Rates: €400-3500 per night
Added extras: breath-taking views
Services: valet parking, spa, fitness room, restaurant, bar and breakfast
The Grand Hôtel du Palais Royal is a lot like the street it resides on: discreet and down-to-earth. Across from the Conseil d’Etat on rue de Valois, the GHPR barely draws attention from the outside. But once you’re inside it’s all classic facades, large Disney princess-style staircases and high ceilings. However, that’s a mere mise en bouche by famed decorator Pierre-Yves Rochon.
This is also the place to drink in the view of the city’s most beautiful monuments; from the Sacré-Coeur to the Eiffel Tower, via the Tour Montparnasse and the Haussmannian roofs. If the ludicrous view from the Panoramic Suite wasn’t enough – you’ll also get a private elevator. Although not all rooms get this picture-perfect vista, but you’ll certainly get a view onto the area around Palais Royal or the secret courtyard. Linen, wood, marble and period furniture make everything the height of comfort.
The hotel restaurant, Lulli, and its chef Clément Le Norcy cook up a feast with a modern ingredients executed with mastery. Art is also an important element for this spot; each floor hosts a different artist: Robert Delaunay, Braque, Matisse, Miro, Picasso and Modigliani all have a place of choice with reproductions of some of their major works. On the ground floor are busts of Diderot, Rousseau and Voltaire, all created by the students of the Louvre’s sculpture school. With more contemporary notes, is the monumental replica of a Louis Vuitton trunk that sits at the bottom of the main staircase. A veritable haven of peace.