What you want is the most comfortable, luxurious bed on earth to help you get through the next few hours of jetlag. There are really only two hotels that will fit the bill: Hôtel Plaza Athénée and Le Meurice. Both represent Parisian chic from top to bottom, and you’d better not show up in your yoga pants, as this is frowned upon.
In the Gallery at Plaza Athénée you might stroll in to find actor Romain Duris, (he and actress and partner of Johnny Depp, Vanessa Paradis were recently filming here) or possibly spot Catherine Deneuve having dinner in Alain Ducasse’s signature restaurant, well hidden from the maddening crowd. And in the winter, the courtyard (La Cour Jardin) is turned into an ice skating rink – where Parisians and their children can skate their cares away through the holiday season.
Le Meurice — like the Plaza Athénée — is recognized as one of the best hotels in the world, and for good reason.
The rooms epitomize opulence and perfection; in France, service is an art that is taken very seriously, and you will experience nothing short of heaven when you enter the hotel’s hallowed halls of heavenly accommodations. If you feel the need to actually leave the confines of comfort, the Louvre is just down the street so you can get your art on.
Back at the Hôtel Plaza Athénée, things are no different when it comes to the service, but the view is definitely magnifique. Check out the Eiffel Tower Suite where — you guessed it — you have a complete top to bottom view out your window of Monsieur Eiffel’s signature masterpiece and 180-degree view of Paris. The hotel is the perfect symbiotic blend of luxury, hipness and tradition. It seems like a tall order, but when you see the crowd, which mixes moguls and fashion’s finest, you’ll get the chic gist.
Hôtel Plaza Athénée
25 avenue Montaigne, Paris
Le Meurice, (overlooking the Tuileries Gardens)
228 rue de Rivoli, Paris
(Top photo: A suite at Le Meurice)
