Luxe Beat Magazine OCTOBER 2015 | Page 29

Travel Each month, our Editor-at-Large and Paris resident, Leah Walker, is opening her French address book. She’ll share the latest, greatest, little known, classic and up-andcoming finds in her adopted home country. Find more travel tidbits on her website, LeahTravels.com and get your daily French dose from her Instagram, LeahTravels. Visit this Museum W ith nearly 1,200 works from artists such as Andy Warhol, Alain Jacquet, David Tremlett and Cesar Arman, the Museum of Modern Art and Contemporary Art (MAMAC) is a must-visit when in Nice. Documenting art from the 1960s until today, the MAMAC is nearly 50,000 square feet of avant-garde works from Europe and the USA. The building is just as impressive as the art inside. Greeting visitors are massive sculptures on the esplanade Niki de Saint Phalle by artists like Alexander Calder and Bernar Venet. And with glass passageways connecting the four square towers, don’t miss going to one of the rooftop terraces for an excellent view over Nice. Admission is €10 and is closed on Mondays. Museum of Modern Art and Contemporary Art, Place Yves Klein, 06364 Nice Check In Opened in March of 2015, Maison Souquets is a five-star boutique hotel in Paris’s up-and-coming area of South Pigalle (SoPi). A former brothel, the hotel was once run by Madame Souquet during the early 1900s. The neighborhood south of Montmartre and near the Moulin Rouge is still a bit rough around the edges, with plenty of massage parlors and adult shops, but the gentrification is evident with its trendy bars and restaurants. In keeping with the spirit of the area and the building’s past, famed French designer, Jacques Garcia, melded his signature baroque style using antiques from the 18th century to create a modern, French classic. As part of the Small Luxury Hotels of the World, Maison Souquets feels like a home rather than a hotel. The lobby mimics a living room, while the adjoining bar has an old-school library look, with its rich wood, plush fabrics and cozy corners. Breakfast is served in the bright, mirror-filled Winter Garden, with a small outdoor space that can be used by smokers. In the basement, there is a large pool (by Paris standards), a steam room and massage room, which can be booked 24-hours a day. The entire space can be exclusively reserved by guests 29