Paris Hotels

A few goop editors recently stayed at Hotel Nolinski, and we can’t believe this total gem stayed off our radar for so long. Just around the corner from the Jardin des Tuileries, the doorway is so inconspicuous you could sail down Avenue de l’Opera on your scooter (we did) a hundred times and miss it. That’s Nolinski’s charm.

Walking through the heavy doors on this quiet, skinny alley in the 2nd and into the restored courtyard of the Hoxton is like finding a secret club.

Fresh off a significant refurbishment, Hotel Lutetia—the grande dame of Saint-Germain—is beautifully back in business. Taking up half a city block, this is a hotel with history.

Taking up a large swath of the iconic Rue de Rivoli and facing the Tuileries garden, Hotel Le Meurice is a lot like the palace at Versailles, minus the train ride. Francophiles, understandably, will love it. The hotel is so grand and so ornate, each room brimming with Louis XVI furnishings—the holy grail of silks, gold, brocade, and crystal. While the suites are otherworldly, the classic rooms really hold their own, outfitted with French linen sheets, fresh flowers, floor-to-ceiling marble bathrooms, and beautiful artwork. If you can tear yourself away from those bathrooms, the Valmont spa (no one does toning treatments quite like the French), Philippe Starck–designed restaurant Le Dalí, and Alain Ducasse's Michelin-starred restaurant, Le Meurice Alain Ducasse—helmed by chef Jocelyn Herland, are all at your disposal. Oh, and you know those stunning, even-more-beautiful-than-real-life fruit-shaped desserts you've been seeing all over your Instagram feed? They are the creation of pastry chef Cédric Grolet, who's set up his patisserie right here in the hotel.

This elegantly restored hotel is a mere five minutes from Paris’s center of gravity, the Champs-Élysées, which really means it’s five minutes from everything. The first thing to note is that there is an actual hammam in the basement. After a long day of sightseeing, a few laps in the pool followed by a steam is a healing balm for exhausted feet and sore muscles. Aesthetically, the Art Deco influence is quietly done and hidden in the details, like the lamps, the restrained use of marble (and the not-so-restrained use of stripes to beautiful results), pretty velvet upholstery, even the occasional in-room porthole. Unbeatable location aside, the attentive staff and excellent service catapult this new hotel to the top of the short list of excellent places to stay. The adorably small hotel bar and the sexy dining room make leaving that much harder.

At Hotel Le Belleval, the floral theme is obvious (the hallways are done in contrasting floral carpeting and wallpaper) but not overwhelming (the occasional petal-patterned cushion or upholstered armchair, the odd framed print of a rose or lily), just enough to pay homage to the botanist the hotel is dedicated to. All fifty-two guest rooms feel like a breath of fresh air with their elegant navy walls, floor-to-ceiling windows looking over the rooftops of Paris, and beautifully outfitted bathrooms. The hotel restaurant is refreshingly low-key with a natural, mostly organic menu that is the perfect antidote to too many plates of steak-frites. Additional perks are the interior courtyard which feels like a secret garden in the middle of the city and the library—a godsend for the traveler who needs to mix work with play.

A hotel inspired by the residences of great nineteenth-century writers and thinkers like Alexandre Dumas—hence the Monte Cristo reference—seems fitting for the Left Bank location. (The neighborhood has long been considered the center of gravity for Parisian intellectuals.) Let's start at the bottom: the pool, surrounded by exotic plants and blue tile, is pretty, intimate, and so necessary after a day spent pounding the cobblestones. And the same goes for the sauna. The guest rooms (go for the boudoir option) are quietly luxurious with rich navy carpets, beautiful frescoes behind the headboards, and the softest white sheets. Exotic touches like tapestries, sumptuous textiles, and painted wallpaper articulate the communal areas and look a lot like the furnishings the Count of Monte Cristo himself might have encountered during his travels. In a city where everyone goes out, staying in for a swim, a steam, and a rum cocktail at the hotel bar is incredibly appealing. The breakfast spread is also worth mentioning. It's served at the bar, and the pastry situation rivals that of the best bakeries in the city.

Having “The smallest five-star hotel in Paris” for a tagline is pretty attractive, especially to the guest who prefers an under-the-radar, bespoke experience. With only twenty rooms, a Michelin-starred restaurant, and one of our favorite, hammam-style subterranean pools hidden beneath the building (for guests only), L’Hotel nails the bohemian vibe of the Left Bank. Guest rooms are what could be described as “intimate”, but the décor is so beautiful that you forget the square footage. With rich brocade wallpaper that looks like patterned velvet, antique furnishings, soft lamps, and supremely comfortable beds, no two rooms are the same. Book into the Oscar Wilde suite (the hotel’s most famous visitor was actually staying on the premises when he died) for the bathroom alone. The yellow and green tiles, emerald marble tub, and mahogany wall panels make a nightly bath mandatory, while the antique writing desk and private terrace ooze old-world allure.

Yes, this is a hostel, but if you’re sending teens/college students through Paris on a European tour, it’s just right—especially if you book a private room: It's bare-bones but clean, spacious, and comfortable. The roof terrace, bar, and living room are ideal hangouts, while the Canal Saint-Martin neighborhood nearby makes fun stomping grounds for the budding hipster.

The fairly recently opened Amastan is the first flagship for a new luxury hotel group by the same name. Located at the upscale cross section of Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré and the Avenue des Champs-Élysées, the hotel offers a surprisingly secluded getaway from the streets below, especially if you book a room with a furnished balcony overlooking the leafy garden. The magic here is in the thoughtful, often exquisite design details, like blue herringbone parquet walls and a two-story bookshelf packed with design titles and curios. Plus, the adjacent Pop-In space features art, design, and fashion collaborations curated by the great minds at Purple and London-based branding studio Campbell-Rey.