A diary of a Bangkok family bringing their 8- and 11-year-olds to Paris, a program that keeps children engaged and parents at ease.
K. Kwan and K. Aoy, a Sukhumvit family, were anxious about bringing their two children (8 and 11) to Paris for the first time. Afraid the kids would be bored at the Louvre, afraid dinners would be impossible, afraid of jet lag for the whole trip.
Wanvela designed a 5-night Paris trip built specifically for families like this. The result: the 8-year-old asked when they were coming back to Paris by day three.
TG flight into CDG at 6:35 am, the earliest possible arrival for a family with children.
Private transfer to Le Bristol by 8:00 am. Wanvela had requested 9 am early check-in, the children slept three more hours.
12:30 lunch at Le Bristol, on the terrace beneath the chestnut trees. The children went for French fries and macarons.
Afternoon, Jardin du Luxembourg (the kids loved the sailboats in the fountain), the Carrousel des Mondes Marins at Jardin des Plantes.
Dinner at the hotel, the children ate first, before 6:30. Parents went to Epicure at 8 pm with the kids sleeping (baby monitor in place).
9 am, private guide Anouk took the family through Versailles in 2.5 hours (not the usual 4-hour adult walkthrough). Anouk is the guide Wanvela uses specifically for children, she tells the Marie Antoinette story as a "find the secret door" game.
Lunch at Cafés des Marronniers in the Versailles gardens, the family ate in the garden, the children ran around after dessert.
Afternoon, the Hall of Mirrors. The 11-year-old was captivated for 30 minutes; the 8-year-old started losing interest, Wanvela stopped immediately.
Back at Le Bristol by 4:30, the indoor heated pool. Two hours of swimming for the children.
Wanvela used the "find Mona Lisa first" tactic, 9:00 am through the Carrousel entrance (shorter queue), straight to the painting. The children had their Mona Lisa photo in 15 minutes, pressure off.
From there, Wanvela had designed a scavenger hunt across eight works in the Italian Renaissance room, the children had clues in hand, hunting paintings by description. An hour and a half later, they were leaving the Louvre saying "I want to come back."
Lunch at Angelina, the best hot chocolate in Paris, Mont Blanc for dessert.
Afternoon Champs-Élysées, the Disney Store, Ladurée, a bateaux-mouches ride on the Seine (the 8-year-old's favorite).
The clients asked for it. Wanvela built it in.
A private RER from Le Bristol at 8:30 → Disneyland Paris by 9:30. Wanvela booked the VIP fast-pass, no queueing for any ride. The children rode Pirates of the Caribbean four times.
Lunch at Bistrot Chez Rémy (in the Ratatouille area), the restaurant designed to make people feel rat-sized, thrilled the children.
6 pm back to Le Bristol, the children asleep in the car.
"We didn't dare do Disney at first because we thought it would ruin the 'aesthetic' of Paris, but Wanvela said this trip is for our children, not for Instagram." - K. Aoy
The Picasso Museum in the Marais, Wanvela chose it because the work is "abstract enough" for children to use their imagination. About an hour.
Lunch at Le Marché des Enfants Rouges, the oldest food market in Paris (1615). The children chose crêpes.
Afternoon Place des Vosges and Hôtel de Sully courtyard, walking through the Pletzl. The Jewish bakery Sacha Finkelsztajn, the children loved the apple strudel.
Last dinner at Café Marly in the Louvre courtyard, the lit pyramid had the children captivated.
Late flight. The whole day the children played in the Le Bristol pool while the parents shopped at Bon Marché. CDG departure 8:45 pm, TG 932 into BKK at 1:40 pm.
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