HOTELS
The cheapest nicest hotels in Paris
I’ve travelled all around the world with my husband but he refuses to go to Paris. His complaint about the city of lights is less about how expensive it is, and more about what you get for your money. For the price of a spacious suite with a view in another European city, in Paris, this can often equate to a shoebox with a pokey bathroom and window overlooking a back alley. There are of course some incredible hotels in Paris – among some of the best and most beautiful in the world. To reserve a fairytale room in one of these addresses requires deep pockets – a night at Cheval Blanc Paris can reach into the thousands. Between the extraordinarily lavish and the woefully average, however, there are a handful of affordable gems in Paris. These are our favourite smart hotels in Paris where your Euro will go further – from less than £150 a night.
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ReMix Hotel
19th arrondissement
With so many Parisian hotels done in fiercely good taste, there’s something refreshing about one with a loose Eighties theme and a colour scheme heavy on hot pink. It starts with the words ‘Forever Young’ on a rug beside the entrance, but goes further. The lyrics from the 1984 hit by German synth band Alphaville are woven into the design of two custom-made wallpapers; and when you pop a cassette into the USB-port-enabled boomboxes – there’s one in every room – the Jay-Z version of the song comes on. Yes, this is that place – where green neon signs above beds implore guests to ‘Scream’, possibly into a retro bedside phone, which is just about doable given that soundproofing foam lines the walls.
Thanks to Saar Zafrir Designs, exiting the lift into the hallway feels like stepping into a scene from Star Wars or Pac-Man: ceilings and carpets are covered in a black-and-white-check pattern, while blinding white lights outline room doors. Then there are the artworks, including a Super Mario character made of Lego above a stack of Rubik’s cubes that spell out R-E-M-I-X. Guests who are here to work can access nine hi-tech meeting rooms named Madonna, INXS, Elton, Freddie, Cyndi, Prince, Tina, Blondie and Bowie. Non-residents are invited to use the spaces, too, and communal areas on three floors are often booked for events. Channelling Van Halen’s ‘Hot for Teacher’, there are even old-school lockers in which to leave any work accoutrements or luggage. There are pool and table-football tables, arcade games and a tile-walled restaurant that, slightly incongruously, serves American soul food inspired by Marvin Gaye. In this Remix, almost anything goes. SL
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Maison Mere
9th arrondissement
There’s a very “Honey, I’m Home!” vibe at this cosy new addition to the hip 9th arrondissement in between metro Cadet and market street rue des Martyrs. The subtle nods come in the form of a honeycomb-shaped logo, which is first seen in the intricate floral mosaic upon entering, and then again in the bathrooms via the cloud-colored hexagonal shower tiles that shout “so fresh! so clean! so shiny!” (The Rêve de Miel Nuxe bath products help, too.) But then there’s also the more obvious Hey Honey restaurant where an appropriately sweet brut bubbly is served alongside tasty small, shared plates such as roasted curried cauliflower and oyster mushroom ravioli with crunchy hazelnuts from chef Santiago Guerrero. (Breakfast in the same space is buffet style, but there’s an all-day, a la carte dining menu, too, featuring the likes of a quinoa salad with roasted pumpkin and a Cuban sandwich with yucca fries.)
