The Hottest Spa and Hotel Recommendations in Paris for 2017

Hotel Le Lanterne
Location: Latin quarter - 12 Rue de la Montagne Sainte-Geneviève 75005
Best for: A Parisian Chic Spa Escape

This 4-star chic boutique hotel is nestled within the Latin Quarter – the Notre Dame, Louvre and the Pantheon all within a short walking distance. It has a romantic and luxury feel, decorated with photos of black and white scenes of the streets of Paris by Nicolas Sénégas, a splash of fuchsia pink materials on the chairs, an orange glass ceiling, locally sourced antiques (such as the two oval windows rescued from a grand Parisian residence), mirrors and lanterns hanging each side of the bed.

I felt right at home in my cozy and spacious suite with its cute little balcony, the scene of a typical Parisian street, a place to watch the world go by and write in my journal. The secret discovery of the hotel is the Wellbeing La Lanterne, a beautifully designed spa with a swimming pool that lies beneath an ancient gold-stone arch, a hammam and Turkish Bath and Sensorial Shower. Wherever you look in the La Lanterne you will have a whispering reminder that you are in Paris.

La Terrass Hotel www.terrass-hotel.com
Location: Montmartre - 12-14 Rue Joseph de Maistre 75018
Best for: A view of the Eiffel Tower and cocktails on the roof terrace.

The four star Le Terrass is located in the heart of Montmartre, on the corner one of my favorite streets in Paris, rue des Abbesses in Montmartre. I stayed in the Eiffel suite that offers a view direct from the bed or the bathroom to watch the hourly light show before bedtime. A very spacious and elegant suite, more like a New York style apartment. I love the modern design of the hotel, and the roof terrace is the ”place to be” for a panoramic view of Paris matched with a sunset and a glass of champagne, or a to die for cocktail (or the sunrise for those early risers!).

This hotel really has it all, it’s got soul, it’s got style, the best views of Paris, phenomenal staff and the icing on the (Eiffel Tower shaped cake) – a spa of course! A haven of peace and wellbeing, the NUXE spa offers a sauna and a hammam as well as treatment rooms for massages. The hotel also has ‘sport cabins’ for the fitness fanatics, situated on the 2nd and 5th floor, equipped with a bicycle and a treadmill, so one can still exercise during a rainy day in Paris.

Hotel Sezz Paris www.hotelsezz.com
Location: 16^th arrondissement/Eiffel Tower - 6 Avenue Frémiet 75016
Best for: A weekend of passion and romance

The Sezz is the hotel to go to for a romantic and pleasurable getaway. A lifestyle design hotel, oozing sex appeal. Beds take center stage in the suites, which are adorned in chrome and red leather, and a large, big enough for two (and a comedy Sezz branded rubber duck) jacuzzi dominates the sleek, not so private bathroom with peek-a-boo glass screens. Done purposefully perhaps to add to the intimacy? As does the secret erotic drawer selling erotic toys should the mood take you.

The hotel Sezz adds further to one’s pleasure with a spa area con jacuzzi and hammam, available 24 hours a day for private use. No need to put up the ‘do not disturb’ sign when you are here, privacy is most certainly guaranteed. You won’t ever have to leave the room either as each room comes with a Personal Assistant – a caretaker who is completely at your service, 24 hours a day to. Champagne and chocolates on call all day please!

Hotel Therese www.hoteltherese.com
Location: 1^st arrondissement/Louvre - 5-7 rue Thérèse 75001
Best for: Fashionistas

Set in the heart of the very chic Right Bank area, the four star Thérèse is the perfect Parisian boutique hotel for fashionistas seeking modern comfort and having a central base to go shopping at all the swankiest shops and boutiques in the area. Tucked away from the traffic and crowds of Avenue de l’Opéra, the Thérèse is named after the wife of Louis XIV and privately owned by Madame de Lattre like its sister hotel Recamier in Saint-Germain-des-Pre.

Interior designer Jean-Louis Deniot was commissioned to do a complete transformation of the hotels public spaces and guest rooms to create a new and revamped atmosphere while retaining the retro chic style. The result is a neo-industrial design style. The cozy lounge and library area provides a post-shopping retreat to relax in one of the funky retro chairs during their complimentary tea times or ‘help yourself’ to something stronger from their honesty bar. It’s a popular choice for journalists and fashion editors so get booking for Parish Fashion week!

