The best hotels in Paris if you love history, luxury or quirkiness.
Hotel St Merry
This 3 star hotel is in the trendy Marais. There are plenty of bars and restaurants near these gorgeous gothic lodgings – it used to be part of the attached Eglise St-Merry. Elaborate medieval furnishings, flying buttresses in your room, wrought iron candelabra and wi-fi!
Although the rooms can be on the small side (not very unusual in Paris), for atmosphere and history this former brothel/presbytery (not at the same time) cannot be beaten.
Hotel St Merry
78 rue de la Verrerie, Marais, 4e
1, Avenue du Colonel Henri Rol-Tanguy
Metro Châtelet or Hotel de Ville
RER Châtelet les Halles
Website Hotel St Merry, Le Marais
L’Hotel
For a real treat – an anniversary weekend away, or a birthday treat – this is the place. This was formerly a Pavillon d’Amour where La Reine Margot (actually, there’s a really good film with Isabelle Adjani called La Reine Margot – would recommend) held her amorous dalliances. Oscar Wilde also breathed his last breath here when it was known as the Hotel d’Alsace. His last words may have been either “My wallpaper and I are fighting a duel to the death. One or other of us has got to go,” “I am dying beyond my means,” or, “I can’t even afford to die”. Whichever, they were all pearls of wit supposed to have been uttered in this particular hotel. There’s a plaque above the door dedicated to the old scoundrel, if you’d just like to see that instead.
L’Hotel is situated on the left bank in the midst of the bars and galleries, and near the Café Flore where you can go and sip coffee and pretend you’re a French intellectual. Beautifully and luxuriously decorated and extremely hip, if you’ve a bit of extra pocket money to distribute, then this is certainly a place to stay in.
L’Hotel
13 Rue des Beaux Arts, 6e
Metro St Germain des Prés
Website L’Hotel
Hotel de Nesle
This budget accommodation is in the Saint Germain area – so again, a great location in Paris. Half of the rooms are decorated in an individual, colourful way – with each dedicated to different aspects of the arts. Molière is represented, as is Notre Dame de Paris, and there’s even a Turkish style room with a hammam (a Turkish bath).
Beware though – booking is by phone only (even though they have an email address) and has been known to have failed. Re-confirm your booking before you go, and arrive earlier in the day to make sure you have a room to stay in! Another reason for making the effort, though, is the large garden with a pond and pathways.
Hotel de Nesle
7 Rue de Nesle, 6e
Metro Odéon
Website Hotel de Nesle
Hotel du Petit Moulin
Another Marais charmer, not far from Place des Vosges and Picasso Museum, this 4 star Christian Lacroix designed hotel is sumptuous and not for lovers of minimalism. A former boulangerie, some of the original features such as wooden beams and the original sign have been retained – and lots of sequins, pink fabric and industrial plastic have been added.
The beds are extremely comfy, and an added bonus is that the staff are lovely – not really expected in such a trendy place. The only downside that I’ve found is that a lot of the rooms have baths with hand-held showers rather than stand-up showers, but hopefully this won’t be an insurmountable problem – just don’t wash!
Hotel du Petit Moulin
29/31 rue du Poitou, 3e
Metro Saint Sébastien Froissard or Filles du Calvaire
Website Hotel du Petit Moulin
Tags: Paris hotels, quirky hotels Paris
