Mandarin Oriental Paris

The two-floored Royal Mandarin Suite

Mandarin Oriental Paris, the first French outpost of this luxury Asian hotel brand, has just celebrated its first birthday. Situated on the luxury shopping destination of the rue Saint-Honoré in the first arrondissement right in the centre of Paris, the listed 1930s building is flanked by the fine jewellery heaven of Place Vendome on one side, and the grandeur of the Louvre and the Tuilerie Gardens on the other.

W Paris Hotel

A Marvelous Studio Suite at the W Paris Hotel 

Today, in the midst of Paris Fashion Week, the W Opera Hotel - the brand new branch of the global W hotel brand - opened in Paris. Set in a Haussmannian building overlooking the gilded Palais Garnier opera house, the hotel boasts 191 rooms including 20 suites and two Extreme Wow Suites (that's W language for seriously swanky presidential suites).

The design theme at the W Opera Hotel is "The Spark" 

Many of the rooms at the W Opera Hotel boast views of the Palais Garnier

The design theme of the hotel - The Spark - unites the electric energy of the W brand's birth place, New York, with the sophisticated luminescence of Paris, the City of Light. The walls are dotted with twinkling LED lights and certain items of the decoration seem to have melted or been charred by the heat of the metaphorical igniting spark. Other details which nod to the two cities include a copy of Vahram Muratyan's book Paris vs. New York on each bedside table, toiletries from the hip New York spa, Bliss, and inimitable views of the Paris' iconic opera house from many of the rooms.

Bliss Products at the W Opera Hotel

Visitors are encouraged to "sip, drink and flirt" over canapés and cocktails in the lounge and bar and Michelin-starred chef Sergi Arola heads up the first floor restaurant, Arola, which puts the focus on simple dishes to be shared between friends. Should guests wish to work off any overindulgence, there is also a small fitness room, dubbed "Sweat" in W lingo, on the top floor of the hotel.

The Bar at the W Opera Hotel 

Breakfast at the W Opera Hotel 

As well as providing everything you would expect of a 5 star establishment, there are also several original W touches throughout the hotel. Rather than the traditional breakfast buffet, guests have an individual self-service breakfast bar on their own table. In addition to the standard mini bar, there is also a "Munchie Box" (the W lexicon strikes again) in each room - a tray full of fun goodies for guests to sample or indeed take home as last-minute gifts. The hotel's clued-in concierge (or W Insider), Cécile Rummler, is also on hand to share her insider-knowledge on the capital, and the W's service motto of "Whatever/Wherever" aims to satisfy all desires - with the sole proviso that it's legal, of course.

Munchie Box in a W Opera Hotel room 

W Paris Opera Hotel 

4 rue Meyerbeer, 75009 Paris

whotels.com/parisopera

Prices start at around €350/night 

all photos copyright Kim Laidlaw Adrey 2012

Le Discret at Le Lutetia

The Vik Muniz suite at Le Lutetia

There has been a spate of luxury palace hotel openings in Paris over the last year or so, each one bigger, better, shinier and sparklier than the last. But Paris has been the capital of tourism for a long time, and lest we forget there are some very interesting - and historical - hotels that may not be new, but what they lack in bling they make up for in true Parisian heritage.

The Left Bank stalwart Le Lutetia is one such example. Founded in 1910, the hotel has a history of welcoming artists and writers such as Matisse, Picasso and Françoise Sagan into its original Art Deco surroundings. Whilst the new luxury hotels could be personified as label-loving, big-diamond-and-watch-wearing extroverts, the Lutetia is more of a stealth-wealth, heritage connoisseur - someone with inherent taste and discretion. 

Hence the hotel's new initiative, Le Discret, an erudite left bank character who shares his discoveries -  be they shops, restaurants, exhibitions - with the initiated public via a blog which launches today: Hotel Lutetia Le Discret. His curiosity leads him to wonder the streets of the Left Bank, finding hidden and unusual gems and sharing interesting tips with his readers. For example, Pain Poilâne is often cited as one of the best bakeries in the capital, but did you know that it's the apple tart, not the bread, that is really their pièce de résistance? Le Discret's judicious selection isn't necessarily about the newest or flashiest places, but rather about the best and most interesting finds in his area of expertise, Paris' Rive Gauche. He's a character after our own heart and we look forward to reading about his new finds every Friday on the blog. 