Hotel Le A www.hotel-le-a.com
Location: 8^th arrondissement/Champs Elysées and the Faubourg Saint Honoré - 4 rue d’Artois 75008
Best for: Hipsters and artists

A different kind of 4* hotel located between the Champs Elysées and the Faubourg Saint Honoré. Its design marks a new period in the work of the French designer Frédéric Mechiche, whose style has evolved from a Neo-Classical influence to a focus on modern art. Full of light, luxury and bright spaces, Le A (that’s a capital A) is a collaboration between architect/interior designer Fréderic Mechiche and and Fabrice Hybert. If you’re wondering about the simplicity of the name, here’s the story: One day, the artist Fabrice Hyber doodled a letter “A” and decided it was apt name for a hotel; “A” for rue d’Artois, “A” for Alphabet (26 rooms), “A” for Art (the hotel is an art gallery) and finally the letter « A », designed in an extended, slender form as a logo resembles the Eiffel Tower, within sight of the hotel.

Rather than a hotel, this is a home, a large private house boasting exceptional works of art and a library with over 300 books on the subjects of art, fashion, design and architecture. Each room is unique, with two works by Hybert; one declares the room’s name; the other elaborates on the theme. Stripes are Méchiche’s signature, and, depending on your room, you get them on the walls and/or the carpeting. The black and white themed bar, under a 19th-century glass roof, hangs other paintings. The magic touch – there is even an elevator that changes color at each floor.

Le Saint Hotel www.lesainthotelparis.com
Location: St Germain-des-Prés - 3, rue du Pré aux Clercs 75007
Best for: Most stylish boutique hotel

The Le Saint Hotel opened in January 2016 is located in one of the most desired and charming areas in Paris, St Germain-des-Prés. The beauty of the hotel starts with the outside with its pretty Haussmann exterior and flowers hanging from the balconies. Rather large for a boutique hotel by Parisian standards, Le Saint is the transformation of three hotels put together: the Lenox, the Saint Thomas d’Aquin and the Saint Vincent. The inside of the hotel is just as beautiful and luxurious with much attention to detail.

The boutique of the hotel offers exclusive signature products and custom created fragrances such as bathrobes, bath linens, fragrances, candles and confectionary. I was given a gorgeous candle and chocolates as a gift to take away a piece of the Le Saint with me. I stayed at the hotel in February and the spa was not yet open, I am eager to experience the wellness room by Olivier Lecocq, an expert in the industry who’s products are 100% natural and organic. That gives me a reason to go back again in the Spring months when the flowers will be blooming.

Shangri-La Paris www.shangri-la.com/paris/shangrila
Best for: The perfect Parisian five star retreat.
Location: 6^th arrondissement/Trocadero - 10 Avenue d’Iéna 75116

I stayed at the Shangri-La the night before I embarked on a two week wellness journey to the Maldives. I rate it as one of the best luxury hotels in Paris, along with having one of the best spas. It’s a palace with exceptional staff dedicated to service and the wellbeing of their guests. You don’t need to marry a Prince to feel like a Princess in Paris, as you’ll genuinely be treated as royalty. Another hotel where I was lucky to get a close up view of the Eiffel Tower, admired from the bed with a bottle of champagne.

The magnificent CHI spa is a sanctuary of relaxation, the indoor pool the most beautiful I’ve seen in all Parisian hotels. If you’re vegan I highly recommend trying their 100% Vegan Afternoon Tea served in the La Bauhinia restaurant, devoid of dairy and refined sugar but absolutely delicious!

Hotel de JoBo www.hoteldejobo.paris (pictured at top)
Best for: Glamorous and eccentric leopard print lovers
Location: Marais - 10 Rue d’Ormesson, 75004

Located in the hip Marais this four-star boutique 24-room hotel which occupies a former 17th-century convent, is named after Empress Josephine Bonaparte, the legendary wife of Napoleon Bonaparte, Joséphine, and the hotel honours this iconic figure with an interior dominated by Joséphine’s other true loves – leopard print and roses – that flamboyantly decorate the hotel from head to foot.

Personally not being a fan of either floral or leopard print, I spend two nights in the ‘honeymoon’ junior suite, a black and white affair situated on the top floor. A glass of champagne is given on arrival, poured and served by a quirky and eccentric member of staff. The courtyard bar is a great place (great vibe and music) to have a drink before retiring to the love nest in a luxurious soft and silky bed.