This is one of those rare, special things; a hotel that thinks it’s a secret den, a lovers’ hideaway, a seductive place to stay in one of the most beautiful corners of Paris. The Marais is a hidden quarter, very central (think 15 minutes on foot to either Notre Dame or the Louvre), which brings to mind something of a village in the city much as Trastevere is to Rome. A trendy area, it is still predominantly residential so the cafés, theatres and restaurants remain, like the Hotel Bourg Tibourg, smaller, more personal and ultimately more satisfying.
The hotel itself is an exercise in pleasure with yards of fabric in oriental tones draping the walls, touches of a gentleman’s club in the sofas with an added sensuality in the furnishings. Low lighting and cushions, throws and richly-coloured curtains, subtle exotic scents, welcome to unadulterated gratification. This is Paris so don’t expect acres and acres of space but rather cosy and intimate quarters done very well. Somewhere between the orient, romanticism and lush gothic is played out in the paintings, on the black granite of the bathroom tiles and on arabesques of the bedspreads. Of course this won’t be the hotel for everybody, just those who care about staying somewhere with a little more meaning than normal, a way of seeing a hotel not as a place to sleep but as a continuation of the experience outside.
Great access to the rest of Paris with Hôtel du Ville metro (Lines 11 and 1 for superb connections towards the Louvre, Place de la Concorde and on to La Défense) station just 300 yards from the hotel.
This is one of our favourite hotels, not just in Paris but anywhere for the simple fact that real consideration has gone into perfecting it and it stands out in its class as a truly different place to stay with a warm and inviting atmosphere.