La Fantaisie Paris Review: Whimsical 5-Star Garden Hotel

07/11/202606/11/2026wareontheglobe Leave a comment

Hotel hallway with green botanical wallpaper, pink carpet and wall sconces at La Fantaisie in Paris

*Stayed December 2025; Updated November 2026*

After visiting Christmas markets in Strasbourg and Colmar in December 2025, we spent some time in Paris before flying back to New York. We stayed at La Fantaisie in the 9th arrondissement, making this decision based on an American Express Fine Hotels + Resorts credit that we needed to use. I LOVED La Fantaisie’s decor and vibe, as well as its comfortable room and delicious restaurant. This hotel is designer Martin Brudnizki’s first Paris project, and it won its Michelin Key in 2024. This post reviews my stay at La Fantaisie in December 2025.

Paris in December!

The Hotel

La Fantaisie lists itself as a “five star” hotel with the tagline “Here, luxury is a feeling. And joy, a way of life.” The hotel is decorated in a whimsical fashion, with lots of pink and green and florals. I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED the design. This would be a great hotel for a girls’ weekend or a couples’ getaway. It has also received one Michelin Key!

Hand-painted floral porcelain vase in a green wall niche in a guest room at La Fantaisie hotel in Paris

This beautiful vase was just in my room. Just there to be pretty.

The hotel has 63 rooms and 10 suites, as well as an on-site restaurant, rooftop bar, and a spa. We paid $567 per night (through the American Express hotel portal) for a Comfort Room, which was upgraded through our American Express benefits to a Superior Room. An equivalent room in December 2026 is €470 per night. More on the benefits we received at the end of this post.

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Les Cocottes Paris: A Classic Bistro Near the Eiffel Tower

03/11/202603/11/2026wareontheglobe Leave a comment

Hand-cut steak tartare plated in a neat round with a garnish on top, on a black plate at Les Cocottes near the Eiffel Tower

*Updated November 2026*

After visiting the Alsatian Christmas markets in Strasbourg and Colmar in December 2025, Dan and I went to Paris before flying back home. As always, Paris is lovely, especially around the holidays. We didn’t have time for too many Parisian things, preferring to spend our time at the Christmas markets, but we did have time for a wonderfully Parisian dinner at Les Cocottes, near the Eiffel Tower.

Part of our dinner at Les Cocottes.

Les Cocottes is worth booking if you want classic French bistro food within walking distance of the Eiffel Tower without tourist-trap prices.

We had booked an upscale tasting menu restaurant close to our hotel, but the restaurant unexpectedly lost water (crazy!) and cancelled on us. After doing some quick research, I made a reservation at Les Cocottes in the 7th arrondissement, near the Eiffel Tower. It’s not an area I usually frequent unless I’m visiting the Eiffel Tower, but I was intrigued by the menu and good online reviews, seemingly from locals. I was also inspired because I had a great meal in this area a few years ago at Le Casse-Noix.

Paris in December!

About Les Cocottes, Near the Eiffel Tower

Les Cocottes is a French bistro serving classic Parisian dishes with a bit of a modern flair. The restaurant is open 7 days a week, and offers terrace seating in good weather. In addition to its classic menu, it offers daily specials, as well as a lunch prix fixe Monday to Friday (for 32 or 38 euro) and a daily lunch and dinner prix fixe for 45 euro (called the Cocottes Menu).

Les Cocottes restaurant storefront at night on Rue Saint-Dominique in the 7th arrondissement of Paris

Les Cocottes from the street.

Les Cocottes menu.

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Tbilisi Food Tour: Eating Our Way Around Old Tbilisi, Georgia

01/11/202601/11/2026wareontheglobe Leave a comment

Close-up of twisted khinkali dumplings and a dish of melted butter at Café Daphna in Tbilisi

On our trip to Georgia and Azerbaijan in July 2026, Dan and I took the Culinary Backstreets Tbilisi food tour on our first full day in Georgia. The tour, Old Town and Beyond: A Tbilisi Silk Road Feast, runs about seven hours and costs $125 per person. We did this because (1) we love to eat and drink and (2) it would give us some historical background and recommendations for Tbilisi. We booked with Culinary Backstreets (not sponsored), the same company we used for our Culinary Backstreets food tour in Izmir in 2023. This post reviews our tour in detail, including what we ate and drank. For how we spent the rest of the week, see our 5-day Tbilisi itinerary.

