More chic boutique hotels in Paris

It’s springtime and my friends are making travel plans for Paris. They ask: Where should I stay? I’ve found four irresistible new boutique hotels to consider when searching for accommodations in the city (make sure you check out my other articles about boutique hotels in Paris). From the quirky to the discreetly luxurious, there’s a place to suit everyone’s tastes. For people attending conventions and conferences at the Palais des Congres, you have been rescued from bland-chain-hotel hell! Les Jardins de la Villa in the 17th arrondissement, with only 33 rooms, each one unique and stylish, is the answer to your prayers.

(1) Notre Dame Saint Michel: this new hotel is designed by Christian Lacroix, a French couturier, whose fussy, theatrical style attracts, not repels, women from all over the world who spend thousands of euros on his evening gowns, dresses, and suits. The economic crisis has plunged Lacroix into bankruptcy, causing anguish among said women. But you can enjoy his unique style at this hotel (see room below). Guaranteed to make your sojourn in Paris a memorable one.

If gazing at the walls and carpets drives you crazy, you can always look outside and meditate on the serene, austere lines of the Notre Dame Cathedral.

In terms of location, this hotel is unbeatable. Ask for the room overlooking the Seine and the Cathedral. Room rates start at 200 Euros.

Hotel Notre Dame Saint Michel
1 Quai Saint-Michel
75005 Paris
France
+33 1 43 54 20 43
http://www.hotelnotredameparis.com

(2) Les Jardins de la Villa: With only 33 rooms and junior suites, this hotel feels like a private mansion set amidst the busy 17th arrondissement, at the edge of central Paris, close to the Palais des Congres and the peripherique (the ring road that drives Parisians and anyone else driving into the city, insane). Les Jardins de la Villa is perfect for people attending a conference in this area, but who cringe at the thought of staying in one of the monotonous, charmless chain hotels that dot the neighborhood (wherever there’s a conference center, there are massive chain hotels). It is still close enough to the Champs Elysees, so you won’t feel exiled to Siberia. The “garden” theme runs throughout the hotel with rooms designed in spring and winter garden motifs. The irony will not be lost on you when you rush past the concrete jungle of the peripherique and the convention center edifices outside the hotel. Prices start at around 300 Euros.

(3) Hotel Secret de Paris: I would have kept this secret all to myself, but alas, I write this travel journal, so I have to give it away. This is a charming 29-room boutique hotel in the 9th arrondissement located approximately halfway between the Montmartre cemetery and the Gare Saint Lazare, on a quiet street off the rue de Clichy. Each room is decorated in the style of a famous Parisian landmark. The Chambre d’Orsay (Orsay room) echoes the Orsay, a train station converted into the Musee d’Orsay. The menacing clocks might give you pause if your idea of a holiday in Paris is to doze until 11:00 in the morning. If decadence is more your style, ask for the Chambre Moulin Rouge, which is, as you would expect, red and vibrant like its namesake. Room rates start at 180 Euros.

Hotel Secret de Paris
2, rue de Parme
75009 Paris
France
+33 1 53 16 33 33
www.hotelsecretdeparis.com

(4) Hotel Joyce: Strictly speaking not a boutique hotel because it is part of a chain, but it has only 44 rooms and each one is uniquely styled, so I am mentioning it here. This hotel is designed by Philippe Maidenberg. The glass-domed breakfast room is unlike anything you’ve ever seen, with airline seats parked against the wall and bulbous ceiling lamps dangling over your croissants. 1950s nostalgia, 1960s bold primary colors and classic late 19th century motifs (as shown in the photo of one of the rooms below) collide in this hotel, but oddly enough, they’ve managed to pull it off. Room rates start at 140 Euros.

Hotel Joyce
29 rue la Bruyère
75009 Paris
France
+33 1 55 07 00 01