Paris: Day 5

Day 5-Wed Oct 12th

We checked into Hotel Maurice http://www.lemeurice.com/ , another Palace hotel and we were going to stay here 2 nights, just to get a break from the moving around!  It was purchased by the Dorchester group in 1998.

Very grand hotel, with modern touches, the interiors are by Philippe Starck. There are 160 rooms on 7 floors, 45 suites and Jr. suites. They also have presidential suites, Prestige suite, Marco Polo Suite and the Belle Etoile Suite which has a private terrace and panoramic views.

  

  

  

Restaurant le Meurice is their  three Michelin-starred restaurant that serves Haute French cuisine in a grand dining room, originally inspired by the Salon de la Paix at the Château de Versailles.

Bar 228, old world in feel, is very popular for drinks as well. Dali was a regular at this hotel and spent 30 years here!

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Next inspection, was of the Mandarin Oriental. http://www.mandarinoriental.com/

Its right next to the Costes hotel, on Rue St.-Honare. It used to be an office building that was made into a hotel. Just the outside walls were kept, it was all renovated from the inside, totally!

When you enter you are totally transported to a far away place; it feels nothing like any of the other Parisian hotels, thought it had a modern and cool feel, it felt contemporary French. The outdoor garden is the heart of the hotel and you feel that , as the lobby, bar and the restaurant all open out or look onto it.

138 guest rooms, 39 suites , some of them mind blowing duplex’s were awe-inspiring and refreshing to what else is out there!

The award winning chef Thierry Marx’s restaurant that seats 40 per night ” Sur Mesure by Thierry Marx” is a culinary experience,experts say its not to be missed.If you are a guest at the hotel, you MAY be able to get a table, otherwise do book ahead. It feels like a space ship.Check out the red and pink bathroom.

The bar at the hotel, Bar 8 , glimmers with Lalique crystals on the walls and murano fixtures. My favourite part about the bar is being able to sit outside, and enjoy your drinks, in the outdoor garden.

  

  

All rooms are sound proofed, and come with 2 sinks in the bathroom. The rooms are spacious and modern. They come with all the adapters and cables you would need, saves you the hassle of packing all those things.  It is a green hotel, it has the French equivalent certification of a LEEDS hotel i.e HQE. Some of the suites over look the garden and can come with terraces.

   

  

 

This was another suite, it was a duple- totally fantastic.

   

The duplex suite was amazing, but what totally blew my mind was the Royal Mandarin Suite with a private dining room, terraces, and views. This is for 20000 euros/ night. Any takers?

   

  

  

   

The Spa at the Mandarin. ( It has a pool too).

We tried the 114 Le Faubourg restaurant at Hotel Le Bristol for lunch. It was a fantastic meals- the pictures do show the same hopefully! 🙂 it was absolutely packed by 1 pm, there was not a single table available.

Dinner tonight, was at Frenchie. http://www.frenchie-restaurant.com/ One of the hardest to get tables in town.. don’t ask me how I got it ! 🙂 Le Bristol Concierge is VERY connected – I had asked 2 hotels to make the same reservations, gave a wide range of dates- but only 1 succeeded…

Menu was easy to choose from- all in 2’s- 2 appetizer choices, 2 entrees to pick between and  2 desserts choices.

People kept coming into the restaurant , checking to see if there were any last-minute cancellations, or if they could somehow get in ! The bar across , has their own menu that serves food too- put your name on the list hanging outside the bar.

There was a nice gentleman, who decided to come to the restaurant to use the bathroom, then he somehow made it to the chef’s window  and after that he was eating right there, bu the kitchen window, along with a glass of wine.. standing of course!! it was funny.