Win a Honeymoon Trip to Paris!

Have you ever dreamed of travelling to Paris? Or is it too impossible to even dream of it? Well, it’s time to turn that impossible dream into reality!

This year, it’s your chance to visit the “city of love”. Yes, you read that right! You now have a chance to visit Paris for FREE.

In honor of love and romance, Hizon’s Catering brings you a free honeymoon trip to Paris. One lucky couple will have a chance to win a trip to Paris for 5 days and 4 nights! One of the soon-to-wed couples who will register online within the promo duration will get one raffle ticket. Raffle draw will be on July 16, 2016 to view the full mechanics, click HERE. Don’t let Paris stay at your dream destination forever. Have a perfect romantic getaway with the one you love! Join NOW for a chance to win!

This is your once-in-a-lifetime chance to go to one of the dream cities! JOIN NOW and win a FREE honeymoon trip to Paris!

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Paris, the city of love: One of the most famous places to visit for families, lovers, travelers, and aspiring ones. It is famously known for its breathtaking culture, food, fashion, and its swoon-worthy places—perfect for a romantic getaway.

But before you get too excited, here are a few guides and tips that we’ve compiled to help you prepare for exploring the wonders of Paris with convenience.

PREPARE CAREFULLY PRIOR TO YOUR PARIS TRIP

It’s one of the common mistakes that beginners fail to do, yet it’s a crucial task. Having a background research/study on an unfamiliar place before exploring it is a lot more convenient and will save you a lot of time and confusion. So make sure to make a thorough plan in advance before flying to Paris. You may read about the ideal places that you want to go or research on the easiest and cheapest way to navigate the city. Read and take notes as much as you can. Make sure you’re bringing with you everything you need and leave anything that may not be necessary.

Expect a lot of people lining up for famous attractions.

You won’t be the only person to visit a museum or the Eiffel Tower on that day. For convenience, you may research online the certain place you want to visit and check if they accept reservations of tickets online. That way, it’s more convenient than lining up and wasting precious time.

Blend in with the locals.

Unlike in other foreign and unfamiliar places you’ve gone to where it’s a common thing for tourists to wear a tank top and short shorts—in Paris, wearing this attire will surely get you attention. Part of travelling to a place is adapting the culture and norms of the locals. Bring clothes that you can only wear in Paris to avoid having heavier baggage too.

Always have a notebook and pen in hand for important notes.

Going to a foreign place whose people speak a foreign language, it’s crucial to have a notebook and pen in handy. Write your hotel’s address or the addresses of the places that you’re going to visit. Write down phone numbers and a few greetings and expressions to talk with the locals.

Keep your essentials safe.

Tourists attract people who may do harm to them. Before you leave the place you’re staying in, make sure that your essentials (including papers, passports, gadgets, money, etc) are with you or are safely hidden.

Don’t travel without travel insurance.

One of the most important travel tips that we’ve got is from Adventurous Kate. She says that, Don’t even think of going to Paris without travel insurance. Whether you cut yourself and need to go to the hospital for stitches, whether you get your phone stolen on the metro, or whether an injury means you need to cancel all or part of your trip, travel insurance will help you out. I use and recommend World Nomads as travel insurance for Paris.” 

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One of the most useful guides we’ve found on what to wear in Paris comes from La Petite Noob where she meticulously discussed the appropriate attire in the city of love. She said, “Dressing appropriately [in Paris] is not just merely a superficial task – it will actually guarantee you better service and hospitality in any Parisian restaurant, boutique, or attraction.” 

Black is the way to go when packing clothes for Paris. Besides from black, pack also white and striped pieces. Basically, just stick to the basics and solid colors.

Pack a scarf or two to add style to your basic attire. It’s not just for fashion’s sake but because you’ll never know when the temperature might send you shivering when you’re outside. Add to that, you might want to bring a sweater too. Another essential—considering the unpredictable weather in Paris—is to bring with you a travel-sized umbrella.

Expect that you will be walking a lot because, come on, it’s Paris. So if you don’t want to appear too “touristy” and your feet feeling hurt, just wear your most comfortable flats—not running shoes, not heels, but flats.

