Everything in moderation, even moderation. Oscar Wilde said it first, and it’s still true at an opulent jewel box of a hotel tucked away on a quiet side street on Paris’ Left Bank.
In a city that boasts more than 6,000 hotels, it takes supreme confidence in your merits to be known simply as L’Hotel. And in a city as rich in culture and beauty as Paris, this tiny hidden gem near the Seine in St. Germain dazzles. It’s well worth seeking out, because it’s the quintessential address for a romantic interlude in Paris. Let’s indulge:
Checking in to luxury
Only a silver ram’s head above the entrance and a plaque commemorating the fact that Oscar Wilde lived here in 1900–the last year of his life–identifies Hôtel L’Hotel’s entrance on narrow Rue des Beaux-Arts. A doorman pops out to rescue your bags from the taxi and a beaming receptionist is ready with a tiny fob that serves as the key to your suite. Only two people and their carry-ons can fit at one time into its ancient elevator, and we’re heading to the top floor, suite 62, known as The Apartment, (aka The Cardinal).
Every one of L’Hotel’s suites has a unique theme and decor, as though they were decorated by individual owners in the nineteenth century. Our Apartment is the largest in the hotel and its four rooms are furnished in a rich blend of period furniture, silk wallpapers and lavish draperies. Fortunately, while the faucets and shower hardware in the bath look as though they are from the Gilded Age, they work perfectly.
Over the bed in the sinfully lavish bedroom is an incongruous portrait of Louis-Antoine de Noailles, who became the Cardinal of Paris in 1700. He was renowned as a staunch moralist, but never mind; he doesn’t seem to have any particular link to L’Hotel other than that his red robes in the portrait compliment the richly patterned crimson marble on the walls of the bathroom on the opposite side of the apartment.
Savoring the view
The pièce de résistance is the broad balcony, with its retractable canopy, classic café table and chairs and a oh-so Parisian view over the chimneys of the St. Germain district. In the foreground are the windows of artists’ studio lofts and in the distance, the steeples of Eglise de Saint-Germain-de-Pres and Eglise Saint-Sulpice.
Checking out the history
As with so many places with a past in Europe, the hotel has had its ups and downs. It was built originally as a pavilion in the gardens of an eighteenth-century estate and its round shape and glass domed atrium style were maintained as it received a six-story addition in the 1800s. The former laneway in front became a street leading to the École des Beaux-Arts.
The surrounding St. Germain-de-Pres neighbourhood has an enduring reputation from the days of Dumas and La Dame aux Camélias for being the refuge of starving artists and intellectuals.
The building’s central atrium is lined with archways and plaster medallions, and the story is that at least at some point in the past, the niches served as showcases of demi-monde “ladies” for hire, who displayed their charms over the edges of the balconies.
And the Oscar goes to…
Oscar Wilde settled in to the hotel around 1898, shortly after his release from Reading Gaol. He was deeply depressed by his experience at the Gaol, and received support from the French State. In 1900 he fell ill and saw visitors only at his bedside in the hotel. Though his works were widely read, his editors were often late in paying him, and the money only barely covered the enormous cost of living a life of such opulence.
In the room which Wilde stayed in, there’s still a letter from the hotel manager, kindly requesting that Wilde pay his bill. Sadly, the author passed away in November, 1900, allegedly saying “I am dying above my means.”
In the aftermath of the Second World War, St. Germain became the centre of Existentialism with Jean-Paul Sartre, Albert Camus and Simone de Beauvoir calling it home.
Bringing it back to life
But L’Hotel didn’t recover its chic until 1963, when Edmond Dreyfus, known as the “king of Parisian textiles,” purchased it. With the help of American architect Robbin Westbrook and under the direction of Guy-Louis Duboucheron, the crumbling hotel was completely renovated and updates, with each room styled individually. L’Hotel became a showplace that attracted celebrity visitors including Salvador Dali and Princess Grace to Frank Sinatra, Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton.
An award-winning recent refresh by legendary Parisian designer Jacques Garcia keeps the celebs coming now that L’Hotel is part of a British-owned collection called Curious Hotels and it’s a member of the curated boutique hotel portfolio Small Luxury Hotels of the World.
Discovering the neighborhood
Walking a block north to the Seine and across the scenic Pont des Arts, you’re at the Louvre. Heading a few blocks south through a tangle of streets lined with galleries, exclusive shops and quaint cafes brings you to Boulevard Saint-Germain.
Art is still the trade here, but now it’s on display at upscale art galleries that line the block that ends at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts. The zone has become so chic, that you’d have to be independently wealthy to own an apartment around here though, and the former coffee houses and hangouts have become galleries, some so exclusive they open by appointment only. A short walk brings you to streets lined with quaint and trendy cafes.
Crossing Le Bar
A drink at the beautiful bar on the ground floor is a must. Tufted banquettes line a niche dedicated to Oscar Wilde that features hunting prints on the walls. Around the bar are photos of celebs who have stayed and imbibed here, include Mick Jagger, Johnny Depp and anyone who’s anyone in French cinema.
The stars have left their mark on the cocktail menu as well. The Usual pour Tilda Swinton is a highlight, but I found that a deep purple liqueur called Violette and lime juice doesn’t necessarily improve the quality of a fine Champagne. The bartender was keen to experiment, though, and I challenged him to come up with a Parisian Manhattan. He set to work and toyed with a couple of blends of whiskey and vermouth before starting over and creating a delicious concoction using fresh-squeezed black cherry juice rather than maraschino. That’s a drink I could see making my usual.
And this is a bar that always wants to surprise. The bartender wouldn’t let us leave before making “a little something extra before you leave” Shaking for what seemed to be a full minute, he poured out something he’d dreamed up that’s a cross between a Cosmo and a daiquiri, with a froth of cream on top. Dreamy indeed.
Breakfast: baguettes and so much more
Our stay certainly made us feel like celebrities but, as all things must, it was time to depart. There was still one more treat to wake up to. While L’Hotel isn’t currently serving dinners, breakfast in the lavishly furnished and mirrored dining room is a gourmet experience.
There are tables of artfully arranged baguettes, perfect pieces of fruit and farm-fresh yogurt along with a menu of served breakfast favorites like eggs Benedict. Pick a table on a terrace, with an ancient fountain slowly dripping water into a pool teeming with beautifully colorful goldfish, or a lush banquette in the dining room worthy of Versailles.
L’Hotel is so romantic that you’ve got to experience it, whether it’s before or after a cruise in Europe or just admiring the brilliance of Paris. More detail is available at Small Luxury Hotels of the World.
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