You don’t need a comprehensive guide for Paris but it helps to have a rough idea of where to go. It’s very easy to get it wrong. When I say follow this loosely, I mean it because Paris is for getting lost in and stumbling onto places that don’t exist in any guide book.

Le Pain Retrouvé

A local boulangerie I discovered when I rented a studio in the 9th arr. I needed a cake for my mum’s birthday whilst she was visiting and stumbled on this. I grabbed some fresh raspberries from the market and bought some candles from the supermarché. And couldn’t forget the finishing touch, Champagne, bien sûr.

I have gone back pretty much every time I find myself in Paris. There is nothing about this place that says they’re trying too hard. It’s stripped back, unpretentious, incredibly simple but never lets me down. The cakes are low key, I think about 12 euros. The dark chocolate and pear cake is absolutely delicious. I have even gone just before my eurostar just to bring a cake back with me to London.

Andy Wahloo

I love this place. It’s super low key. Quite hidden in a way that you have to know where to go. This is my go to for a little pre-dinner drink. It’s perfect for early evening and I have it in my back pocket for whenever I need a bar I can trust to be good.

Rue Princesse

Where the locals go. Known locally as part of the “rue de la soif” (the thirst street) along with Rue des Canettes and Rue Guisarde. It’s packed with bars, pubs, and cocktail spots. The street, especially in the summer, is packed with locals, students, and fêtards. It’s not touristy, it’s where Parisians actually go out. If you want to end up in a random Irish bar drinking tequila shots and still make it kinda classy, this is where you want to end up.

Marché Couvert des Enfants Rouges

There is nothing like a fresh oyster with a crisp glass of white wine in the middle of the day. When I’ve come here starving, it’s pretty overwhelming. It’s usually quite packed and if you’re not decisive about what you want to eat it’s a lot. However, the atmosphere makes it worth it.

9th Arrondissement, Rue des Martyrs

Full of small artisan shops, restaurants and cafés. Fresh produce, pastry shops, cheese shops, wine cellars. Oysters. This is the street I always end up walking down when I’m in Paris, even when I’m not trying to. It’s the kind of street where you go for one thing and come back with four.

Le Mary Celeste

I noticed this from across the street when we stayed at Hotel Sookie in Le Marais. We didn’t make it there that trip but I knew I’d be back. The people working here just get it. Spanish waiters, an Italian sommelier, it feels international but completely local at the same time, like a genuine neighbourhood spot. It’s the details that make a difference to me, the branded wine glasses, the postcard you receive with the bill.

Saisons Fromagerie

The first time I tried skin contact wine was here with a selection of the most delicious cheese. It was a summer’s day in June, mid afternoon. We hadn’t really eaten since brunch so we were happy to eat anything but this was special. I saved this address and made sure I’d come back next time I needed a selection of cheese. My family and I spent Christmas in Paris this year and I was not doing a Christmas in Paris without getting cheese from here.

Les Canailles

This is a place I adore in Paris. When I was in Paris with my mum a few years ago I had booked a table here as I was walking past it most days and wanted to give it a try. We had made a bit of a rooky error of eating a little too much for apéro but we didn’t want to sacrifice our booking. When we got to the restaurant we asked if we could just have a cheeseboard and some wine and they accommodated us like we were locals. We were sat next to two men from Madrid who were super friendly and we shared some wine with them as they spoke about their family. This was by far the best service you will get in Paris and I will never forget it.

Le Hibou

Saint Germain des Prés. I think I’ve been at least four times now. It’s very much a later dinner vibe. Sit on the terrace. If you don’t like cigarette smoke maybe don’t sit on the terrace but this corner spot is where the locals go. It’s been the start of some of my favourite nights. Ones where we’ve ended up speaking to the table next to us and ending up at an underground club.

Stay Trendie x

I was lucky enough to spend three weeks there this time last year and, as a creative, it genuinely refuelled my soul. It came at a time where I didn’t need distraction or stimulation. I needed grounding and a change of scenery.

January is always a strange time. We’re told we need to reset, overhaul, become new versions of ourselves overnight. New routines, new goals, new energy. But none of us actually have a reset button (We’re humans, not robots).

London can amplify that. It’s very easy to get caught up in the pace, the comparison, the constant sense that you should be doing more. I love London for so many reasons, but it does pull you into momentum without ever really asking whether that momentum still makes sense for you.

Cape Town does the opposite.

