Waking up to a view of the Paris skyline is a rare treat. If you can begin your day by gazing across the majesty of the City of Lights, with an unobstructed panorama from the Louvre on your left to the Eiffel Tower on your right, the chances are it’s shaping up to be a good one.
Thanks to its prime position on the Rue de Rivoli in Paris’ 1st arrondissement, Le Meurice can offer guests exactly that.
The hotel has been welcoming well-heeled travellers to the French capital for almost 200 years, and in that time has perfected the art of hospitality.
It’s now one of two Dorchester Collection properties in the city, and is one of the 12 Palace hotels in Paris – an honour bestowed by the French government on the most luxurious hotels in the country.
The location of Le Meurice is practically peerless. The 1st is the heart of the city, and whatever your reason for visiting Paris you will not be far from what you want to see and do.
If the legendary museums are your thing, the Louvre is within sight and the Musée d’Orsay just a short stroll across the Seine. If you like a different brand of high-brow culture, then head north along either Rue de la Paix or Avenue de l'Opéra to find the opera house of Palais Garnier.
Lovers of shopping one can head just one street back towards Place Vendôme and the chic luxury boutiques of Rue Saint-Honoré, or cross the river and venture a little further into Saint-Germain-des-Prés. For sightseeing, the Metro station on your doorstep means the whole city is within your grasp.
Should you be more inclined to remain on-site, in search of some well-deserved downtime, you won’t find yourself short of options. The common areas of Le Meurice are reminiscent of the heady opulence of the baroque era, but with a thoroughly modern interpretation.
Some of the greatest artists in history have enjoyed lengthy stays here, and their influence is felt and legacy celebrated in the art found throughout the hotel.
Salvador Dali was a loyal guest for more than 30 years, and immediately upon entering the hotel, guests will come across the Frozen Mirror, an interactive piece inspired by Dali’s whimsy, which allows them to write their own message in the frost on the glass before it disappears the next day.
Dali’s life and work is celebrated further in the signature suite which bears his name, the walls decked with portraits of the man himself, taken during one of his month-long sojourns at the hotel. One features him astride a motorcycle in the centre of the room: yes, it was taken in that very suite and no, they don’t know how he got it up the stairs.
How’s the Food?
Paris sets a high bar for gastronomic excellence, and Le Meurice clears it. The flagship Restaurant Le Meurice is overseen by Alain Ducasse and holds two Michelin Stars. The dining room is imagined as a modern Versailles, and the menu showcases the best of classic French cuisine. Grand frescoes and an abundance of marble make for a spectacular setting for an extraordinary meal.
The adjoining Restaurant Le Dali provides a more cosy, laid-back atmosphere, and operates from breakfast through to the small hours of the morning. The service is excellent – attentive, but not intrusive – and the theatre of the two-person côte de cochon is magnificent. In the evening, while dinner is served, a live jazz duo provides elegant background music, adding a little extra elegance to the meal.
Both restaurants – as well as breakfast, afternoon tea, and any other time the notion may take you – have sweet treats provided by Cédric Grolet, hailed as the world’s best pastry chef. The desserts he produces for the dinner services are simply incredible, feats of engineering as well as flavour, and the traditional pastries for breakfast – taken in your choice of either restaurant dining room – elevate the simple classics to a new level. Order some from his on-site patisserie for the journey home.
For an aperitif or nightcap, Bar 228 is an intimate haven of wood-panelled splendour. The same piano which plays during dinner at Le Dali actually straddles the two rooms, allowing the music to be the backdrop to two very different evenings. The surroundings of the bar are as warm as the welcome, and it’s the perfect spot for a romantic evening or a few hour’s solitude.
What are the rooms like?
The corridors of this old building wind and stretch for quite some distance, and house some of the most beautiful rooms in Paris.
Like the rest of the hotel, care has been taken to keep the sense of tradition alive while ensuring sleek modernity and convenience for guests. Signature suites – particularly Dali’s old favourite, now named after him – have spectacular marble bathrooms; rooms situated on the street side of the building have that gorgeous view across the Jardin des Tuileries and into the distance.
Every hotel has its crowning glory, and in the case of Le Meurice that title is rather fitting. The Belle Etoile suite on the top floor is actually a four-bedroom duplex apartment, the main bathroom has a jacuzzi and sauna, and the dining room and bar can host a party of ten for a sit-down meal.
Wrapped around this luxurious abode is the terrace, occupying the majority of the hotel’s roof and providing 360 degree views of the city. Whether day or night, summer or winter, Paris rarely looks as beautiful as it does from above. At Le Meurice, you can make that view your own.
For more information, see dorchestercollection.com
