A glass of champagne in a Paris cafe for Valentine’s Day has never been this cheap. As the Euro plunges to record lows, Australian women who only dreamed about The Louvre before can do it – on a good airline, with a fifty-buck, charming, one-star hotel.
Australians, who have long been kept from Paris by high fares and expensive hotels, stand to gain as the Euro dives to record lows against the Autralian dollar and our kangaroo coins are suddenly buying more hotel nights, and sale-priced Chanel shoes, than ever before.
Sydney to London fares are now seriously under $2000 return in February on major airlines. Add on chic, comfortable Eurostar London-Paris return train fares for around AUD$150 and you’ll be there in time for breakfast.
Staying on in Europe? The European Credit Crunch isn’t ending any time soon. But then, the Louvre isn’t going anywhere either.
Not ready to go just yet? Then book months ahead (as far as you can) on European hotels and airlines who want your dollars now. And don’t forget seriously cheap Irish airlines which can take you to Dublin, then onto Paris a day or two later.
But back to those one-star Paris hotels. Have the flea police on Trip Advisor and other crowd-sourced hotel review sites terrified you? Well, don’t be scared of the fifty-buck double bed.
Here’s a good one: Hotel Lafayette, a short walk from the Eurostar terminal, Paris Nord. It’s so far under AUD$50 a night, that you can buy dinner too.