Determined to make the most of a mini-break to Paris I thought I’d chosen carefully in booking Hotel Beaumarchais, the self-styled ‘cheapest three star funky hotel in the Maradais district,’ after I’d become infatuated with images of colourful, spacious rooms on their website.

Sadly, my enthusiasm was slightly dampened when I discovered I’d actually managed to book the hotel’s smallest suite complete with a teeny tiny bathroom which was about as roomy as an Easyjet toilet.

My complaints were met with indifference from a pouty man on reception.

‘You don’t know me, I don’t know you. What can I do?’ he said shrugging nonchalantly.

Before I was overcome by ‘Paris Syndrome’ (a condition said to affect a dozen Japanese tourists a year who, on discovering the city is not as romantic as it seems and that Parisians can be very rude, have a psychiatric breakdown) I too pouted with displeasure and flounced out the foyer.

Thankfully, after two nights, we were able to move to the hip Mama Shelter hotel. Our suite was modern, clean and spacious and a little quirky with moody lighting and kinky Shrek and Batman masks in the bedroom. The hotel’s funky Island Bar attracts a cool crowd and serves excellent cocktails (I loved the Water Melon Mint). Likewise, the extensive breakfast buffet is the stuff of gluttony dreams.

Keen to take in as many sights as possible we opted for a Paris Pass which gave us two days of entry to over 60 of Paris’ world famous museums, art galleries and historic monuments. The pass, which came with a guidebook filled with tips about the attractions, also included a two day hop-on-hop-off bus tour as well as a free travelcard for public transport.

We used the bus to journey effortlessly from attraction to attraction taking in the Eiffel Tower, Champs-Elysees, Grand Palais and stunning gothic Notre Dame Cathedral.

It was well worth climbing the 387 steps of Notre Dame’s south tower to join the gargoyles in looking out across Paris.

More stunning architecture came at The Louvre thanks to the mix of old and new with the 12th Century palace offering a majestic backdrop to the ultra-modern glass inverted pyramid which was added just 20 years ago. One of the finest art galleries in the world, the Louvre is home to thousands of classic and modern masterpieces – none more famous than Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa.

After pounding the halls of the extensive museum we headed to O Chateau a relaxed wine bar ten minutes away which serves around 40 wines by the glass, 500 by the bottle and has a team of bilingual sommeliers on hand to help you chose. We headed downstairs to the tasting room, situated in a smart looking wine cellar, to sample O Chateau’s highly recommended ‘Tour de France’.

For the next two hours we were treated to a whirlwind tour of six wines from six French regions including Champagne, Bordeaux and the Rhone.

Perhaps we should have ended our boozing there but lured in by the laidback Parisian surroundings, good wine and cheese plates we stayed on for a good couple of hours chatting to our fellow wine-tasters.

You would be pretty hard pressed not to find somewhere good to eat in Paris but by far my favourite eaterie was the gorgeous Le Coup de Fourchette – a gem recommended by Parisian friends. The relaxed restaurant offers reasonably priced authentic French dishes served by genuinely friendly staff who were very patient as I attempted to order in French and even helped me with my pronunciation.

Joining the hordes of tourists near the Champs-Elysees we headed to Laduree an ornate tea and pastry house famed for its array of colourful macaroons in all different flavours. Visiting Laduree is a bit of a tourist cliche but with good reason as their macaroons served with ice cream are the stuff of dessert dreams.

With our mini-break drawing to an end I decided to surprise JD, who loves the film Midnight In Paris, by leading him to the set of steps where Gil goes every night at midnight in Rue Montagne St. Genevieve near the Panthéon.

Then we took a last evening stroll around the winding streets of Montmartre, a quaint district situated on a hill in the north of Paris. Climbing up the steps to the beautiful Sacré-Coeur Basilica we relaxed at the top taking in breathtaking views of the city.

Afterwards we ambled around Montmartre enjoying the array of quaint wine bars and bistros on a perfect Parisian evening.