The new hotel that lets you do Paris like the Parisians
After a hotel that’ll let your stylish Parisian dreams come true? We’ve found the perfect spot
Close your eyes, and conjure up an image of Paris as the Parisiens might enjoy it. Is it bustling cafes, elegant facades, effortlessly cool locals popping into independent shops and bakeries? If so there may be few neighbourhoods in the French capital’s urban jungle that tick those boxes more than the vibrant Rive Gauche neighbourhood of Saint-Placide.
A 15 minute metro from some of Paris’ more famed attractions, this is the capital at its very best. At the heart of it is the recently opened lifestyle Hôtel des Grands Voyageurs, a 138-room affair designed by renowned interior architect Fabrizio Casiraghi, which has given the already buzzing neighbourhood another destination.
Within a five-minute walk you can find almost all that you might want from a Parisian weekend; the small but perfectly formed Le Vin en Bouche wine bar, Quinsou, a remarkably good-value Michelin starred neighbourhood bistro, the buzzy (and hyped) Thai restaurant The Crying Tiger and more boutiques than you can shake a stick at.
But should leaving the beautiful, nautical-inspired hotel be too much, at the centre sits the Grands Voyageurs brasserie itself, open from morning to night and serving up American-inspired fayre to residents and Parisians alike. And should you still feel full of energy after that, well, the downstairs Poppy’s bar is open until late.
Should there be any morning fuzziness, you can shake it off with a stroll around the nearby Jardin du Luxembourg, or simply wander some of Paris’ prettiest streets. This is the French capital in fine fettle.
Hôtel des Grands Voyageurs, Rooms from £258 per night, hoteldesgrandsvoyageurs.com/