When you have a taste for luxury but don’t feel like being on display, several new Paris hotels suit just fine. They're part of a crop-up of Luxury 4- and 5-star Parisian hotels that are regularly booked solid. The Grand Hôtel du Palais Royal, the Hôtel Vernet, the Hôtel de Sèze and La Réserve Paris Hotel & Spa – these hotels fit into an even more exclusive category, one we might call "intimate luxury."
With intimate luxury, you have the exquisite comforts and service of a luxury hotel, along with a boutique-like and cozy personable feel. It’s really the best of both worlds, supremely suitable for those romantic getaways and intimate special occasions.
View onto the Grand Palais, Paris — Photo courtesy of La Réserve Hotel and Spa Paris
Grand Hôtel du Palais Royal
In most Parisians’ estimation, there are fewer more romantic areas of Paris than the Palais-Royal. These gardens, where King Louis XIVth once learned to ride horses, remain a peaceful haven in the heart of Paris, indeed right across the street from the Louvre.
It’s also where you’ll find this restored 18th-century building, whose façade is historically classified. Celebrated interior designer Pierre-Yves Rochon kept paramount the principles of natural daylight for his restoration of the interior. The whimsical luggage room, fashioned like an old steamer trunk, is tucked at the base of the original forged iron staircase and lends a lyrical lightness to the atmosphere.
For an indulgence you'll always remember, book one of the top-floor suites in this 68-room 5-star hotel. They come with decks, with sweeping views of the Louvre, across the Eiffel Tower and all the way to the Sacre-Cœur.
Grand Hotel du Palais Royal — Photo courtesy of Grand Hotel du Palais Royal
Hôtel Vernet
Originally built at the beginning of the 19th century as a hotel, Hôtel Vernet was designed with Americans in mind. At that time, flocks of bon vivants were coming over on the steamships and intending to stay for a while. The rooms, spacious and apartment-like, were built with this long-staying sojourner in mind.
When François Champsaur renovated the interior of the hotel, he used massive oak for the doors and closets in the rooms and carrara marble for the hand basins. He also preserved the original stained-glass mosaic ceiling designed by Gustave Eiffel in what is now the main dining room.
You would never hazard to guess that you are steps from the Arc de Triomphe, as you soundly sleep in luxurious peace.
Hôtel de Sèze
Another most romantic – and exquisitely strategic – location is the Madeleine. When staying here, it's like staying in the crosshairs of the city, with Concorde and the Tuileries just there; Opéra just over there; and the biggest, most famous department stores just up there. They're all literally within a five-minute walk.
Each of these 22 rooms has its own persona, whether carressed with mother-of-pearl, graced with butterfly wings or brushed with feathers. And each has its own accent of bold colors, fuchsia, honeybee yellow and aubergine, against neutral and noble backgrounds.
The steamroom downstairs, which is for private use upon requested reservation; the honesty bar and afternoon tea time; and the Perrier-Jouët champagne served with breakfast exemplify the detail and attention to care you’ll find when you’re a guest at this hotel.
La Réserve Paris Hotel & Spa
Deserving of an honorable mention even just weeks after its January 2015 opening, this Jacques Garcia interior designed 26-suite, 14-room hotel has been awaited with bated breath.
Belle Époque décor graces the public spaces, such as the smoking lounge, the courtyard garden, the library and Le Gabriel, the dining salon.
Hotelier Michel Reybier's thoughtful amenities include in-room wine-coolers and a personal butler service. You heard right.
