Le Relais du Louvre

Look down the throats of gargoyles, soak up the history. The Revolutionaries printed their newsletter in the cellar; the place inspired Puccini’s Café Momus in Bohême. It is utterly delightful and so are the charming managers who greet you from the antique desk. Everywhere, antiques and oriental rugs complement the modernity of firm beds and perfect bathrooms. Front rooms look onto the church’s Gothic flights of fancy and along to the austerely neo-classical Louvre; others give onto a light-filled patio. Top-floor junior suites have space for a sofabed, pastel walls, exuberant upholstery and heaps of light from mansard windows. Smaller rooms are luminous, fresh and restful – yellow, a favourite colour, brings sunny moods into small spaces. Various rooms connect to make family suites. You feel softly secluded and coddled everywhere – bedrooms even have USB sockets for your devices too, so you’ll no longer need to bring an adapter. The sense of service is highly developed and, as there is no dining room, breakfast comes to you.