La Réserve Paris

In short… Less palace hotel and more urban mansion, which lends a personalized feel to what is still a very expansive and stately place. Perfectly situated for a first trip to Paris, especially if museums are high on the itinerary. 

The surroundings…  La Réserve sits in the 8th arrondissement and is surrounded by streets that signal the heights of elegant Parisian life: around the corner from Le Bristol and across the street from Square Marigny and Jardins des Champs-Elysées. It’s also walking distance to not only the Tuileries and the Louvre, but the Left Bank and Montmartre, if you’re feeling up for it. 

The backstory… The Haussmannian urban mansion was previously owned by the Duke of Morny (according to their website, he was an aristocrat, dandy, art collector, racecourse owner, and inventor of lobbying, who launched Deauville as a fashionable resort). It also used to belong to Pierre Cardin’s Compagnie. 

The vibe…  The manicured and pristine facade could feel intimidating, but once inside, it’s filled with friendly, smiling faces. Checking in, my wife believed she passed Frank Ocean, and in the lobby restaurant, there’s a blend of businessmen, politicians, and even fashion stylists holding whispered discussions. Bags from the fashion houses neatly labeled by stylists sit patiently waiting for their guests to ferry them past the big lacquered doors. Upon check-in, a gorgeous row of staff members whisk you to your room and once inside, it’s hard not to laugh nervously due to the grandness and generosity of the rooms. All of the hotel’s spaces have the sumptuous feeling of designer Jacques Garcia’s more intimate hotels (L’Hotel, Maison Proust) done on a grander budget.

The rooms… There are just 40 rooms and suites. The heavy door to ours opened onto a small hallway with a secondary bathroom and a sitting room larger than any room in our house, where our son crawled around joyously between the elephant rocking chair (left for him by the staff), and his toys laid out on the white and maroon carpet, which appears throughout the hotel. The bedroom was only slightly smaller, and they had framed a photograph of us to lend a feeling of home. A beautiful walk-in closet with wooden floors led to the master bathroom, which had two sets of robes—for post-bathing and for lounging in the room afterward. It’s the sort of room where every time you instinctively turn to look for something it’s always exactly just there, and works perfectly. 

The food & drink… The food and drinks are what one would expect from a five-star Parisian hotel. The restaurant interiors are truly gorgeous at night, and all seem to be an option for dinner, as if any seat in the hotel can be yours (not sure if that’s true, but it felt true). The homemade blinis are not to be missed, and really a caviar plus cocktails approach could be the perfect way to take in the scene. After all, you have a private car that comes with your room to take you to Le Maquis or Le Pantruche or Allard.

The wellness… The Swiss Nescens spa, located beneath the hotel, is one of the most stylish we’ve seen. The red lacquered walls are vivid, and there’s a beautiful heated pool (surprisingly with a closet stocked with all of the pool paraphernalia any child would ever hope to find). 

Is it kid-friendly? While you may not see very many of them around, to say it is kid friendly would be an understatement. When we entered our room, there was that elephant rocking chair in the sitting room, toys by the bath, a crib next to the bed, child-sized hangars in the closet and a diaper pail in the bathroom. When entering and exiting the hotel, there is always someone stepping in to help with a stroller or to offer umbrellas. 

Extra tip goes to… The entire hotel is full of world class service, but we were particularly impressed with the bellman and his staff. Also extra credit for the fact that every staff member we passed greeted our son Jack by name, even ones we were sure we hadn’t interacted with previously. 

Be sure to… Order breakfast to the room, which is included. For the literary obsessed, leave a book, or several, out on the table when you leave for the day. When you return, they will each have bookmarks inserted for you. Also stroll the neighborhood at night when you can calmly take in the paintings in the nearby galleries.  And be sure to use the private car. 

Parting words… A place that leaves a lifelong standard in the mind of what attention to detail can accomplish. A place where we felt deeply cared for and somewhere we can say we loved every single moment. A romance of a certain way of living that, while not practical or within reach for us, is nevertheless inspiring and not deflating. A hotel that leaves one grateful.