bill

Two 30-something couples. London 3 days, Paris 3 days. Leaving next Friday. <BR>I'm wondering where we should splurge(enjoy top-notch) dining for one night in both London and Paris. Should I go by the Fodors picks? Can you dive me 1 or 2 choices?<BR>Also, where can I get a great English golf experience near London?<BR>I do appreciate your great responses.<BR>Your friend Bill

Sue

Probably a little late for dinner reservations at any of the "gastronomic temples" in either city; might try lunch. I have reservations at Le Grand Vefour (Paris) for lunch in a couple of weeks; check it out on google. My daughter and her husband liked Arpege, which I understand is rather minimalist in decor,but the Belle Epoque ambience of LGV sounds more to my liking. Run a search here for "splurge restaurants"; you should get lots of info. I posted the question a couple of months ago and got replies about Taillevent, Jules Verne, Pre Catalan, Tour d'Argent, LGV and more. Have fun!

janis

As Sue says, many of the top restaurants will be booked up at this late date. In both London and Paris I would rely on the hotel concierge. They can often get you into places that are "fully booked".

janis

I meant to add - many of the top courses such as Wentworth will also be booked. But you can often get on good courses as a single joining a twosomes or threesome.<BR><BR>A good source is uk-golfguide.com which has links to most courses in the country laid out goegraphically.

Burta

My family enjoyed Criterion in London. Taillevant was our favorite in Paris for dinner and Jules Verne for the view and lunch. The problem is getting reservations at this late date.

JOdy

You might try getting reservations for Paris through www.reservethebest.com ..I've had good luck with them obtaining last minute bookings when none were supposedly available. I know Guy savoy,Jacques cagna ,Arpege are in their list. Do you search using ..indifferent in all fields for a complete listing

Judy

For golf near London, last summer,my parents tried the "Royal Blackwell "-about 30 minutes train ride from central London,open to public during weekdays,one of the oldest golf course in U.K. It is said that Henry the 8th played in the couses.I booked the tee time by calling from Toronto one week ahead.<BR><BR>My father said the course wasn't the nicest, but they did enjoy all the beautiful centuries old trees very much.

philip

If you can get reservations, Taillevent lives up to the billing. I'll echo the previous posts in that dinner reservations may be hard to come by last minute. Lunch might be easier.<BR><BR>If all else fails, you might want to look in Relais Louis XIII. It's located in the 6th Arr and the chef, Manuel Martinez, had been the chef at Tour D'Argent for several years. I've sent several friends from NYC there, and all have had a great experience.<BR><BR>

philip

I should add that Relais Louis has a nice write-up in the Paris Zagats. It received a 22 for food.