Le Grand Hotel
There are plenty of stupidly posh places with ridiculous price tags in Paris… and there are the classics. Le Grand Hotel is worth every penny of its hefty bill - for the feeling of timeless Paris-ness it evokes. In fact, if you stay here, you don’t really need to do anything else but sit in Café de la Paix downstairs, watching the world go by, nursing a coffee and a newspaper.
If I stepped from my bedroom onto my wrought iron balcony I could almost touch the gilded statues on top of L’Opera next door. The sumptuous Le Grand certainly puts you at the historic heart of Paris. Then there’s the hotel’s own history: opened in style by Princess Eugenie in 1862 to the sound of Offenbach’s Orchestra, Le Grand was France’s largest and most luxurious hotel. It was beautifully restored by the British Intercontinental hotel group in 2003; the sumptuous red and gold fabrics, polished mahogany and huge winter garden conservatory recall the era of guests like Victor Hugo, The Mata-Hari and Marlene Dietrich.
There’s no garden or pool, but the traditional appeal of the belle époque mirrored ballroom, your marbled bathrooms and the simply magnificent cuisine - and two of the finest meals I have ever eaten were here - is matched by a modern spa, gym and wi-fi internet throughout (although you’ll pay chunkily for the privilege).
Contact tel: +33 1 40073232, fax: +33 1 42661251, e-mail:
Cost standard double room: £200 - £500 per night
Services spa, fitness equipment, parking, hotel restaurant, hotel bar, room service, business services, internet access
Useful links
Le Grand InterContinental
Added 2008/03/22 @ 23:00:19
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