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| La Belle France (December 2007) SWEETEST SUIT: This year’s honor goes to the penthouse “Marie” suite in the haut-boutique Hôtel de Banville. Romantic details include a wrought-iron canopy bed, a spacious bathroom with rustic beige tiles, a sitting room with two skylights, and an unobstructed view of Paris that stretches all the way to the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe. La Belle France (June 2007) Hôtel de Banville isn’t the centre of Paris, but if you’re comfortable navigating through the city, this charming four-star hotel on the northwest edge of town packs considerable panache for the price. Recently renovated, this 1930s hotel has been lovingly managed by three generations of the same family. (Marianne Moreau, the present owner, sings jazz at the grand piano in the bar every Tuesday night.)The penthouse “Marie” suite, 380€, has an old-fashioned wrought-iron canopy bed, a spacious bathroom with rustic stone tiles that can be separated from the bed area by opaque beige curtains, and a sitting room with twin skylights over a large wooden desk. However, the feature that puts this room over the top is its sweeping and unobstructed view of Paris (from the salon window) that stretches all the way to the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe.Next door, the smaller, yellow-tinted “Amélie” room, 310€, shares the same view from a small balcony just big enough for a breakfast table and two chairs. Almost all rooms integrate the bathtub into the bedroom. In the red-and-white superior doubles “Prelude” and “Passoral”, both 310€, the bathtubs (claw-footed in the latter) are separated from the bedroom by theatrical red velvet or country-style checked-gingham curtains.All of the guestrooms are different: Others may feature bleached oak panels, toile de jouy wall coverings, black-and-white tiled showers, or stamped crocodile headboards. While the location seems problematic at first glance, there are actually several fine restaurants within walking distance at the Place Pereire. Metro and RER stations are convenient. Hotel amenities include air conditioning, double-gazed windows, flat screen cable television, and free high-speed internet. Gault Millau 2008 Restaurants, hôtels de charme et chambres d’hôtes An owner-operated hotel that is both intimate and refined, where style and harmony dominate in each room. The personalised guest rooms combine style and modern comfort. Marianne Moreau, a passionate music-lover, sings every Tuesday evening, creating an even more exclusive atmosphere for regular patrons. Alastair Sawday’s Special places to stay 2008 Deliciously Parisian, as is the owner Marianne Moreau, the Banville has the elegance of inherited style and the punch of ultra-modern fittings (the sober stone corridors and cherry-red, brass-knobbed doors are fantastically numbered and lit from below ground).You feel welcomed into a private château where gilt-edged Old Masters supervise the gracious salon with its buffed grand piano (the owner sings on Tuesday nights). The designs are wondrous and fairy-lit. ‘Marie’, in subtle tones from palest eggshell to rich red loam, has a gauzily canopied bed, a delicious little terrace (Eiffel Tower view) and a brilliant bathroom with thick curtains for soft partitioning; ‘Amélie’ is sunnily feminine in pale yellow and soft ginger; the three ‘Pastourelles’ are freshly countrified in gingham and weathered blinds; ‘Paul’ above has a handsome slate bathroom. Other rooms, full of light, gentle colours and intimacy, have an airy touch, perfectly chosen modern and period furniture and fabulous bathrooms. Staff are delightful – hospitality could have been born here. Guide des Tables et Auberges de France 2008 The Hôtel de Banville is constantly changing with its times. Three generations of women have headed the establishment. Over the years the decor has been changed and been adapted, always with a great taste. All the guest rooms are different and each tells a new story that you can discover during your stay. Michelin France 2008 Tastefully decorated 1926 building. Elegant lounges, particularly refined and personalised guest rooms (Provencal influences). On Tuesdays evenings: jazz at the piano bar. |