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Eiffel Tower

The Eiffel Tower has become the symbol of Paris through the years. The tower rises at 984 feet. It was built for the World Exhibition held in 1889, in celebration of the French revolution in 1789. If you can’t have the chance to see it up close, you’ll still have the chance to see it all over Paris. There’s no escaping this picturesque and world-famous structure.

 

 

 

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The Louvre

Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo, Michelangelo’s Dying Slave—you’ll find them all at The Louvre. Originally a royal palace, The Louvre today is one of the world’s largest and important museums. It houses a lot of the world’s celebrated works of art. Anyone who has even the slightest appreciation for art should visit here.

 

 

 

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Notre Dame Cathedral (Notre Dame de Paris – “Our Lady of Paris”)

Because of our nature with Christianity, it’s hard for us Filipinos not to have an appreciation with beautifully structured cathedrals. One of which—and one of the most famous—is the Notre Dame Cathedral. It has been the center of Catholicism in France since it has the “cathedra”, the official chair of the Archbishop in Paris. The Notre Dame Cathedral is also considered one of the finest French Gothic architecture. And although it has suffered a handful of damage and vandalism all throughout the years ever since it was built in 1345, they were still able to reconstruct and preserve its beauty up until this day.

 

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Moulin Rouge

Ever since it opened its doors nearly 120 years ago, Moulin Rouge has set the standard for the world’s most famous cabarets. It soon gained a reputation of a place where men could get “entertained” by Parisian women. In later years, the establishment cleaned up its act (so to speak), eventually lost its reputation as a brothel, and became a fashionable music hall known for its extravagant cabaret shows, attracting a high-class clientele. Today, Moulin Rouge is still famous with adult visitors. The show features more than one hundred performers decked out in the most extravagant costumes, which include lots of feathers, rhinestones, and sequins. The sets are equally as spectacular.

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Musée d’Orsay

The Musée d’Orsay is a museum housed in a grand railway station built in 1900. Home to many sculptures and impressionist paintings, it has become one of Paris’s most popular museums. When it opened, the museum contained some 2300 paintings, 1500 sculptures and 1000 other objects. Most of these works of art came from other museums such as the Musée du Luxembourg. Over time the collection has expanded significantly mainly due to acquisitions and gifts. It covers a period from the mid-nineteenth century up to 1914 and contains works from Degas, Rodin, Monet, Manet, Renoir, Cezanne, van Gogh and others.

(Source: A View On Cities)

Don’t spend all day in one place.

There are so many spectacular places to visit and eat in Paris. If you can’t visit the places in your itinerary, check out other museums and restaurants. Better yet, if you want to maximize your time, you might want to avoid the tourist attractions especially in high season.

Don’t wear shorts.

We’ve said this before, and we’ll say it again: Avoid wearing shorts at all costs.

Don’t take the cab if you don’t really need to.

Taxis are hard to come by in Paris. And since you’re there to see Paris, might as well walk. Don’t be afraid of taking the Paris metro system, or you can rely on smartphone car services like Uber, LeCab, or AlloCab. (Source: 15 Things NOT to Do in Paris)

Don’t buy into stereotypes.

French people have a reputation for being rude. Actually, the French people are just much more formal and reserved than other people. So if you’re worried or if you find it rude that your Filipino smiles and greetings are not returned, don’t take it personally. Instead, be mindful of your manners, be polite, keep a neutral expression, and only speak when necessary.

Taking an effort to learn a few French might get you better treatment in Paris. Here are a few that might help you along the way:

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“Hi” Salut (sah-loo)

“Good morning” or “Good day” Bon jour (bohn-zhoohr)

“Good evening” Bon soir (bon-swar)

“Good night” Bonne nuit (bonn-nwee)

“Goodbye” – Au revoir (oh ruh-vwar)

“Mister/Miss” Monsieur/madame

“Excuse me” Excusez-moi (ex-kewzay mwah)

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“Sorry” Pardon (pahr-dohn)

“Please” S’il vous plaît (seel voo play)

“Thank you” Merci (mer-see)

“Yes” – Oui (wee)

“No” Non (nohn)

We hope that this guide will help you in preparing for your Paris trip. Maximize the web for more tips and guides. Bon voyage!

