Wonderful Women's Weekend
Finding inspiration in Paris with Doni Belau
March 8-11, 2019
Dear Conference Attendee,
Taking the powerful French heroine Jeanne d’Arc as our inspiration, I invite you to enjoy a weekend together with me after the Wells International Foundation’s
The Successful Woman – Lifestyle, Legacy and Leading by Example
conference to fully realize what you’ve learned and take a piece of Paris back home with you. You’ll learn to take time for yourself like the French seem to do so effortlessly and create balance in your life. Together we’ll celebrate your successes in the city that revels in romance, poetry and light.
You will see the sights, hear the sounds and experience the local way of life that makes the City of Light the most visited place on the planet!
Doni Belau
Evening 1
Friday, March 8th
Later we’ll watch the Eiffel Tower sparkle from the Pont des Arts and discuss how we plan to carry that light forward into the year.
Day 2
Saturday, March 9
Wake up at your hotel* And enjoy an optional morning yoga class.
10am – 1:30pm:
We’ll meet up for a “French Women in History” walking tour with a noted French expert who is an attorney and historian. Historical women in Paris are her specialty.
We’ll enjoy savory and sweet gourmet treats whilst learning of the secrets and eccentricities of important Parisiennes. We’ll taste Marie Antoinette’s favorite confections and learn about Simone de Beauvoir’s fight for women’s rights, Coco Chanel’s secret to making a mint on fashions and perfumes, and the mind-blowing exploits of the writer, Colette.
Our tour will include une petite pause along the way.
2pm – 4pm:
The afternoon is reserved for massages, facials and beauty treatments, which we can help you organize ahead of time at the best places in Paris.
Or you can go with us to check out the historic Mosquée de Paris (Paris Mosque) and its offerings. Here we can try the hammam rooms built in the 1920’s and get a gommage scrub.** Afterward, we’ll refresh with a Moroccan mint tea.
5pm:
Optional visit to the most incredible bookstore in the world – Shakespeare and Company, which sits directly across from Notre Dame Cathedral.
8pm:
Meet for cocktails at Laperouse (see info below)
9pm:
Dine upstairs at Laperouse in the 6th arrondissment and learn the tales of French mistresses from days past. Laperouse was founded in 1766 and at its height was the meeting place of important Parisian literary figures as well as politicians and artists. The second-floor private rooms where we’ll dine were used by Georges Sand, Emile Zola, Victor Hugo and Gustave Flaubert, to name a few.
Sunday, March 10
Track 1
Those who are seeing Paris for the first time
10am – 3pm: Traditional Sights. We’ll take an early morning trip up to the top of the Eiffel Tower, skipping the queue.
Later we’ll light a candle at Notre Dame and take a short stroll through the islands where Paris was founded in 250BCE.
We’ll stop for an ice cream at Berthillon and relish a late leisurely Sunday lunch at Le Reminet.
Track 2
Those who’ve been to Paris before
11am – 4pm: M&M (Museum and the Marais). This morning we’ll head to the newly revamped Picasso Museum located in a stunning hotel particulier. Then we’ll take a tour of the Marais with a focus on culture, history, beauty products and fashion (Paris will have just celebrated Fashion Week, after all)! Highlights will include: an ancient candle maker, the ultimate concept store, a French parfumeur who deals in bespoke fragrances, and an antique shop that specializes in vintage kitchen items. We’ll lunch at the Marché des Enfants Rouge, a covered market that dates back to 1615.
Track 3
Those who are flea market lovers
10am – 3pm: The world’s largest flea market. Trek up to the Marché Clignancourt for a grand tour of the most famous antique and second-hand goods dealers in the world with our own favorite Flea Market Maven. She can help you negotiate prices and arrange shipment back home for anything you buy, ranging from linens to armoires. We’ll lunch at the market and stop in to listen to some Gypsy Jazz at Django Reinhardt’s cafe before we head back to central Paris.
Go back to your hotel to rest or:
4pm – 6pm:
Meet up in the center of town for a photography experience on the Ile St. Louis with a talented French photographer. This fun session will enable you to enjoy a photo keepsake of your time in Paris. Afternoon tea will be served after at Doni’s flat on the Ile St. Louis.
9pm:
Our last meal together will be a marriage of creative modern French cuisine paired perfectly with natural wine. Learn about the exciting food scene in Paris that has thrown out heavy sauces in favor of light, market-driven cuisine coupled with organic or biodynamic wines that don’t add sulfites. These wines allow you to drink more without getting a hangover! This will be your bubbly sendoff back home.
This weekend tour has been planned by Doni Belau of Girls Guide 2 Paris (GG2P), a travel website and guide about everything Paris and France. Founded by Doni in 2009, GG2P is known for its intimate, unique and personalized tours for women only. Doni likes to describe it as a tour company for those who wouldn’t be caught dead on a tour bus. Through GG2P, she leads tours throughout France.
Doni is the author of the bestselling book, Paris Cocktails. Before the travel bug overtook her life nearly 10 years ago, Doni was a fundraiser, an activist, and a political and not-for-profit consultant. She divides her time between Brooklyn, her family home near Bordeaux, and Paris, her favorite city.
Space is limited: We only have capacity for 2-3 groups of 12, so be sure to sign up as soon as possible.
These tours will sell out!
Your investment: $1875
This includes all meals and local transport
as well as all guides and museum entrances.
A deposit of $875 will hold your spot. Email info@girlsguidetoparis.com today to learn more.
Please note: You will be dining at the finest places in Paris. We are foodies and we care deeply about the quality of all your culinary experiences, making sure each one is exceptional. A minimum of several glasses of champagne, wine or cocktails will be included at most all meals. Any extra wine you might want to order is your responsibility. Your hotel, your spa treatments and your flights are not included. Networking, camaraderie, and laughs are all free for the taking!
This custom-designed experience will be made available to those who do not participate in The Successful Woman as of January 1, 2019.
At that time, the cost will increase to $2100.
**A hammam is a North African or Turkish bath. They are all the rage in Paris! A gommage is a scrubbing massage that leaves your skin as fresh as a baby.