Paris: Hotel Guides

This grand 1920s hotel between the Arc de Triomphe and Parc Monceau has been ingeniously revisited by Philippe Starck, with slightly naughty touches like the red lanterns along the street and cascade of chandeliers in the stairwell. Without doubt the city’s preferred pampering spot, the huge maze-like all-white Clarins spa and fitness complex combines a glorious spa with a large indoor pool and high-tech fitness rooms. Expert staff provide an extensive range of body treatments (people rave about their massages), but pride of place has to go to the My Blend facial treatments, where electric probes are used to analyse the skin and come up with customised treatments. The hotel also declares itself an art hotel, with original artworks and a guitar in every room, even a movable recording studio, gallery and in-house cinema. The ground-floor works particularly well, with its seating corners, illuminated cocktail bar and Italian and Japanese restaurants.

37 Avenue Hoche, 75008

Housed in what was originally a private mansion and hidden away on a quiet side street off the Champs-Elysées, Hotel Lancaster is an elegant, cossetting world of gleaming parquet floors and plush velvet armchairs, exquisitely tasteful flowers and huge gilt-framed mirrors reflecting the light from crystal chandeliers. You can cosy up by the log fire in the lobby lounge or in the leafy garden hidden away behind the bar – the perfect spot for a romantic drink before dinner in the hotel restaurant, which serves seasonal, regional French cuisine. Bedrooms are luxurious and high-ceilinged, with Clarins toiletries in the white marble bathrooms; for the ultimate indulgence, book the Marlene Dietrich Suite, named after the Hollywood star who once lived here.

7 rue de Berri, 75008

No less than five restaurants and a bar make this star-studded hotel a foodie destination amid the couture houses of Avenue Montaigne. Alain Ducasse has kept the three Michelin stars at his gastronomic restaurant, despite daring to go without meat, privileging the healthy and “natural” and bringing fish, vegetables and cereals to the fore. On the corner, the 1930s Relais Plaza brasserie grill has long been a favoured haunt of politicians, the Cour Jardin provides outdoor dining in summer under a cascade of flower boxes and the tapestry-lined Galerie provides all-day meals and cakes. Then there’s the streetside Terrasse, prime for snacks and cocktails, and the Bar to sample inventions by cocktail maestro Thierry Hernandez. 208 rooms and suites go from large to giant, decorated in classical or Art Deco style, warmed up with peony reds and splashes of yellow.

25 Avenue Montaigne, 75008

Reigning over the Rue de Rivoli since 1815, Le Meurice of all Paris’s palace hotels wins out for children, with its ideal position just across the street from the Tuileries gardens, with its playgrounds, pony rides, gravel paths and statues. After long putting up with Salvador Dali’s pet ocelots, courteous yet witty staff are ideally prepared for children, can organise treasure hunts around the hotel and provide a little “passport” encouraging kids to discover the city. The bedrooms are suitably lavish with acres of pastel-coloured satin and gigantic walk-in wardrobes. There’s a Valmont spa and the Alain Ducasse restaurant, joined by chef Jocelyn Herland and new Philippe Starck design in 2016, while the more casual Dali restaurant is great for afternoon tea.

228 Rue de Rivoli, 75001

The Pullman has 23 well-equipped modular meeting rooms, right up to the Orsay Ballroom, capable of hosting events for up to 400 people, and top-floor conference room gazing over the Eiffel Tower. Originally the ’60s Hilton designed by Raymond Loewy, the French-born designer behind many classic American locomotives, cars and fridges, and redone by Christophe Pillet in 2014, the hotel has 430 spacious, comfortable bedrooms, which is giant for Paris but doesn’t feel too large. Don’t think it’s all about business either. The Eiffel Tower is virtually next door, Franco-American FR/AME restaurant has diverse seating areas, a wine bar and its own vegetable garden – complete with rare breed chickens that may have laid some of the eggs for Sunday brunch.

18 Avenue de Suffren Entrée au 22 Rue Jeany Rey, 75015

Recently redecorated by François Champsaur, this Belle Époque hotel just off the Champs-Elysées is a sophisticated blend of contemporary style and period Parisian character. The relaxed lifestyle approach can be seen in the lobby-cum-lounge where the reception is discreetly hidden, and in the comfortable bedrooms and suites with massive solid curved oak doors, a feast of cushions and graphic mosaic bathrooms. Champsaur worked with French craftsmen and artists for numerous made-to-measure pieces, such as copper wall sconces, the two long curved blue and green banquette sofas in Restaurant Le V, where excellent modern cuisine is served under a glazed verrière by Gustave Eiffel, and the bar with sculpted wavy grey marble counter and a ceiling painted by artist Jean-Michel Alberola.

25 Rue Vernet, 75008

Designed by the Pritzker Prize-winning Christian de Portzamparc, the wavy glass exterior of the Renaissance Paris Arc de Triomphe Hotel is a distinctive landmark on avenue de Wagram, just a few hundred metres away from the even more distinctive arch itself. As well as having smart contemporary bedrooms, business-friendly facilities and perks such as a modern fitness centre, decked terrace and complimentary cocktail hour on weekdays, the hotel is also the proud owner of a Green Key eco label. This internationally recognised award is given to environmentally-aware hotels that comply with a wide range of sustainability criteria such as buying local goods, reducing energy consumption, sourcing seafood responsibly and supporting community development initiatives.

39 avenue de Wagram, 75017

This grand residence on Chaillot hill was originally built by Prince Roland Bonaparte, eccentric voyager, botanist and great-nephew of Napoleon, and retains a series of beautifully restored reception rooms awash with imperial monograms and bees. As Gustave Eiffel was a neighbour, the view to the Eiffel Tower was preserved, and some rooms have balconies so close you almost feel you can touch it across the river. Run by the Shangri-La group, it mixes top-hatted doormen and cheongsam-clad receptionists, yet remains definitely Parisian, with gastronomic L’Abeille restaurant overlooking the garden, Shang Palace Cantonese restaurant, and the Bauhinia all-day restaurant serving French and Asian fusion dishes. The former stables contain the CHI spa and a beautiful day-lit swimming pool.

10 Avenue d’léna, 75116