating jet lag, alongside features like pillow menus, in-room yoga content and tailored sleep guidance.
The sooner you’re operating on local time, the sooner you can get back to more pressing matters – like deciding which spa treatment to book.
3. More ways to move
Stay at Novotel Queenstown Lakeside and explore local hiking trails. (Credit: GettyI mages/ naruedom)
Every place in the world has its own way of getting you moving: whether that’s hiking up ice-bitten mountains before a sauna or gentle stretching by the pool before a facial. From fitness centres to spas, Novotel recognises that wellbeing rarely looks the same.
At Novotel Queenstown Lakeside, activity is inescapable. Here, hiking trails, ski fields, bungee jumps, and white-water rafting have made the region famous. The hotel’s location on the shores of Lake Wakatipu means less time spent organising yourself and more time out there experiencing them. To top it all off, you can book a private hot tub for the evening before heading back into the wilderness tomorrow.
Bali, of course, takes a softer approach. At Novotel Bali Ubud Resort or Novotel Bali Nusa Dua, movement is less about conquering a mountain and more about a dance class between the tropical gardens and lagoon pools. Afterwards, the spa takes over, with traditional treatments like a Lulur body scrub: a combination of rice, turmeric, sandalwood, ginger and jasmine that’ll soothe muscles already relaxed by the Balinese heat.
4. Better connections
Kids will love a stay at Novotel Sharm El Sheikh.
One of the best things about travel is that it gives your family stories you’ll be telling for years. Novotel helps create them with activities that bring everyone together, whether that’s trying something new, learning a local skill, or simply spending more time together.
Go for a distinctly Thai twist at Novotel Phuket Vintage Park, where many of the family activities draw on local culture. Kids can try everything from beginner Thai boxing and language lessons to umbrella painting and – a pastime beloved by children the world over – pool foam parties. Everyone is welcome to join in, whether that’s getting splashed, covered in paint, or simply watching their children discover a new side of Thailand during the dedicated Family & Kids Day.
A different adventure awaits at Novotel Sharm El Sheikh. Kids could be perfectly content with discos, drawing classes and new holiday friends, but the Red Sea has other ideas. Sitting on the edge of Naama Bay, days here might involve snorkelling colourful reefs, taking a boat trip to Ras Mohammed National Park or heading into the desert by quad bike or camel for a Bedouin-style dinner beneath the stars.
Everyone’s idea of wellness looks a little different. With more than 600 hotels across 65 countries, Novotel gives guests the freedom to choose the destination that suits them best. Whether that’s a beachside escape in Phuket, an alpine expedition in Queenstown or a city break in Bangkok, there’s a good chance a Novotel isn’t far away.
All that’s left? Choosing your version of wellbeing.
