With easy access to Paris’s big-hitting attractions – the Champs-Élysées, Place de la Concorde, the literary Left Bank – the design-forward Les Jardins du Faubourg hotel has a certain savoir-faire, drawing guests with its subterranean spa, sultry bar and unlimited crêpes.
05 March, 2020
A 10-minute stroll from Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré and Place de la Concorde, Les Jardins du Faubourg coyly resides. Simple yet elegant, stylish but with a softened edge, it is a perfect reimagining of the city's Haussmann apartment buildings.
Serving up classic style with a twist of modernity, this Madeline-district hotel is entered through towering double doors which seem to swing open as though they've been expecting your arrival. So as not to disturb your first face-to-face encounter with the grande-dame building, the reception desk is discreetly positioned to your right. Rooms assigned, credit cards swiped and surrounds ogled, take the sweeping stone staircase (or ride the lift if you've suitcases in tow) to your charming chambre…
Descend a leopard-print carpeted staircase - sounds horrific, but here it's haute - to your cosy-chic bedroom. Choose from a total of 36 rooms, opting for a superior or deluxe option or, alternatively, springing for one of the hotel's four suites. Across all rooms, design is paramount; expect geometric lines, polished wood and brass finishings, with contemporary paintings and lithographs perfectly placed about the room. Soothing shades of powder pink, duck-egg blue and gold offer regal accents, while quirkier features - dotted rugs, a velvet-swaddled bedframe and intricate lighting features - keep things up to date. The bathroom, though small, is equally sophisticated, featuring gold-flecked marble, geometric floor tiles and delicate gold taps. Special mention goes to the hotel's pillow service - two varieties of chocolate provided at turndown and a pillow menu on speed dial should your current set-up not suffice.
Take breakfast in the garden, if the weather permits, amid a palmeraie's worth of plants - or opt for room service for a supplementary charge of €10. Order the Buffet Faubourg and dine on an assortment of crêpes, rice puddings, fresh fruits and cereals - though portions are delicate, the rounds of crêpes (or American-style pancakes, if you prefer) are unlimited. Pastries and a selection of bread accompanied by decadent conserves are also available for those seeking a simpler start to their morning.
La Régalade du Faubourg serves sophisticated cuisine dreamt up by chef Bruno Doucet, while its pristine dining room maintains a relaxed but considered approach to dining. Offering guests a fuss-free, flavoursome evening meal in - well-priced at €45 for three courses - it's somewhere you're likely to dine out of choice, rather than on a needs-must basis (i.e. because you're too lazy/ everywhere else in the locale is closed). Start things off with the creamy risotto with cuttlefish ink and fried prawns. Next, sample the steamed skate wing with butternut squash, hazelnuts and spring onions - this dish might read as light, but it tastes wonderfully decadent (that will be the brown butter, we suspect) - or the spinach-and-ricotta ravioli with artichokes, chanterelles and candied lemon. For dessert, try the French toast with salted caramel or the "Poires Belle Helene" - poached pears topped with a drizzle of chocolate sauce and toasted almond flakes.
The Confidential bar has a certain savoir-faire about it - and no, that hyperbolic language isn't (solely) induced by the old-fashioned cocktails we've consumed there. Sitting discreetly in the corner of the hotel, The Confidential has a sultry vibe; the mood is elevated with velvet booths, palm-patterned furnishings, oak panelling and shell-laden chandeliers. Stop by for an aged cognac or luxury whisky after a dinner.
Post-shopping excursion on the Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré or the Champs-Élysées, head to level -2 and enter the spa. Go for a steam, take a dip in the 15m-long swimming pool (it's open 24 hours a day and positioned underneath a majestic stone vault) or book in for a massage. Take advantage of the hotel's high-spec gym too, which features a moss wall, swish wood-and-mirror panelling and Technogym machines.
Do ask the reservations team for guidance when it comes to booking a local restaurant - their little black book is seriously coveted.
Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré, Rue Royale, the Champs-Élysées, Place Vendôme, and Rue de la Paix are all within arm's reach - perhaps best you leave your credit cards at home to avoid temptation. Cross the Pont de la Concorde and you'll reach the literary Left Bank.
