Le Pavillon de la Reine
What's so special
This is the best hotel in Paris, according to Cond Nast Traveller, which has just named it on its Gold Standard list for 2013. "The search stops here: this box-fresh gem is just what we're all looking for in a city spilling over with hotels that tempt but don't quite hit the mark (too big, too small, too hot, too noisy, way too expensive, far too rude)."
How they rate it
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From its "enchanting" location off Place des Vosges, Paris's oldest planned square in the Marais district, which "twinkles at night like something out of a fairy tale", Le Pavillon has everything you'd want from a bigger hotel but is "super-discreet, low-key and romantic".
It has a "masculine look that's smart, comfortable and cosy: welcome to a world of stone fireplaces, silk curtains, damask wallpapers, thick carpets, gilt mirrors and enough contemporary lines to still appear on-the-pulse cool". The bedrooms are a decent size and quiet, and there is a "small but glossy spa".
The menu
Breakfast is classic and simple, but for dinner you'lll have to head elsewhere not exactly a hardship in Paris.
The cost
Doubles from €390. See www.chateauxhotels.co.uk/Pavillon-De-La-Reine-292 or call 00 33 1 4029 1919.
Le Meurice
What's so special
Paris's oldest palace hotel has played host to English aristocrats, deposed monarchs and fallen heads of state as well as cultural icons including Salvador Dali, a painter, and Rudyard Kipling, a writer. But Le Meurice has kept up with the times and offers smart rooms and good food.
How they rate it
The location is "truly regal": most of Paris's palace hotels are in businessy western Paris around the Champs-Elysees, but Le Meurice has "crowned it over the Tuileries Garden" ever since the elegant rue de Rivoli, where the hotel is situated, was contructed in 1835, says Natasha Edwards in The Daily Telegraph.
Inside, the style is "very grand yet not stuffy". Dali used to stay here with his pet ocelots and that has "clearly left a legacy of tolerance for guest's foibles". The suites are "larger than most Paris apartments with huge walk-in wardrobes". The vast first-floor Presidential suite overlooking the Tuileries is perfect, while the Belle Etoile penthouse has its own private lift, butler's pantry and rooftop terrace.
The menu
The hotel restaurant is "one of the best in Paris". The chef "champions the produce and recipes of the Paris region", with truffles and lobsters and a "build-your-own millefeuille".
The cost
Rooms cost from €640 per night. See www.lemeurice.com or call 00 33 1 4458 1010.
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