Underground pools with hand-painted murals and exciting mosaics are all the rage in Paris these days. Here the pool is small and stripy — lined with alternating blue and white tiles. Lie back (in the, overly warm, I thought, water) and admire a playfully Cocteau-like mural by Jacques Merle. Even the 24-hour gym is stylish, featuring a range of tasteful wood-clad fitness equipment — the sort one might imagine Wes Anderson to have chez lui.
THE AREA
The location is ideal for le shopping (the Rue de Rivoli and the department store BHV are a minute away) and for wandering the arty falafel-scented streets of the Marais. Everywhere in central Paris is virtually walking distance, but you can reach the Centre Pompidou in five minutes and the Musée National Picasso Paris in 10.
AT A GLANCE
- Rooms and suites: 50 rooms and 11 suites; three of the suites can be joined together for a large family gathering
- Good for: Boubale, the hotel’s top-notch Ashkenazi restaurant; proxmity to the Marais’s shops and cafes
- Not so good for: Those on a budget — this is a treat stay
- FYI: Don’t miss breakfast, whatever you do. A central table (often featured on the hotel’s Instagram account) groans each morning with a tiered display of viennoiseries, homemade apple tarts, madeleines, fruit salads and juices, while the chef’s counter is full of cheese, cold meats and breads — and eggs can be ordered at the table
- Address: 17 Rue de la Verrerie, 75004 Paris
Rebecca Rose © 2024 The Financial Times
This article first appeared in The Financial Times
Rebecca Rose stayed as a guest of Le Grand Mazarin
