2 Parisian Hideaways
2 PARISIAN HIDEAWAYS
Dear Inquiring Readers,
who always ask for hotel recommendations in Paris, today I bear discoveries for
you! Let me share a pair of very different properties, both with a high
quotient of fun and sparkle, aimed at different audiences, each doing a
brilliant job at diverse price points, located at opposite ends of town. We all
understand that in spite of its incredible allure, Paris is brutal. You walk
around the whole day to the point of exhaustion, prices are high, there’s never
enough time to do everything you want, incomprehensible taxis with weird lights
swish past you as you stand on windblown curbs vainly waving your arms in the
frigid air, there’s never enough legroom under café tables, people leave dog
poop on the sidewalks, everybody is in a rush when you want to stroll, and folks
inevitably meander when you need to get somewhere fast, oh la vache! That’s the tradeoff for the totally exhilarating
experience called Paris. By the end of the day you need a cozy nest to drag
into, a soft bed, not to mention a sound sleep for le lendemain, which both these properties beautifully provide.
East of the Champs
Elysees on a quiet little side street you’ll find the inestimable 4-star Hotel Le A, a ten-year-old property of
only 26 rooms, fresh-faced from a smart renovation, its customer base solidly built
on healthy repeat business. Call it comfy
chic with an artful twist. Get ready for great design, a delirious
breakfast, afternoon tea and a high service component. Hotel Le A is all about
the human details, which never quit, and the arrondisment is classic Paris. This is a shopper’s hotel, close to
every posh luxury store ever invented, less than 180 seconds from the nearest
La Durée. The paintings placed throughout Le A by Fabrice Hyber still look fantastique, the marvelous lobby library
of art books continues to grow, and the €200-€600 price point remains a great
value compared to stuffy competitor 4-stars in the neighborhood. Check out Lucire’s profile last year to learn the
choice suite numbers. GM Emma Charles heads an ultra-professional team,
fine-tuned to the secrets of outstanding customer experience. If you must, treat
yourself to a hot chocolate on the terrace of the nearby Musée Jacquart Andre,
an insider’s Parisian treasure. But a less stressful scenario might be to settle
down in the hotel lobby during afternoon tea, and simply indulge yourself on delicate
little financiers, madeleines and macarons, the ultimate evocation of la vraie vie parisienne.
On
the other side of town in the trendy Marais it may not be clear who’s crazier,
you or the newly-opened 3-star Georgette,
which can safely be labeled as irreverent
arty chic. The latest brain-child of architectural duo Anne Peyroux and
Emmanuèle Thisy (profiled in an earlier column), this wonderfully eclectic
property of only 19 rooms induces extreme happiness and an unrelenting feeling
of youthful vitality. A visit to the web site gives the flavor of the place, a
colorful fruit salad of artistic movements represented on each floor. It’s fun
on all sides, with its kooky fixtures and wall coverings, archaeological
details, and ever-changing lobby art installations. A Gen Y crowd hungrily
devours breakfast under the trendy street-level atrium, then goes forth into
the neighborhood in search of the new and different. This small hotel, made for
mid-range budgets, is walking close to the Beaubourg and the eastern end of the
ultrachic Faubourg Saint-Honoré, a stone’s throw from the bustling Rue
Montorgueil. It’s four-star fab at three-star prices and charged with 100
megatons of life-affirming energy. Loved it, and recommend it highly!
Hotel
Le A Hotel
4, rue d’Artois
75008 Paris
Georgette
36, rue du Grenier
Saint-Lazare
75003 Paris
+33 (0) 1 44 61 10 10
www.hotelgeorgette.com
posted by Stanley at 6:26 AM
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