L’Hôtel is one of Paris’ best kept secrets with a storied literary history. The hotel where Irish writer Oscar Wilde died in exile in 1900, it has attracted a discerning breed of guest for years. Located in the heart of the Left Bank in the 6th arrondissement, this gloriously eccentric boutique hotel occupies a gorgeous 19th-century building, where the rooms are arranged around an ornate tower that coils its way up through its heart up to the glass domed ceiling.
Hotel
A metal ram’s head transfigured in the afternoon sun hangs over the entrance of L’Hôtel on the Rue des Beaux Arts, a short walk from Saint-Germain-des-Prés Metro. Marlon Brando, Frank Sinatra, Elizabeth Taylor and Jim Morrison, among others, have all passed through this low key entrance.
Entering the cool reception out of the blazing summer heat and the busy streets of Paris full of visitors, we felt that we had arrived into another world. The relaxed atmosphere of the reception was a relief as was the warm, informal welcome. The reception and lobby area resembles that of a fin de siècle salon. The reception desk being simply that, a large ornate antique teak table.
The hotel’s heady aura is enhanced by the cool marble floors, rich bijou and Japonaise print fabrics, velvet upholstered chaise longues and chairs, and the low lighting set around hidden corners and snugs. The interiors, designed by Jacques Garcia, took some inspiration from Wilde’s friend, the artist and aesthetic illustrator Aubrey Beardsley.
Indeed Wilde’s wit, dandyism and spirit seem to have emboldened the character of the hotel. A winding stone staircase on the ground floor leads you deep under Paris into a cavernous circular stone walled space set around a hot pool. This is the spa and hammam that was carved out of the building’s former vault. The antre resembles a lost temple and is haunting as much as it is beautiful. Guests can reserve a private time to bathe.
Room
There are 20 discreet rooms with sumptuous details and eye-catching antique furnishings. Some rooms are decidedly baroque such as mine was, others Art Deco. The biggest suite, the Apartment, has a terrace with views of Eglise Saint-Germain-des-Prés’ exquisite bell tower.
There is a delightful darkened elevator that took us up floor by floor to Room 16, the sublime Oscar Wilde suite. When Wilde stayed here, it was the Hôtel D’Alsace and Room 16 was a furnished apartment. The very affable concierge opened the door and led us down a small darkened hallway and into the main suite that is set around a large antique bed with a grand head.
The room boasts delightful features from the antique upholstered couches, a venerable teak armoire, ruby red carpets to the stunning patterned silk wallpaper of golden peacocks on an emerald background, which has clearly been updated since Wilde stayed here as he famous quipped on his deathbed: ‘My wallpaper and I are fighting a duel to the death, one or the other of us has to go’.
On one wall is an extraordinary trove of Wildean artefacts of original paintings, manuscripts and letters – the latter includes one from the then hotel manager demanding Wilde pay his outstanding debts. The room has a large private terrace accessed through a pair of ornate curved French doors, complete with furniture and sun-beds.
The decadent bathroom has a deep antique wooden panelled bath to lounge in, a shower and an original sink complete with a mirror ringed by dressing table lighting. Decked in shades of black, white and jade marble, the bathroom is a real indulgence. A wide selection of deluxe toiletries come courtesy of Green and Spring.
Food and drink
The Michelin-starred Le Restaurant is housed under a grand glass roof directly ahead of the reception. Original Jean Cocteau drawings hang in the small lobby lining the way. The restaurant is sumptuously decorated with chandeliers, leopard print carpets, heavy velvet curtains and extravagant poufs and marble and gold gilt columns.
Acclaimed head chef Grégory Réjou presides over an impressive contemporary à la carte menu. From our table we looked onto a picturesque terrace where a beautiful fountain trickled out the sound of the City of Light surrounding us. An amuse-bouche of a pâté en croûte of feathered game with black truffles was washed down with champagne.
For starters we chose the duck foie gras served with toasted brioche and picked vegetables and a delicate dish of scallops in cauliflower cream with carpaccio and Osciètre Kaviari gold caviar. Our main courses were the restaurant’s signature creamy Bresse chicken with Albufera sauce, black truffle and pot au feu stewed vegetables and a tasty roasted rack and saddle of lamb with Eric Roy vegetables. For dessert we shared home-made vanilla ice cream. Be sure to reserve your table ahead as Le Restaurant is very popular and often fully booked two or three weeks in advance.
After dinner we relaxed in Le Bar, a cosy snug where the charming Spanish cocktail waiter talked us through the menu. A favourite is the ‘Usual par Tilda Swinton’, a sour treat made from fine Jean Josselin champagne, violette and lime. The cocktail is named after the ‘Orlando’ and ‘I am Love’ actor who is a regular at L’Hôtel. There is live jazz the first Thursday of every month.
In a nutshell
L’Hôtel is an intimate place, at once luxurious, nestling and incredibly cosy. Unforgettable and historic, L’Hôtel is a delight and part of Paris’ vaunted cultural geography.
Factbox
Rooms start from £250pn and are bookable via the hotel’s website. Breakfast included.
Address: 13 Rue des Beaux-Arts, Paris 75006, France.
Phone: 0033 1 4441 9900
Email: stay@l-hotel.com
Website: l-hotel.com
