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Paris has rightfully earned its reputation as a capital of romance. A bucket list locale for honeymooners and proposals, Paris is made for lovers — and you’ll find all the poems, songs and movies to prove it. If you want to upgrade the romance factor the next time you’re in the City of Light, sleep in style in one of these six spots, all offering a memorable stay in the shadows of the Eiffel Tower.
Hotel Lutetia
The Right Bank houses most of Paris’ super-luxe hotels; however, the recently renovated Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star Hotel Lutetia, in the well-heeled area of Saint-Germain-des-Prés on the Left Bank, also fits the bill. You’ll still get Eiffel Tower views from your room without the commotion of central Paris.
In this pedestrian-friendly, village-like neighborhood where creatives like Pablo Picasso and Josephine Baker once held court — the hotel’s swanky, fresco-filled Bar Josephine is even named after the latter star — you’ll be close to art deco bistros and cafés that have been glamorous detours since the turn of the century. And even though the hotel has 184 rooms, it still feels on the boutique side with subtle, elegant touches such as Murano glass wall lights, heated marble floors and private roof terraces in two of the suites.
Cheval Blanc Paris
One of the impressive additions to Paris’ luxury hotel scene, the Five-Star Cheval Blanc Paris does seem to have it all: a rooftop bar with one of the best panoramas of the city; the restaurant, Plénitude, that’s one of the toughest tables to snag in town; a Dior Spa; and 24-hour majordome (butler service) for all 72 rooms. And there’s also a 100-foot, mosaic-clad infinity pool that’s one of the longest hotel pools in the country.
Located on the bank of the Seine, the hotel’s art deco-style rooms and suites gaze down at the water from expansive bay windows and show off glimpses of the Louvre and Eiffel Tower from private balconies. When you thought it couldn’t get any better, after a day strolling around town, arrive to find a sumptuous candlelit scented bath drawn for two.
Le Meurice, Dorchester Collection
Architect Philippe Starck’s modern redesign of the Five-Star Le Meurice pays homage to surrealist painter Salvador Dalí, who once considered the hotel a second home. If you’re looking for decadence, you’ll find it here. Sitting on one of the city’s most picturesque streets, rue de Rivoli, overlooking the Tuileries, couples will discover sprawling suites with panoramic views and décor nodding to the days of Louis XV.
You do not want to snuggle through breakfast here — celeb pastry chef Cédric Grolet is behind the straight-from-the-oven madeleines and brioche Bundt cakes. Additionally, Five-Star Spa Valmont pour Le Meurice offers a host of exhilarating treatments while one of the most celebrated chefs in France, Alain Ducasse, oversees the acclaimed Restaurant Le Meurice Alain Ducasse, whose opulent dining room is inspired by Salon de la Paix at the Château de Versailles.
Bvlgari Hotel Paris
Some sweethearts want to stay somewhere with an Old World French feel. Location can suffice for others. Enter Four-Star Bvlgari Hotel Paris, a minimalist-chic stunner sitting in a discreet Italian Renaissance-style building on Avenue George V in the center of the Golden Triangle, arguably the most stylish address in Paris.
Natural light floods through the floor-to-ceiling windows of the 76 rooms and suites, each with a terrace overlooking the city or courtyard garden. Private hammams? Check. Butler service? If you’re staying in a suite, of course. Fine dining? Lauded Italian chef Niko Romito is behind Il Ristorante’s 26 tables. The spa, dripping with gold and boasting a Roman-inspired vitality pool flanked with emerald and jade mosaics and illuminated glass columns, only adds to the alluring energy around the property.
Norman Hotel
Picture waking up in a plush bed, pulling on a bathrobe and stepping outside for coffee on your balcony, where you’ll have a close-up shot of Paris’ most quintessential landmark. But even if you’ve taken enough selfies with your sweetie by the Eiffel Tower, the 37-room Norman Hotel sits a few blocks behind the Champs-Élysées, so you can easily go for a stroll along the city’s stylish thoroughfare en route to drinks a 10-minute walk away at Five-Star Four Seasons Hotel George V or dinner at iconic Hôtel Barrière Fouquet’s Paris.
The Norman’s 1960s-inspired hardwood floors, vibrant carpets and abstract artwork epitomize understated luxury and will have you and your other half feeling right at home. You’ll find it hard to slip away from the comfort of the spacious rooms and suites, especially if you’re in the top-floor Sky Suite, which shows off spectacular sunrise views.
Le Grand Mazarin
Sitting in vibrant Le Marais, the newly opened Le Grand Mazarin is a design lover’s dream. Superstar Swedish interior designer Martin Brudnizki crafted the ambiance of an 18th-century literary salon, where intellectuals and artists would gather in gorgeous aristocratic homes for lively conversations.
Don’t let the premise extinguish your flames, though — the style is anything but stuffy at this 61-room boutique beauty. Frilled armchairs are swathed in leopard print fabric, and embroidered fairytale-inspired scenes adorn the canopied beds. Book the Grande Parisian Junior Suite or the Mazarin Suite on the upper floors for balconies that couldn’t be more Parisian — or a more romantic setting for your morning caffeine or sunset drinks.
