FRIDAY
9am Board the premier cabin of the Eurostar (eurostar.com) after grabbing a ginger shot (we resisted the early champagne) in the premier lounge at London St Pancras. Just two hours 15 minutes later, we’re in Gare du Nord.
12pm Head to the Shangri-La Paris, with its unrivalled view of the Eiffel Tower. This 100-room listed hotel, built in the 1890s by Napoleon’s great nephew, doesn’t come cheap* but it has star power: Zendaya and Tom Holland left the day we arrived.
2pm An afternoon of Parisian culture, within walking distance of the hotel. First up: the newly refurbed Grand Café – choose the Comté soufflé, £22. Then it’s round the corner to the Grand Palais for the fab Matisse exhibition (until 26 July, £16).
6pm Back to the Shangri-La for a tour, hosted by head concierge Anthony, who entertains us with the history of the lavish Versailles-inspired rooms and sweeping marble staircases. Next, a leisurely swim in the luxurious 17-metre spa pool.
8pm Cocktails at the hotel’s handsome Le Bar Botaniste, then dinner at Shang Palace – the first Chinese restaurant in France to win a Michelin star. The lobster roll is my new death-row meal of choice, closely followed by the Wagyu bao.
SATURDAY
11am At opening time there is already a long, chic queue for La Galerie Dior. Housed within the site of Christian Dior’s first ateliers and boutique, expect original sketches, fairy-tale rooms and magical gowns (£14, galeriedior.com/en).
3pm We grab an Uber and head for the cool cobbled streets of Le Marais, hunting Rue de Turenne for vintage finds by the likes of Chanel, Alaïa and Isabel Marant; breaking only for dreamy flaky pastries at the Petite Île boulangerie.
7pm The specialty at the Shangri-La’s decadent restaurant Les Salons de Prince? Caviar and champagne, naturally. But £39 will get you an unforgettable sea bass with buttermilk sauce, salmon roe and citrus-infused rice.
SUNDAY
10am I spend ages soaking in the tub as it’s not every day you bathe with a view of the Eiffel Tower. After a breakfast of poached eggs with daintily sliced avocado and pomegranate, it’s time to head back to the Eurostar for a date with reality.