Beyond all the references to a bees’ nectar—and it’s far more clever than it is kitschy—the property does feel like one’s arrived in a place of familiarity and comfort. In fact, guests may even see dogs roaming about as the hotel welcomes four-legged friends—going so far as to put water bowls and treats in the room for those traveling with one. In addition, each of the 51 varying room sizes and two suites highlight a mix of artwork and otherworldly objects such as line drawings of fashionistas and black onyx vases. Everything, as cheekily explained on a printed index card, is for sale. Over in the common areas that flank the small lobby, guests can rest on a bubblegum pink, curved ‘70s sofa after a day of shopping or touring, or co-work with business associates in front of the smart TV around a long wooden conference table that’s surrounded by wingback chairs. In all, it’s a sweet place to call Maison for the night. By Sara Lieberman
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Hôtel les Deux Gares
10th arrondissement
It’s hard to imagine that a single corner of the French capital has been left unexplored by hoteliers over the past decade. But, as proven by Adrien Gloaguen’s spot – steps from the Eurostar terminal in unsung Little India – there are still overlooked pockets to be happened upon. When he first visited the site, then a glum two-star number, and saw the skyline views over the train tracks linking two of the city’s main stations, he knew that he could make something special of it. And that the right person for the job would be British wunderkind Luke Edward Hall. The interior designer’s first project is full of joy, with nods to the past everywhere but also contemporary excitement. The Haussmann-style corner building is awash with bold colour combinations, which is what drew the creative crowd who booked out the place even before it opened.
‘It’s my own, very personal and playful take on Parisian style,’ says Edward Hall. French antiques sit next to mid-century lamps; checkerboard contrasts with leopard print, and there are Seventies geometric carpets alongside Art Deco details. Edward Hall also transformed the tired bar across the street into the Café Les Deux Gares. The bistro already has a following of locals and food writers who feast on a lunch menu of plates such as succulent pork loin with beetroot, washed down with natural wines. It takes a bold move to persuade savvy travellers to loiter near the stations but the duo behind this hotel have cracked it. The fifth-floor suites with their balconies from which to admire the wide-open skies, a rare thing in Europe’s second-most densely populated city. Rooksana Hossenall
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Hotel Bienvenue
9th arrondissement
Just 10 minutes’ walk from the Gare du Nord, this is a very affordable Art Deco-style option in South Pigalle. The hotel is part of the portfolio of Adrien Gloaguen (the independent hotelier behind nearby Hotel Panache and Hotel Paradis) sits on the grounds of the old Hotel Fenelon. But it’s no surprise that as the area has raised its game – it’s a favourite among the hipster set – so has this hotel. Chloé Nègre is behind the smart interiors, and her carefully manicured touches (candy pink and white stripes and floral armchairs, a plant-filled courtyard with a patterned floor) have been popping up all over social media. The bedrooms, in pastel shades with huge matching velvet headboards and geometric-patterned carpets, are pretty mini, but nonetheless make for a great Parisian pied-à-terre, as the hotel is walking distance from the Tuileries Garden and the Marais. By Tabitha Joy
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Babel
20th arrondissement
Stepping away from the bustling boulevard de Belleville in the 20th arrondissement and into this 31-bedroom hotel feels almost like walking into a souk in Marrakech, with glass lanterns, tomette tiles and tapestry-covered armchairs. Owner Joris Bruneel’s dream was to honour the neighbourhood’s rich multiculturalism. He employed prolific boutique-hotel designer Daphné Desjeux to take inspiration from the locale, as well as the Silk Road and the eponymous biblical fable in her rich aesthetic. He also wanted to involve the community – such as local street artist 13 Bis who did the clever Adam and Eve bathroom murals, while Franco-Afghan chef Clarie Feral Akram serves pesto babka topped with tahini in the excellent restaurant. Not only that, but the hotel works with the nearby town hall to help those in need of emergency housing for a few nights and, in a collaboration with the Refugee Food Festival, provides nine-month internships to chefs from war-torn countries. Saturday lunches, however, are all about the mamans du quartier, who come in to cook their own cuisine, be it Algerian couscous or Damascus muhammara.
In the minimalist rooms, thoughtful details make up for missing mainstays such as robes and TVs. There are jars filled with tea or ground coffee from local roastery La Brûlerie de Jourdain. But the most clever touch is the framed photographs on the walls. ‘We asked all our friends to send us the best pictures from their travels,’ says Bruneel. There’s one of his friend’s kids in Kabul, and another featuring the manager’s girlfriend in Bolivia’s salt marshes. Babel is a rare thing – a new hotel with a tangible soul.
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