Rooftop over the 1st or pool on the Left Bank. Hôtel Madame Rêve, from about €595, if you want ROOF's garden bar and the Louvre 12 minutes away; Mandarin Oriental Lutetia, Paris, from about €1,470, if you would rather swim in a 17-metre pool below ground and walk Saint-Germain.
The new classicThe 1888 Louvre post office, now a five-star hotel with rooms under a new glass roof and a rooftop garden bar.
€€From about €595 a night
Choose Hôtel Madame Rêve if
The catch
The entry Superior and Deluxe Balcony rooms look onto the courtyard's hanging garden, not across Paris; the city views start with the Paris View rooms.
The all-rounderThe Left Bank's only Palace: a 1910 landmark with a 17-metre pool below and Saint-Germain at the door.
€€€€From about €1,470 a night
Choose Mandarin Oriental Lutetia, Paris if
The catch
The entry Grand Superior Room is 33 m² and looks onto the inner courtyard; the balconies start two categories up.
| Best for | Hôtel Madame Rêve | Mandarin Oriental Lutetia, Paris |
|---|---|---|
| Best design hotels in Paris | On the list | On the list |
| Best spa hotels in Paris | Not on the list | On the list |
| Best central hotels in Paris | On the list | On the list |
| Best hotels with a view in Paris | On the list | On the list |
Hôtel Madame RêveMandarin Oriental Lutetia, Paris
Hôtel Madame Rêve
Mandarin Oriental Lutetia, Paris
The verdict
Rooftop over the 1st or pool on the Left Bank. Hôtel Madame Rêve, from about €595, if you want ROOF's garden bar and the Louvre 12 minutes away; Mandarin Oriental Lutetia, Paris, from about €1,470, if you would rather swim in a 17-metre pool below ground and walk Saint-Germain.
Questions people ask
Rooftop over the 1st or pool on the Left Bank. Hôtel Madame Rêve, from about €595, if you want ROOF's garden bar and the Louvre 12 minutes away; Mandarin Oriental Lutetia, Paris, from about €1,470, if you would rather swim in a 17-metre pool below ground and walk Saint-Germain.
Madame Rêve puts a landmark of the 1st to work: a post office downstairs, rooms under a new glass roof and a garden bar on top. Pay for a Paris View room, because the view is the point, and plan spa time elsewhere. A design-led 83-room hotel in a 19th-century post office in the middle of the 1st, priced as a five-star and busy in the evenings on its roof. The draw is the building, the views and the walkable address, not a spa or a pool.
There is no pool. There is no beach; the nearest is a drive away.
The Left Bank's only Palace, with a 17-metre pool under it, a famous bar inside it and Saint-Germain outside the door. Pay for a balcony and walk everywhere. A heritage palace in the middle of Saint-Germain, built for walking out of the door and coming back to a real pool. Polished rather than quirky, and priced like the palace it is.
It has an indoor pool. There is no beach; the nearest is a drive away.