The Place
In a handy location by a quiet metro entrance and a taxi rank, this gracious hotel has the feel of a private house. The new owner, Sarah Lauferon, has refurbished elegantly, in a mix of sumptuous historic styles.
A lovely wooden staircase, with elegant balustrades, sweeps up to the bedrooms. The best of these are entered by double doors, and have marble fireplaces, French windows and period paintings. They are richly decorated, some with creamy walls, others with stronger colours, but all mixed with warm colours for curtains and bedcovers. Some rooms, including the suite, are huge; others, however, are very small, and reports suggest they can be noisy. Some of the bathrooms could also do with sprucing up.
There is a peaceful inner courtyard and terrace, with a garden overlooking the local neighbourhood. Breakfast is served in a vaulted stone cellar. Reports particularly praise the exceptionally helpful and friendly staff, who go out of their way to help you enjoy their city – no stereotypical Parisian attitudes here.