Once upon a time, on a business trip, I rented a short-term apartment not far from the Champs-Élysées, a few doors down from the George V hotel. When I realized the Internet in the apartment was not functioning, I walked into the breakfast room of the George V and asked if I could use theirs while I had my breakfast. “Absolutely,” I was told. I went there five days in a row, always for breakfast, always to use the Internet while I ate, and every day the waiters added more treats to my simple breakfast order, an act of kindness I never forgot. And when the woman I was traveling with came in with me one morning to have a glass of champagne, they upgraded her bubbly. I have never stayed at the George V, but I fell in love with it, thanks to those five days. P.S.: Should you wish for an apartment stay, as I often do, I recommend Bernard Vidal’s Holidays Europe Rentals, where the choices are wonderful and the Wi-fi always works. —Alan Richman

A former sportswriter for the PhiladelphiaEvening Bulletin, Alan Richman has won 16 James Beard Foundation Awards for his journalism on food and wine, and a National Magazine Award for feature writing