HotelChatter

Just two-and-a-half hours away from London via the Eurostar, Paris is being talked up as a base for travelers and athletes hoping to "avoid the London crowds, the high prices, the congested transport system and the security lock-down" that are part and parcel of the international sports event.

Paris is no stranger to throngs of tourists, to be sure, but London will be especially fanny pack-clogged in a few months' time, making the former's romantic climes even more appealing. And while London hotels are substantially raising their prices (up to tenfold, say some reports), some Parisian hotels are offering discounts during the Games. Hotel D'Angleterre by Notre Dame, for instance, lists a rate of £120 for a room on August 2nd, while a London hotel charges near £200 for comparable accommodations.

Could the impending Olympics serve as an opportunity for the French to turn their sour grapes at having lost the bid into a celebratory Chablis for the capital city? We're certainly not opposed to spending the hectic period in its refined and cultured environs. Vive le macarons!

[Photo: Heidi Atwal]