Le Roch Hotel & Spa is the twinkle in the City of Light’s eye. Set in an elegant white stone, 19th-century building on 28 Rue Saint-Roch, the award-winning hotel is in a prime Parisian location for exploring the city’s shops, museums and sites.
Stepping into the hotel, just moments away from the bustling Avenue de l’Opéra, is like entering into another world. Gone are the noises and smells of the city, and in their place a serene and ultra-cool hotel environment appears. Designed by Parisian, Sarah Lavoine, Le Roch oozes style. Decorated in navy shades and emerald-green colours with lots of rich velvet and dark, wooden furnishings, the interiors have a masculine feel that are at once sophisticated and sexy – much like Paris itself.
I was greeted by three beautiful members of staff who swiftly checked me in and carried my bags to my room – a Prestige room with views of the street below. Just as the rest of the hotel, the bedroom was beautifully designed. The king-size bed was laden with green pillows, and stood against an eye-catching navy/black feature wall with a minimalist installation above it – a more artistic and interesting approach to a bed-head.
Not only does Lavoine have an excellent eye for beautiful colours and objects, but her attention to detail when bringing pieces together is exceptional. Such bold colours could easily clash, but she manages to combine them in a way that seems effortless. On either side of the bed, sleek bedside tables made with dark wood and warm copper accents are complemented with simple frosted-glass lamps with metal stands and two elongated mirrors with metal edges. A soft rug covered in geometric prints covered the dark wood floorboards and drew my eye to the windows. Light flooded the room through the tall windows that ran the length of the room and were framed by dark-emerald curtains.
A glass wall divides the bedroom and bathroom, and although I’m not entirely sure in what situation you need to see your bed while in the bath, it is very cool design that opens up the space and allows more natural light into the bathroom: there are shutters if you want more privacy. The en suite also has a huge walk-in shower with bright coral-coloured tiles and a monsoon head. Some of the larger suites also have a hammam.
Heading back downstairs, I had a cup of coffee in the lounge area by the restaurant. I sunk into one of the plush fireside sofas, cup in hand, and leisurely perused the book shelves which are full of books and curious little objets d’arts.
Having drank the coffee, I headed further downstairs to the Codage spa. As well as Codage’s classic face and body treatments, Le Roch offers bespoke therapies personalised to suit your needs. The two brands have also worked together to create new treatments tailored to travellers and exclusive to Le Roch.
Lined with candles and sculpted from black-lava rock, I challenge you not to feel relaxed in the pool; it’s the perfect place to rest your weary feet after a day of treading the city streets. The teal water is so serene it almost seems a shame to disturb it. At one end there’s a waterfall which, on closer inspection, turned out to be a secret entrance to the hammam – so you can steam and swim without ever having to leave the water.
After a late opening at the Louvre, I returned to the hotel to find the restaurant packed; so if you want to dine in, and you should, be sure to book. The restaurant is run by double Michelin-starred chef Arnaud Faye. The mouth-watering menu includes dishes like sea bass sashimi with passion fruit and truffles, lamb chops with purple, white and orange carrots, and white-chocolate panna cotta.
Like the rooms, the restaurant has deep-navy walls and is decorated in dark blue, peach and green velvets with bursts of glistening gold. Light spills in through the circular roof-window and the two floor-to-ceiling conservatory-esque walls which lead out to the courtyard. Suspended on thin wires, glowing balls of light hang from the ceiling. As well as the restaurant, there’s a small adjoining bar that glistens with glass bottles, and gold and mirrored shelving.
There are so many reasons to stay at this stylish hotel. As if the central location isn’t enough, the Michelin-starred restaurant, Codage spa and exceptional design are more than enough reason to book, time and time again.
Address: 28 Rue Saint-Roch, 75001 Paris, France
Phone: +33 1 70 83 00 00