Mhel and Merc, Winners of Win-A-Wedding (6th ed.)

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“As we grow older together, as we continue to change with age, there is one thing that will never change  … I will always keep falling in love with you…” – Anonymous

Mhel and Merc’s first steps toward the path of love wasn’t that “magical as other stories out there”, according to Mercrischel or simply Merc. “We grew up in the same street. Have the same circle of friends. More likely pwede kaming mag-fall sa category na nodding acquaintances or what the teenagers call nowadays, “the sometimes friends.”

It was when Merc turned 18 that she felt that so-called magic, in the arms of the “snobbish and quiet” Mhel, who turned her night—her last dance into an unforgettable magical moment.

It was December of 2002 when Mhel started courting Merc and after three months, they became a couple.

As a couple, the two encountered struggles in 2006 as what Merc called a ‘dreaded long distance relationship.’ “Sabi nila mahirap daw, I swear mahirap nga…But I have a strong faith in him, na makakaya namin ito. I believe that missing someone is part of loving them. If you’re never apart, you’ll never know how strong your love is.”

The long wait soon paid off because after a year of constant texts and calls, unyielding “I love you’s” and “I miss you’s”, Mhel followed Merc in Dubai, and in that reunion, she admitted it was like falling in love with the same person again.

“I am really thankful kasi hindi niya ako sinukuan, I know that it’s hard for him as well pero nagtiis din siya. He knows my responsibility with my family and for that I fell for him again…”

“…And now that we are going to face our new beginning as ‘one’ I would never ever trade him for somebody else. And if God would ask me, if given a chance would I ever rewrite my so-called love story, I’d  proudly say NO. Because Mhel is the only one who I want to spend my forever falling in love with.”

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Mhel and Merc are to exchange their vows in May 2014 courtesy of Hizon’s Catering’s Win-A-Wedding Promo. They are the 6th Edition Winner of the worry-free wedding offered by the contest to soon-to-wed couples in Metro Manila.

Mikes and Lovely, Winners of Win-A-Wedding (7th ed.)

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Mikes and Lovely owe a social media site and a friend for weaving the strings that drew them together.

Seeing a picture of Lovely by their common friend’s account, Mikes’ heart was immediately captivated. “It took me a whole week to muster up the courage to say hi. Eventually I did and when she replied I felt like I was in cloud nine,” according to Mikes.

Lovely was in Japan then, and that was the start of an inter-country chatting injected with a daily dose of getting-to-know.

“Weeks turned into months and our mutual understanding for each other grew into something magical.”

Mikes was reviewing for board exams then but couldn’t focus because of his growing affection for Lovely.

At that year, Lovely announced her coming home on December 19 which was the day before Mikes’ board exam.

“They say that when you’re in love you are willing to sacrifice one thing for another, and I chose her. Up until now never have I regretted on that decision of choosing her. We had our very first date on December 22nd. The very same night we officially became a couple.”

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“In our relationship I had the realization that I wanted to be the man who could support her so I went out and found myself a job and I did. I wanted to show her that she makes me want to be a better man, a man whom she could lean on and feel safe.”

“On our second year and fifth month, I decided that I wanted her hand in marriage. I imagined her to be the mother of my children. It never came to mind that I was rushing things for I felt it in my heart that she is the one, the girl of my dreams.”

A mountain climbing enthusiast, Mikes made a plan to propose to Lovely at the top of a mountain. With the help from their mountain climbing group, they kept the plan a secret until they reached the top.

“It was perfect. She wiped away her tears then the one special word I was waiting for was said. I got up gave her the best kiss I could offer and place the ring on her finger.”

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But Mikes and Lovely’s “love story adventure” doesn’t stop here. Rather, it is just “the beginning of something beautiful.”

Mikes and Lovely are the 7th Edition Winner of Win-A-Wedding, a worry-free wedding promo offered by Hizon’s Catering to soon-to-wed couples in Metro Manila.