The Rue de Berri is typical of the streets that radiate off the Arc de Triomphe end of the Champs-Elysées. There are a couple of smart hotels, a scattering of designer clothes stores and some small bar/brasseries. Inevitably, the street bears some of the scars of international branding: a Chicago Pizza Pie Factory stands across the street from a Firkin pub. But what could be more French than the turn-of-the-century mansion on the corner of the Rue d'Artois with its art nouveau styling? Look again, for this is the Paris Residence, part of a new wave of timeshare development that originated in Edinburgh.
This is timeshare, but not as you know it. The Paris Residence is being converted into 33 self-contained suites supported by all the usual hotel facilities with a concierge and a 24-hour room service menu. It was the ideal venue for my outing last weekend with my three sons aged 19, 23 and 25. When I ran out of steam, I could retreat to my classic suite - a living space larger than the average hotel bedroom decorated in period style with high ceilings and large traditional windows with wrought-iron balconies - while they continued to play in their grand suite with its separate living room and a bathroom large enough to hold a party (which it probably did).
We had billed this as our stag weekend (mine as it happens) but it was really a rite of passage, a chance to spend time together after five testing, but rewarding, years since their mother died. And where better to spend this time than in Paris? The Residence may have Edinburgh influences (and English was the lingua franca ) but we intended to celebrate in French style. When manager Kevin Gunn told us that the cheapest beer in Paris was to be found in the Bowler pub just around the corner, we smiled knowingly. This was not for us. Of course, after several beers in a streetside cafe and a Vietnamese meal we ended up in the Bowler, though I compromised by ordering a calvados.
I was first to leave the Bowler in the early hours and wasn't surprised when the boys were slow to start on the Saturday morning. This turned to our advantage for after a late breakfast (or rather an early lunch) in a square opposite the Bourse we were able to walk straight into the Pompidou Centre (there were lengthy queues when we left in mid-afternoon). We were entertained by the post-1960 work on the fourth floor and engaged by the scale of the collection on the fifth (from 1905 to 1960) where there seemed to be a Picasso at every turn.
Just as exciting were the views on every side of the city of light shimmering in the haze of a spring heatwave. The Sacré Coeur drew us like a magnet to Montmartre where the streets were crowded and the portrait painters were busy as usual making their subjects look years younger. A cut down a sidestreet to the Métro at Pigalle led to an interesting encounter with a flamboyant transvestite: we fled back to the Champs-Elysées where we stopped in a small bar for refreshment. We were the only customers, but the landlord secured a second round when he switched the television to show live coverage of Munster overcoming Toulouse in rugby's Heineken Cup semi-final.
As we passed the Bowler on our way back to change for the evening, we realised it was just 4.45pm at home, that special moment of the week when the football results flood in. The televi sion was tuned to Gillette Soccer Saturday on Sky. The boys sat with their pints of Heineken watching the dramas unfold. Watford might be going down to the first division but they secured a draw at Middlesbrough. It gave them particular pleasure when Luton were pegged back by a 90th-minute equaliser. I watched them with a surge of affection knowing how this inherited ritual continues to puzzle any woman who has known us well.
Now we switched to a full-bodied French flavour, with a little help from a friend - regular Escape writer John Brunton, who has the knack of finding those bars and restaurants locals prefer to keep to themselves. He recommended L'Ebauchoir, a bistro in the back streets of Aligre in the Bastille area, with tiled floors, wooden tables and an informal but electric atmosphere. We sat at an alcove table, underneath a vast, colourful mural. The menus, chalked on giant blackboards handed round the tables, were on the face of it traditional - carré d'agneau, jus aux thyme; confit de canard maison; veal and lots of fish. But the flavours were subtle with variations such as calves' liver with coriander and honey.
There was a great buzz as extended families as well as the smart-but-casual set tucked into their food. The pleasures of the table seem always to be heightened in Paris. Even with an indulgent bottle of Gevrey Chambertin, the bill for three courses each came to just 874 francs (£83). On Sunday morning we returned to the Bastille to follow up another recommendation by visiting the Marche D'Aligre, a jam-packed fruit, vegetable and flea-market. Crates were stacked outside the Baron Rouge bar to form tables where those in the know enjoyed glasses of wine from the barrel and plates of crevettes and cold meat. Our verdict was unanimous: 'John Brunton rocks.'
Eurostar seemed to speed us too quickly away from Paris, yet the value of the train and tunnel combination is that the journey connects you with the changing landscapes of France and England in a real timescale: in fact, just what the weekend had done for our lives together.
• A flexible week's timeshare for a classic suite at the Paris Residence costs from 97,250 francs (£9,260) plus 8,898 francs (£850) in taxes and fees while a grand suite starts at 122,500 francs (£11,670) plus 10,287 (£980). This buys seven nights a year for 20 years which can be taken outside new year, Easter and major sporting events. There is an annual maintenance fee of 2,950 francs (£280 ) for a classic suite and 3,450 francs (£330) for a grand suite. Details from 0131 226 3380.The week can be exchanged from a choice of 3,000 worldwide resorts through RCI.
• Eurostar (0990 186 186) return fares from £69.
• L'Ebauchoir: 00 331 43 42 49 31. Bookings essential.
Fact file
• 400,000 British households own timeshare
•The average week costs £6,000
• Ownership varies from 20 years to perpetuity
• The average annual service fee is £250
• 60 per cent of owners swap for another resort
• British ownership doubled in the past 10 years
• There are 137 resorts in the UK and 5,200 worldwide
• Spain and the Canaries are British favourites
Source: RCI (01536 310111)
