Un Séjour De Luxe: Hôtel Le Bristol

Recently bestowed the official title of 'palace' by the French Government, Hôtel Le Bristol is the only European family-owned palace that has been welcoming guests since 1925. Situated merely steps away from Champs-Elysées, Place de la Concorde and the Louvre and Orsay museums, it is aptly located on the chic Rue du Faubourg St. Honoré that is dotted with fashion boutiques and art galleries.

Le Bristol was named after the Count of Bristol, a grand British traveller obsessed with luxury and famous for his demands for the most opulent things life had to offer. Visited by an elite guest list including names like Marilyn Monroe, Charlie Chaplin, Angelina Jolie and George Clooney, this hotel houses the city’s largest bathrooms, a sizable (13,000 square feet) French garden scented with magnolias in spring, and personalised bouquets created by the hotel’s florists upon request.

This grand palatial hotel recently acquired a glittering lead role in Woody Allen’s Owen Wilson-Rachel McAdams starrer Midnight in Paris. Draped in delicate hues, intricate woodwork and luxurious fabrics, the extravagant rooms and suites exude grandeur as they are further enhanced by 18th century furniture and original paintings, fused with modern amenities like air-conditioning and a high-speed Internet connection. The terraces that adjoin some of the rooms and suites offer some of the finest views of Paris.
For a view of the magnificent Eiffel Tower, take your pick from 26 new rooms at the Avenue Matignon wing. The rooms are replete with Egyptian cotton towels, bathrobes and slippers, and toiletries by Hermès for the fashion cognizant. And be sure to take a dip in the rooftop pool that is charmingly designed to look like a 19th century yacht, or try the exclusive La Prairie treatments at
the spa.

With the title of Meilleur Ouvrier de France in Culinary Art, Executive Chef Eric Frechon leads Le Bristol’s eponymous three- Michelin-star restaurant. From appetisers like duck foie gras cooked in a wrap, smoked oyster from Marennes and main course of Bresse farm hen poached in a bladder, royale of giblets, to a dessert of nyangbo chocolate (pure Ghanian chocolate), liquid cacao and delicate tile-like biscuits, one can have an opulent gourmet experience at this fine dining restaurant. Alternatively, for a more casual meal, try the hamburger at 114 Faubourg, Le Bristol’s brasserie.

All in all, Le Bristol offers an experience that not many will forget, surely not the ones who enjoy luxury.