Tbilisi, Georgia!

Where Our Tbilisi Food Tour Began: Abanotubani

Our tour began at 10:00 a.m. in the Abanotubani district at the southeastern edge of the Old Town of Tbilisi. This district is historically home to many of Tbilisi’s bathhouses, which are fueled by Tbilisi’s hot sulfur springs. We met right in front of the most photogenic bathhouse, Chreli Abano (or the Orbeliani Baths). Yes, this is the blue Persian-style building that many think is a mosque. We also saw the rooftops of other old bathhouses in the area. While the bathhouses had nothing to do with our tour, it was interesting to see.

The Orbeliani Baths.

Brick domes of underground sulfur bathhouses in Abanotubani, Old Tbilisi

The roofs of ancient bathhouses.

Stop One: Tea and Khachapuri at Tbilisi’s Last Teahouse

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5 Days in Tbilisi, Georgia: A Foodie Itinerary

26/10/202601/11/2026wareontheglobe Leave a comment

Panoramic view of Old Tbilisi, the Kura River and Rike Park from the hill below Narikala Fortress

Last updated: October 2026

We traveled to Tbilisi, Georgia in July 2026. We originally planned this trip for April 2020 but it was cancelled because of the Covid pandemic. Six years later, we finally rescheduled our trip. This post details what we did during our 5 days in Tbilisi, which was very much a food and wine focused itinerary. After Tbilisi, we continued to Batumi, Georgia before flying to Baku, Azerbaijan for a long weekend.

Tbilisi, Georgia!

Our 5 Days in Tbilisi at a Glance

When we went: July 2026
Where we stayed: Sheraton Grand Tbilisi Metechi Palace
Getting around: Bolt (skip the unofficial airport taxis)
Our top meals: OtsY and Khash Khash

Day One: A Late Arrival in Tbilisi, Georgia

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New Year’s Eve Gala at Abades Triana in Seville (2025/2026)

22/10/202622/10/2026wareontheglobe Leave a comment

Plate of twelve lucky grapes and a glass of Champagne on a New Year's Eve gala table in Seville

*Last updated October 2026*

Dan and I spent New Year’s Eve 2025/2026 in Seville, Spain. We arrived on December 28, and stayed until January 1. Seville is an excellent destination to ring in the New Year. The entire city’s vibes are high, and there is a lot going on during this holiday period, which extends to January 6 in Spain. The city is decorated beautifully and, while it’s a holiday period with many on vacation, most tourist attractions and restaurants remain open (except on January 1 and 6).

Seville was not our first New Year’s Eve abroad. We also celebrated Hogmanay in Scotland; see our guide on how to celebrate Hogmanay in Edinburgh and our review of New Year’s dinner at Cannonball Restaurant.

Glass of tinto de verano on our Seville hotel rooftop on New Year's Eve, with La Giralda bell tower in the background

Seville on New Year’s Eve. This was at 6:00 p.m. on our hotel rooftop.

New Year’s Eve in Seville

The big tradition on New Year’s Eve in Seville (and Spain, generally) is “Las Doce Uvas de la Suerte”, which translates to the 12 grapes of luck. Practically, this tradition consists of attempting to eat one grape for each of the 12 clock chimes at midnight on New Year’s Eve, for a total of 12 grapes in a very short time period. It’s nearly impossible to do, LOL.

Aside from this tradition, many locals celebrate at home or in the city streets, which are full of people on New Year’s Eve. While sounding very fun, as we knew no one in Seville, we wanted to do something a bit more formal that included both dinner and drinks, so that we could guarantee a fun New Year’s Eve. We identified a few options, including a big celebration at Hotel Alfonso XIII, and ultimately opted for a “gala dinner” at restaurant Abades Triana.