£7.14 (RRP £10.99)
Talk about spoilt for choice! Cosseted or contemporary, simple or decadently baroque. Sensual, shimmering and feminine - partitions of pale organzas, crinkly taffetas, fabrics à la Marie Antoinette. The rectangle is out, undulation is in; carpet is out, parquet is in. Soft velvets in chocolate, apricot and prune, bedheads in burnished crocodile (fake). Interior patios and private terraces in old and 'new' neighbourhoods: the Marais, the Bastille, the Canal Saint Martin and all the way up to Montmartre. Bars with warm fires and deep sofas, flea market finds, a grand piano in the lobby and a Parisien beauty who sings at cocktail hour. Saunas and hammams, 18th-century staircases, Empire antiquities, home-made jams and croissants, country-house style. Where to find a private chauffeur or a bicycle rental.
These hotels stand out from the crowd. The selection here is broad, from a 'Pension de Famille', a French institution that is definitely only for those who know and want exactly that kind of homely simplicity, to some rather grand establishments where superior comfort comes with genuine attentiveness - at four-star prices. Quick-reference indices show for example which places are pet friendly, which have fireplaces in their public rooms, which serve afternoon tea, which have a double room for €100 or below, which have terraces, patios or small gardens.
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BBC Homes & Antiques
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The Daily Telegraph
“As the undisputed master of guidebooks about places to stay in France, Alastair's hotel and gîte recommendations are always worth noting.”
French Magazine
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The Sunday Times
Susan Herrick Luraschi also edits our 'French Hotels, Châteaux & Other Places' guide. She has lived in the centre of Paris for 10 years (and in France for about 30) and is passionate about her adoptive country, its buildings, people, food and wine.
