The best luxury hotels in Paris
Looking for an exclusive and luxury hotel in Paris to spend Valentine’s Day? Visited by royalty and celebrities alike, these seven hotels offer a once-in-a-lifetime stay in the French capital
Shangri-La, Avenue d’Iéna, 16th arrondissement
If you are looking for luxury then look no further than the exclusive Shangri-La – it might be a serious splurge but it offers a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Once the home of Prince Roland Bonaparte, great-nephew of the Emperor Napoléon, the hotel is a limestone mansion set high on the Chaillot Hill with fabulous views of Paris. The interiors are certainly fit for royalty – from the soaring marble columns and liveried doormen in the foyer to the Louis XIV-style salons, exquisitely decorated with neoclassical friezes, ornate panels and wallpaper printed in imperial insignia. The rooms, or rather luxury apartments, are tastefully decorated with mahogany furniture, billowing drapes and well-concealed mod-cons and have spellbinding views of Paris and the Eiffel Tower from the private balconies. The palatial residence has three restaurants – two with Michelin stars – offering classic French and authentic Cantonese cuisine and a gleaming basement spa has a swimming pool set amid pearl-white columns that makes you feel as if you’re in ancient Greece. Doubles from €679, including continental breakfast.
Hôtel Le Bristol, 112 Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré, 8th arrondissement
Located on the elegant Rue de Faubourg, in the heart of Paris’s arts and fashion district, the Hôtel Le Bristol oozes luxury. Decorated in 18th-century French style, the hotel has been welcoming the rich and famous since 1925. There’s no need to leave the luxury, dinner can be taken in the Michelin-starred Épicure restaurant or the exclusive 114 Faubourg brasserie and champagne and cocktails in Le Bar du Bristol. The swimming pool has panoramic views of the city rooftops and there’s spa to spend the afternoon in. While relaxing in one of the sumptuous salons you might come across one of Le Bristol’s cherished cats – white Burmese Fa-Rahon and Kléopatre, perfectly groomed and wearing designer collars. Doubles from €830.
Hôtel des Académies et des Arts, 15 Rue de la Grande Chaumière, 6th arrondisement
If you’re inclined to a bit of flânerie on the Left Bank, then you should feel right at home at the achingly chic Hôtel des Académies et des Arts, where you can while away the hours and feel inspired by the nearby galleries and museums. Near the Jardin du Luxembourg and the Tour Montparnasse, it is ideally located for exploring Paris. This 20-room hotel has five-star decor and service, but without the five-star price tag – ideal for a romantic weekend away on a budget. The interiors are perfect for those who like their hotel rooms to have a bit of character – the Comédienne room offers red velvet headboards and curtains, while the Man Ray reflects the Surrealist artist’s famous photography, and is decorated in black and white. Doubles from €189.
Hôtel de la Trémoille, 14 Rue de la Trémoille, 8th arrondissement
When jazz greats Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington visited Paris in 1961 they stayed at the Hôtel de la Trémoille in the exclusive Triangle d’Or district between the River Seine and the Arc de Triomphe. Luxurious and low-key, it was the perfect choice for the world-famous musicians. The jazz spirit lives on in the Louis2 restaurant and piano bar. In reception, the staff in black and white uniforms and the voiturier in his long purple coat are in tune with Paris and the building’s Haussmann façade. Yet inside, the bar and restaurant exude informal cool where you can slouch with a flute of champagne on wide leather sofas or dine in a space hung with chainmail curtains and padded with velvet and leather. The Triangle d’Or is the capital’s premier shopping district with upmarket restaurants, haute couture fashion houses and luxury delis. Each of the 80 rooms and 13 suites in La Trémoille is a mini-cocoon; little noise penetrates from the street and any that does is absorbed by the heavy velvet drapes, allowing you to relax in peace in the comfortable armchairs placed in front of the entertainment station. Rooms from €335, including continental breakfast.
L’Hôtel, 13 Rue des Beaux-Arts, 6th arrondissement
Sleeping in the glorious surrounds of l’Hôtel is made even more exciting once you know that Oscar Wilde also lived (and died) within the same walls. The luxurious and exclusive l’Hotel was a rather different place in 1900 when Oscar Wilde was living out his final days in what was then the Hôtel d’Alsace, a down-at-heel place only just affordable for the penniless playwright. In tribute to the writer, room 16 – where he eventually died – has been decorated with amazing peacock wallpaper by interior designer Jacques Garcia, whose magic touch extends to all 20 rooms, the bar and restaurant. Doubles from €295.
La Belle Juliette, 92 Rue du Cherche-Midi, 6th arrondissement
A colourful boutique hotel with playful decor, gorgeous spa and Japanese-style garden, La Belle Juliette is a great base to explore Paris. Set on a discreet corner of the bustling Saint-Germain-des-Prés district on the Left Bank, the hotel takes its name from the 18th-century socialite Juliette Récamier. Her artistic spirit lives on in the indulgent salons and lounges where you’ll often find someone playing the hotel’s piano or harp. Splashed in bright scarlets and fuchsia tones, the interiors are a mix of period antiques and vintage furniture, oak floors and leather-bound books, while the bar and restaurant create an intimate setting for breakfast and evening cocktails. The 45 bedrooms, spreading out from a grand staircase, are inspired by different periods of Juliette’s life, while the basement spa and swimming pool offer treatments inspired by ancient Chinese medicine. Doubles from £142.
Hôtel Molitor, 13 Rue Nungesser et Coli, 16th arrondissement
If there is a party time that trumps all others, it has to be the late 1920s. At the height of these decadent days in the summer of 1929, the Piscine Molitor opened on the edge of the Bois de Boulogne. This art-deco lido with two swimming pools was where young Parisians came to emulate the film-star lifestyle and test stuffy social mores. Re-imagined as a hotel and opened earlier this year, the building retains the art-deco theme as well as the spirit of those racy lido days and continues to challenge convention. Graffiti art is hidden behind the now-faux changing room doors and an irreverently spray-painted Rolls-Royce at reception should allay fears that celebrating in Paris is only for the well-behaved. The 46-metre heated outdoor ‘summer’ pool with its ‘beaches’ is still the place to strike a film star pose and there is a spa with a variety of treatments. Most of the 104 rooms and 20 suites are arranged around the pool and for those celebrating a special occasion there are junior suites with a terrace. The rooftop terrace has views of the City of Light and on the ground floor there is an urban restaurant imagined by chef Yannick Alleno that serves up classic and deceptively simple French cuisine. Pouring a glass of Bollinger is not only the best way to crown a celebration here; it is positively de rigueur. Doubles from €240.
More inspiration for your trip to France:
5 places to stay in France in winter
5 pet-friendly hotels in France
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