France Luxury Family Travel Review: Paris, Annecy, Lyon, Local Cuisine, Art, Museums, Seine Dinner Cruise, Tennis, 9-Day Trip

Paris was our busy, sightseeing time, where the free day we had we did book a tour at Rolland Garros because my daughters are avid tennis players (this tour contrasted completely with the tours from the travel agency - the group had a few crazed fans that distracted from the tour. they still liked it, but i wasn't a fan). Annecy gave my girls the beach time they wanted and the mountains my husband wanted, which i didn't think could happen in the same place. This was the down time between seeing all the greatest hits of Paris (Pastry Tour, Louvre, Eiffel Tower, Giverny, Seine, and Versailles), with gastronomic delights in both Paris and Lyon, which culminated in a dinner at Paul Bocuse. It thrilled my foodie husband and my daughters loved it more than i honestly thought they would. It truly was a great way to end a fabulous trip.
The hotels all quite different from each other, which i appreciated. Paris was a boutique hotel near Champs-Elysses, with lovely balconies and old world charm, with a quality breakfast and snacks available much of the day. That was my favorite hotel (though the AC didn't work the first two nights. But when we finally said something, it was fixed that day). Annecy was a more modest hotel but centrally located in Old Town. But i liked having a simpler hotel to contrast with the others. My daughters had never been to Europe and i wanted them to experience different things. The hotel in Lyon was very posh, and it was situated on the Rhone, and had a spectacular breakfast. I loved the Paris hotel the most though bc we had more time there, but all fit our needs well. 
We also had drivers to get us to and from airports, trains, and some tours. It was great to not have to worry about those details. 
The dinner cruise on the Seine was just fabulous. We expected the view to be stunning, but the food surpassed all our expectations. That was my favorite night. 
Let me call out that most tours were private, with wonderfully gifted guides. Every one of them felt special and the guides each found their way to give us the best experience possible. It poured in Giverny when the forecast had not mentioned rain, and our guide bought umbrellas in the gift shop to help keep us from getting soaked. Our Louvre guide found a way to get my husband to actually enjoy and appreciate art, which is no small feat. My daughters loved the pastry and chocolates tour because of the numerous samples in a cool part of Montmartre with more than enough photo opportunities. Our Lyon guide brought Lyon to life for us, prepared us for our Paul Bocuse adventure, and i felt she was truly invested in us getting the most of our time with her. Our Annecy guide made every historic building come to life in this small Alpine town, and introduced us to an award-winning cheese maker where we were allowed to sample incredible cheese paired with exquisite wine. Every one made us feel special, which made these experiences all the more memorable.