You’re surrounded by mountains, sea, endless nature. Things that are much bigger than you and whatever feels urgent at the time. Perspective returns very quickly. Your problems don’t disappear, but they shrink. You remember that there’s a world outside your phone, your inbox, your to-do list and london.

In London we have the Thames. In Cape Town, nature is everywhere. You can’t avoid it. And that does something to your nervous system whether you consciously think about it or not.

I’m very aware of how fortunate I am to work for myself and to be able to experience places like this. I don’t feel entitled to it at all, and I’m conscious that it could change at any point. I think that’s exactly why I try to experience trips like this properly instead of racing through them.

That means actually leaning into the food, the culture, the pace, the people. Sitting longer at breakfast. Letting days unfold without planning every hour. Enjoying better food, slower mornings, cheaper but better coffee. Small things, but they add up.

I’m not tied to working in London, and while I was there I worked from Cape Town. That change of environment genuinely shifted how I thought, how I created, and how I felt about my work. Mornings were slower. My thinking felt clearer. There was more space in general.

This guide came out of that time. Not from sightseeing or chasing recommendations, but from living there for a few weeks. From returning to the same places. Which ones I’d tell a friend to go to without hesitation.

Cape Town has a way of reminding you what matters if you let it.

I’ve marked places in a very simple way, mostly based on whether I wanted to go back or whether I’d recommend them to someone else.

• somewhere I was glad I tried
  ** somewhere I’d recommend to a friend
  *** somewhere I’d happily return to

Coffee / Breakfast

The places I went back to were the ones that felt easy. Good food, good coffee, easy.

Maggy Lou’s ***
I went here a lot. Always felt like the right choice and never disappointed. Also great to work from.

Kleinsky’s*
Great bagels, casual and buzzing spot.

Rosetta Roastery Cafe ***
When we stayed on Kloof street for a few days, this was our local and this made me fall in love with coffee so much more.

Pauline’s
Nice, easy vibe but didn’t stick with me in the same way others did.

Arthur’s Mini Super*
Less about the coffee and more about the vibe. Snacks, atmosphere, people coming and going.

Places I wanted to try:
The Strangers Club
Our Local
Espresso Lab
Convenient and reliable.

Dinner

Kiki’s **
Perfect for a date night, special occasion or simply because you fancy a nice candle-lit meal with a vibey atmosphere.

Clarke’s **
Loved this spot. The food was sooo good, and their sandwiches are delicious.

Fyn *
Very impressive, but more of an experience than somewhere I’d return to.

Blondie **
Drinks spot but also great for dinner. A vibey place with a DJ and great cocktails.

Places I wanted to try:
Belly of the Beast
Chef’s Warehouse
Tomson
The Athletic Club & Social

Things to do

Lion’s Head *
So worth doing, especially early in the morning.

Table Mountain *
Incredible, but timing and weather matter. Also go first thing.

Fitness:
Running first thing (it gets HOT in summer), Sweat 1000 classes, F45 classes***
A good way to keep some structure while travelling.

Takeaway on the beach *
Simple and very enjoyable. Sushi Box is great.

Clifton 2nd ***
Sunsets, swimming, and just letting time pass.

Cafe Caprice on a Sunday ***
If you know you know.

The Cape Winelands

If you can, spend a few days here. This was the highlight of the trip for me.

Stellenbosch

Worth going to the town itself, just to walk around. Beautiful streets, great boutiqye shops, great restaurants.

If you can get a table at Fat Butcher, go. My South African friend who’s lived in Stellenbosch her whole life said, “you MUST go there”. She wasn’t wrong.

We were slightly hungover because it was the day after the wine tram, and it was still incredible. The food, the service, the atmosphere. I’ve never been anywhere quite like it.

Table de Meye

Possibly the best long lunch I’ve ever had. Very much a bucket list thing for me.

It genuinely feels like eating in your friend’s garden. The one who cooks unbelievably well and makes it all feel effortless. Watch vlog here.

Vineyards

Delaire Graff and go for the view and a glass of wine, of course.

We did the orange line on the wine tram and stopped at:
Boschendal
La Cotte Farm
Babylonstoren
Noble Hill

Would go back and go to La Colombe if I could get a table.

Where we stayed

Our friends stayed at 7 Koppies Farm, which was amazing.

We stayed at Farmstead in Franschhoek, which was much more rustic and off grid. Fresh eggs, fresh bread, very stripped back.

Full disclaimer, the road to it had a river running through it. This took us by surprise and was actually hilarious. We were VERY lucky our Uber drivers found it funny rather than turning around.

