paris hotels

Hôtel de l’Abbaye St Germain

This beautifully converted former abbey has quite a following for its faultless service, stylish rooms and calm ambience. Double rooms can be small; if you can afford it, go for a duplex. On fine days breakfast can be taken in a little paved courtyard bordered by flowering shrubs. 10 rue Cassette, 75006 Paris.

Hôtel d’Aubusson

The entrance to this fine hotel is through immense double doors, used for coaches in the 17th century when the honey-stone building was built. Inside are a lovely beamed salon and a breakfast room hung with tapestries. Restrained luxury defines the pale bedrooms. 33 rue Dauphine, 75006 Paris.

Hôtel d’Angleterre

Some people say the elegance is a bit faded, but this former British embassy near the boulevard Saint-Germain is still a winner for its feeling of spacious calm. Echoes of former glories include fine mantelpieces and trompe l’oeil murals. All the rooms are differently done out and most are very roomy. 44 rue Jacob, 75006 Paris.

Hôtel de Banville

The elegance doesn’t stop at the furnishings in this 1930s town house north of Etoile. The hotel is strong on the personal touch: fresh flowers in the individually decorated bedrooms, beds turned down at night and evercheerful staff. A pianist is a regular feature in the comfortable bar/sitting area in the evenings. 166 bd Berthier, 75017 Paris.

Hôtel Beau Manoir

The clue is in the name: this hotel styles itself on a rural manor, with damask drapes and tapestries on wood-panelled walls. 6 rue de l’Arcade, 75008 Paris.

Hôtel du Jeu de Paume

Avant-garde conversion of a 17th-century tennis court by the architect owner, creating an atrium inside the old timbers. 54 rue St-Louis-en-l’Ile, 75004 Paris.

Hôtel Elysées-Mermoz

Attractive and freshlooking, it has a conservatory-style foyer and well-designed bedrooms with Pierre Frey fabrics. 30 rue Jean-Mermoz, 75008 Paris.

Hôtel Latour-Maubourg

The warmth of the owner/managers and the private-house feel make this a really special place to stay. 150 rue de Grenelle, 75007 Paris.

Hôtel de la Bretonnerie

The busy streets of the picturesque Marais and Pompidou Centre area surround this 17th-century townhouse, yet inside all is calm and comfort. Beams, tiled floors and hardwood furniture are offset by rich furnishings and wallcolourings. Bedrooms are surprisingly spacious; some have a mezzanine gallery. 22 rue Ste-Croix-de-la-Bretonnerie, 75004 Paris.

Lancaster

Swiss hotelier Emile Wolf opened the Lancaster back in 1930, and it quickly attracted the glitterati of the day. The present owner has restored furniture and rooms to their former glory, incorporating into her elegant decorative scheme the hotel’s collection of Boris Pastoukhoff paintings (he used them to pay his bills). 7 rue de Berri, 75008 Paris.

Hôtel Duc de St-Simon

From the elegant courtyard, the first glimpse of this gorgeous, if pricey, little hotel through two sets of French doors is pure magic. The salon is deliciously furnished with upholstered and antique pieces, pictures and ornaments, and has the privatehouse feel that the Swedish proprietor intended. 14 rue de St-Simon, 75007 Paris.

Pavillon de la Reine

Its location on the most harmonious square in the city is ideal and one of this handsome 17th-century mansion’s main draws. Anne of Austria’s home now has the air of a baronial hall, complete with huge hearth and wood panelling. You couldn’t call it cosy, but it’s precisely run and supremely comfortable. 28 place des Vosges, 75003 Paris.

Hôtel Mansart

Beyond the modern lobby are immense, stately bedrooms with large mirrors and panelling picked out in gold. 5 rue des Capucines, 75001 Paris.

Hôtel Parc St-Severin

This hotel is included for its penthouse suite: chic, bright and surrounded by a fabulous roof terrace with spectacular views. 22 rue de la Parcheminerie, 75005 Paris.

Hôtel Montalembert

Choose between antique or high-tech furnishings in this sleek modern hotel. 3 rue Montalembert, 75007 Paris.

Hôtel Verneuil

In a charming street, this recently refurbished hotel aims to provide the atmosphere of an elegant private house. 8 rue de Verneuil, 75007 Paris.

Le Relais St-Germain

Cleverly mirrored and sleekly furnished as it is, the ground floor of this luxurious little hotel is cramped, so the spacious bedrooms come as an especially welcome surprise. These are offset by solid country antiques, deep sofas and rich fabrics. Breakfast is in a café that was a haunt of Hemingway and Picasso. 9 carrefour de l’Odéon, 75006 Paris.

Hôtel Le St-Grégoire

The interior of this tall townhouse has been designed with great flair, reflecting the passion of the owner’s wife, who scoured antique shops and markets for objets d’art. These furnish the pretty sitting room, from where the restful colour scheme leads upstairs to comfortable bedrooms. 43 rue de l’Abbé-Grégoire, 75006 Paris.

Hôtel Ritz Paris

Since César Ritz opened his hotel in 1898, its sumptuous luxury has attracted devotees as diverse as Proust, Hemingway and royalty. The spirit of opulence lives on in each of the five magnificent salons and in the ornate bedrooms. A superb new health club and cookery school ensure that it’s no anachronism. 15 place Vendôme, 75001 Paris.

Hôtel Le Ste-Beuve

This friendly hotel is not luxurious, but likes to cosset its guests and has a policy of upgrading them to a better room if one is free. Another draw is the delicious breakfast; it is served at any time of the day or night in the refined, cream-painted salon where a fire blazes on wintry days. 9 rue Ste-Beuve, 75006 Paris .