Le Pavillon de la Reine reigns supreme over the Place des Vosges, the most royal of Parisian squares. Not that this secluded residence flaunts its celebrity status or aristocratic lineage. In fact, with its ivy-clad façade and hidden courtyards, this patrician hideaway feels more like a secluded garden retreat with a heart-of-the-city setting.
Much like a slightly snooty old aristocrat, this Marais mansion expects guests to have sent the butler round to approve the bedrooms. Take it as read that the family portraits are intact and that the pillow menu leaves nothing to be desired. Trust that the spa and the gourmet restaurant deliver and that your bedroom promises a perfect night’s sleep. Trust that the leafy location is the most tranquil base from which to explore the arty Marais area.
But beyond the box-ticking lies the assurance that this low-key luxe boutique retreat represents the most beguiling haven around the lofty Place des Vosges. This is a grown-up hotel for romantics ready to wallow in old-school charm and arty interiors. Your only task is to come with a kindred spirit and bask in beauty.
Why stay at Le Pavillon de la Reine?
Set on a show-stopping square, the Pavillon de la Reine feels timeless, with its garden-like setting and seductive interior. Although the air of Ancien Régime grandeur is authentic, there is nothing pretentious about the warm welcome to your discreet new home-from-home.
Slip into an understated hotel designed for low-key luxury, not for showing off. You will be mingling over the quaint honesty bar with a knowing, discerning set. One Australian entrepreneur has stayed here over a hundred times and calls it his Parisian hideaway. Naturally, the hotel is popular with independent-minded actresses, such as Kate Winslet and Tilda Swinton, who revel in the romantic mood and pride themselves on exploring Paris under the radar.
The hotel’s appeal lies in the garden feel, the gracious public rooms and in the striking, heritage bedrooms, designed for revelling in the hotel’s boutique spirit. The gorgeous public rooms embody a richly seductive mood, with marble mantlepieces, monumental fireplaces, gilded mirrors and royal portraits. The burnished colour palette ranges from russet and bronze to black and grey. The old-school interiors take in the popular brunch bar, the tearoom and stylish gourmet restaurant, with cocktails served on the leafy terrace.
What are the rooms like at Pavillon de la Reine?
The rooms, whether flooded with light or cosily romantic, feature period flourishes, such as a 17th-century fireplace and striking antiques. The views are of the gardens, including the Japanese garden and inner courtyard garden, or take in the quiet Marais backstreets. The high-ceilinged bedrooms are grander while those with gabled ceilings are deeply romantic.
The suites feel like gracious private apartments in a Parisian mansion, which is pretty much what they are, complete with coffee machines and complimentary mini bars. The swish, light-filled Suite de la Reine is the most spacious, with double-aspect windows, high ceilings, customised chandeliers and an original 17th-century Versailles parquet floor. Bedrooms may come with historically-inspired Jacquard wallpaper or velvet soft furnishings, along with spacious, marble-clad bathrooms.
The key difference is between the patrician, old-school rooms and the bolder, more contemporary rooms. Paris-style, classic rooms tend to be compact so it’s wise to splash out on a deluxe room. As for the heavenly junior suites, lovely though the contemporary rooms are, for the full patrician Paris experience, nothing beats the Ancien Regime suites.
What is the food like at Pavillon de la Reine?
Breakfast is a fabulous affair, enhanced by the gloriously clubby setting and the impeccable service. Under the gaze of aristocratic portraits, guests can tuck into scrambled eggs, cheese-and-herb omelettes, buttery croissants and the freshest fruit. If peckish and in need of a light lunch, the grand hotel bar serves a decent club sandwich, Caesar salad or croque-monsieur.
For fine-dining, Anne, the starry restaurant, is tucked away in an intimate salon on the ground floor. The name is in honour of Anne of Austria, the French queen who lived in the mansion adjoining the hotel courtyard. Under Thibault Sombardier, the new chef, the Michelin-starred restaurant has a new lease of life, helped by a creative set-price lunch menu. Seasonal cuisine rules, with such dishes as seabass carpaccio, milk-fed veal, or roasted figs with pecan fudge.
What is the service like at Pavillon de la Reine?
The delightful staff ensure that service is impeccable but never smothering. It all begins with a smooth but speedy check in, the staff close by but unobtrusive. From the knowledgeable concierges to the all-seeing Sylvain, the Corsican Maitre d, guests are in good hands. With service this friendly and attentive, personal butlers are redundant. It all runs so smoothly that you only realise it when faced with the everyday challenges of Parisian life beyond this pleasure dome.
What are the facilities like at Pavillon de la Reine?
Enjoy dipping between the moody salons and the secret courtyards and gardens. Hide out by the well-stocked honesty bar in a cosy nook on the ground floor.
The hotel goes the extra kilometre with its complimentary secure parking, complimentary bicycle rental and free access to the tiny business corner. The tempting spa offers a jacuzzi, steam room, fitness suite and customised massages, along with in-room bath goodies by Codage, a Parisian insider brand.
But beyond the core services, the Zen-like spa, the casual-dining bar and the upmarket fine-dining restaurant, it’s the gorgeous public rooms that make any stay so memorable.
What’s the area like around Pavillon de la Reine?
Although this is privileged Paris, Place des Vosges is also a stepping-stone to a buzzier side of the Marais. Beyond the hotel, and lined by aristocratic red-brick mansions, the Place des Vosges lays claim to being the city’s oldest planned square, built in 1612 by Henri IV. Today, this former royalist haunt is far more democratic, with its fountains and lawns popular with picnicking or people-watching residents.
On the same square stands Maison Victor Hugo, the writer’s home, which doubles as a snapshot of 19th-century interior design. Around the corner from the hotel, finish your brief architectural stroll by Hotel Sully, a grand 17th-century mansion framed by formal gardens. This part of Le Marais represents a cross-section of upper-class Parisian architectural history and is a rare opportunity to sample several grand interiors.
This cultural quarter is also home to the Picasso Museum and the Carnavalet Museum, the newly revamped city museum, which takes you from Roman times to commemorations of the terrorism attacks in Paris in 2015. Equally close to the hotel is the Marais of bars and bistrots, indie galleries and designer boutiques. Begin in rue des Francs Bourgeois, a street lined with hand-crafted perfume shops, before hitting the hipster bars and indie boutiques.
Why you should book a stay at Pavillon de la Reine
This family-owned boutique retreat is a haven in the heart of the Marais, designed for dreamers and Paris-lovers. For all its heritage, Le Pavillon de la Reine is not a stuffy “grande dame” hotel, any more than it is a splashy see-and-be-seen celebrity haunt.
Forget your good intentions to explore every museum in Le Marais. Luxuriate in the seductive public rooms and take in the supercilious portraits over a glass of Champagne in the honesty bar. Sit in the ivy-hung courtyard over a hot chocolate and succumb to the soft colours of a Parisian sky in autumn, ranging from verdigris to dove-grey. This is the true Paris of legend.
DETAILS
Address: Le Pavillon de la Reine, 28 place des Vosges, 75003 Paris
Price per night: Classic rooms from €350 per night, deluxe rooms from €600; and Junior Suites from €1000.
Closest transport: Metro Chemin Vert, St Paul or Bastille