If you go, don’t rush it.
And don’t try to do all of this.

Remember, this is a guide to follow loosely. Interpret accordingly.

Stay Trendie x

To ski as a tasteful hedonist is to live fully but intentionally. Sometimes that means being first on the slopes. Other times it means rolling in late and not apologising for it. I am absolutely the one who will grab the mic for karaoke, be the first to dance on the tables, order a glass of rose before noon, but I am also the one who makes everyone dinner after. That is the chalet girl in me.

Tasteful Hedonism is not about excess for the sake of it. It is about knowing when to go all in and when to take it slow. It is indulgence that fills you up, not leaves you empty.

Here are the resorts that get it right. I am not giving away all my spots (that wouldn’t be as fun), some things you have to find yourself, but these are the ones that matter.

Niseko, Japan

Niseko gets snow like nowhere else. It does not stop. Every day feels like a reset. You ski all day, sometimes into the night, and then slide into an onsen while the snow keeps falling.

What makes Niseko different is that après is not the show. You do not stop skiing at three for rosé, you keep going. You stop for a bowl of ramen on the slopes, maybe a beer, if you fancy it and you’re like me. Après here is smaller, slower. Sake in a bar with ten seats. Ramen at midnight. Karaoke, always. It is still hedonism, just with a different shape.

Trendie notes

• Don’t expect blue skies, it is usually snowing non-stop

• Night skiing is a must, even when it is minus fifteen

• Stay in Hirafu for the buzz, Annupuri when you want space

• Try an Onsen (For context, I did this with colleagues 🙃)

Where to eat & drink

• The Barn by Odin

• Bang Bang

• Bar Gyu+

• Freddie’s

• Hirafu Food Village

Courchevel–Méribel, France

Méribel is wilder, with that seasonaire energy. Late nights, cheap(er) drinks, everyone somehow still making first lift. Courchevel is boujee, built for fur coats, fine dining, and me in a completely different outfit from my Méribel nights.

When I did my season in Courchevel 1850, I had the madness on my doorstep but not the bank account for it. Even now, I stay in Méribel and dip into Courchevel when I want the glamour. A glass of rosé at Bagatelle, then a baguette on the chairlift for lunch. Balance.

I still enjoyed it, I still went to the nice places, but I was strategic about it. That’s the real trick: champagne lifestyle on a tap-water budget.

Après has two very different dialects. In Méribel it is Rond Point, messy, loud, live music, boots on tables. In Courchevel it is long terrace lunches, champagne bars, cocktails at sunset. I can’t deny, I love both. Both have their place.

Trendie notes

• Ski between resorts, never get stuck in one bubble

• Make sandwiches so you can buy champagne

• If you can do a sunrise hike to the top of Meribel

• Start at Folie, end up at Ronnie’s (iykyk)

Where to eat & drink

• ROK (Meribel - this is my favourite spot so keep it to yourself)

• La Table de Mon Grand-Père (Courchevel, Le Praz)

• Bagatelle (For a glass of rosé and the vibes, don’t worry about lunch if you’re saving the pennies - I’d make a sandwich).

• La Folie Douce (Méribel, do it on a bluebird)

• Rond Point (Méribel, the original boot-stomp)

Val d’Isère, France

Val is unapologetic. High, bold and buzzing. You ski hard all day, then by 5pm you are likely on a table at Cocorico, boots still on, wondering how you will ever make first lift tomorrow. Folie is theatre. Cocorico is the heartbeat.

But Val is not only chaos. Balance it with a day in Le Fornet. The runs are quieter, the tree skiing holds the snow and the restaurants are worth slowing down for. That is what I love about Val d’Isère. It does not try to be wholesome, but it also does not push you into burnout. It lets you choose.

Trendie notes

• Ski La Face first thing before it turns to ice

• Maison Chevallot pastries are non-negotiable

• Not giving away all my spots, some things you have to find yourself and you have to tell me about them ;)

Where to eat & drink

• Restaurant La Baraque

• Bar de l’Ouillette

• Le Refuge de Solaise

• Cocorico (obvs)

Why We Love These Resorts

Because they are not about escape. They are about living fully and coming back with more to give. Niseko resets you. Courchevel and Méribel give you contrast. Val d’Isère lets you go all in or out.

Each one shows a different side of Tasteful Hedonism. Together they prove that skiing is not just about the mountain. It is about spontaneity, indulgence and the little joys that make it a life you do not need to escape from.

That is Tasteful Hedonism.

That’s Trendie x