Le Discret has sniffed out the best perfumes on the Left Bank from boutique Sur Mesure

Le Discret recommends Poilane for the best apple tart in Paris

P.S. Apologies for the shoddy iPhone photos, but - somewhat in keeping with the theme - we only managed to snap a couple of surreptitious shots whilst Le Discret had his back turned. 

Hi Matic Hotel

There's hardly a shortage of hotels in Paris, but in the wake of the recent (and ongoing) spate of luxury palace openings, the launch of a small, modern and eco-friendly concept hotel on the other side of town makes a for a refreshing change.

The colourful Hi Matic Hotel is the latest venutre from French design guru Matali Crasset, protegee of Philippe Starck and creator of Le Nouvel Odeon cinema in Paris and the Hi Hotel in Nice. Five minutes from Bastille, in an area PR types are trying to dub EsBa (East of Bastille), the 5 floor hotel is in a slightly down at heel, residential area full of organic bakeries, highly rated restaurants and creative types. 

Hi Matic Creator and Designer, Matali Crasset

The 42 room hotel is part futuristic hostel, part Japanese Riokan.  The cosy bedrooms feature comfy futons cocooned in wooden structures, in a bright palette of colours that you would expect from Crasset. The self check-in in the lobby, the designer vending machine selling travel guides and the self service breakfast room give the guest total autonomy and keep the hotel fuss free and simple. The hotel throughout is eco-friendly, with organic paint on the walls, recyclable coat hangers, REN bath products and organic food in the breakfast room (incidently breakfast is included in all room rates).

Hi Matic Hotel

71 rue de Charonne

75011 Paris

tel: +33 1 43 67 56 56

www.hi-matic.net

Rooms start from around €114

photos copyright Kim Laidlaw Adrey

Ecole Ritz Escoffier

If hanging out at Le Ritz Paris, the last word in luxury, isn't exclusive enough for you, how about this? Thanks to the Travel Onion, we were lucky enough to be treated to a behind the scenes tour of the hotel, having a nose around the Marie Antoinette-inspired bedroom, quaffing champagne in the hotel's most luxurious suite (La Suite Imperiale),  followed by the highlight of the evening: a cooking lesson at the famed Ecole Ritz Escoffier and a dinner of the meal we prepared in the hotel's kitchen, alongside the chef.

One of the bathrooms in the Suite Imperiale

A bathroom in the Suite Imperiale

The Marie Antoinette Bedroom 

Ecole Ritz Escoffier

Our Work Stations in the Kitchen

Our Dinner Table in the Kitchen

Chef Didier shows us how it's done

Veal Medallions

Gratin in preparation

More champagne!

Pudding

Thanks to The Travel Onion who organised the evening, chef Didier who taught us all the tricks and the two Stephanies of the Ritz who made the evening such a dream!

For more information on cooking courses at the Ritz see the Ecole Ritz Escoffier website. 

The Ritz Paris 

15 Place Vendome

75001 Paris

photos copyright Kim Laidlaw Adrey

Cointreau Prive - Hotel Particulier Montmartre

This Saturday was the last night of the pop up Cointreau Prive cocktail bar at the exclusive Hotel Particulier Montmartre in Paris' 18th arrondissement. The bar opened its doors a month previously to celebrate the birthday of burlesque star Dita von Teese, the bar's figurehead, and was accessible only for members who had subscribed via the website and received a special bracelet in order to gain entry. The secretive vibe was further enhanced by the location of the Hotel, hidden behind cast iron gates in a Montmartre backstreet up a flight of steps from which I caught the glorious view of the Eiffel Tower flashing its search light onto a crescent moon. 

The hotel had been done up in a boudoir style by Ms von Teese for the occasion with swathes of red velvet and brocade fabric draped over the furniture and the suites were all opened up so that you could have a drink whilst perched on a divan, a bath or a bed. The list of Cointreau cocktails on offer included a Cointreau Teese made with apple, cointreau and violet sirop, and a menu of small bites was also available. 

Did you make it to check out Cointreau Prive? What did you think?