Hotels

Former fashion stylist and interior designer Vanessa Scoffier is the creative spirit behind the refurbishment of this intimate hotel in Paris’s 13th arrondissement. The 32 bedrooms and communal spaces are filled with vintage furniture – much of it Scandinavian – sourced by Scoffier from flea markets in Paris and abroad. Textured natural materials, such as vintage pressed-tin panels and rope light fixtures, playfully combine with patterned wallpaper and pops of bright paintwork. 

“The overall idea was to make it like a family home,” says Scoffier. “I hadn’t planned anything. It was all about feeling.” The courtyard is a lovely place to sit with a coffee in the sun and breakfast is served each morning in the communal canteen. Expect a warm welcome, fresh flowers in your room and a croissant on your plate every morning.

This hotel at one of the city’s most illustrious addresses, Place Vendôme, opened its doors in 2002 but it possesses a timeless air. US designer Ed Tuttle was asked to reference major French style trends when creating the interiors and accordingly it bears everything from art deco elements to the grand decorative flourishes of Louis XVI. The 153-room hotel has a host of 200 sq m presidential suites (that naturally have every bell and whistle you could dream of) but even the junior suites here are excellent. 

For dining there’s the Michelin-starred Pur’ restaurant (chef Jean-François Rouquette offers both à la carte and two tasting menus) and two bars, where malt whiskies and champagnes are particularly well represented. The hotel also creates its own signature scent and has partnered with a distillery to make gin – which gives you some sense of the level of attention to detail that you’ll find here.

This plush boutique hotel belonged to the Guerrand-Hermès family before being transformed into accommodation by Morgane Rousseau in 2007. The decor of the five suites is strikingly individual and each was conceived by a different contemporary artist. The hotel is now overseen by Rousseau’s son, Oscar Comtet. He has added to the homespun touches by introducing chickens for fresh eggs and black bees for honey; both appear on the dinner menu available to guests from Wednesdays to Saturdays, and brunch throughout the weekend.

Most recently, Comtet opened Le Très Particulier cocktail bar in the basement. We recommend a L’Attrape-Coeurs or Le Malaparte cocktail (or perhaps both) as an apéro in the pretty garden designed by architect Louis Benech.