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Friday 18 November 2011

Pavillon des Lettres, hotel, Paris








Pavillon des Lettres is a literary palace, with twenty-six rooms, each subtly themed to pay homage to a renowned writer from French or International literature. It is the perfect, quietly elegant hotel to rest your head while staying in the city of love.
Located in the dreamy 8th arrondissement, with Prada on the street corner and moments away from the Elysée Palace, it is the ideal place to explore from or 'get lost in translation'.
We were welcomed in by the friendly staff; I felt special just to be inside this impressively smart building. Staying in the Junior Suite on the 6th and top floor (our writer was Hans Christian Andersen – the 19th century Danish author and poet, noted for his children’s stories), it was a fairytale room, the Eiffel Tower glowing prominently outside the window and lights flickering with youthful energy on the streets down below.

The Andersen suite is a spacious affair and yet felt cosy and romantic, we spent a good fifteen minutes examining every trendy feature and trying out the lavish bed. Clues about the specific writer were there to be discovered all around the room - above the bed an excerpt from the author's work is stencilled on the wall and on the bedside table a small novel sits for those particularly interested in learning more about the literary hero with some bedtime reading.
The bathroom was heavenly, a large glass wall petition, engraved with a quote from our writer, separating the bathroom from the bedroom... while I enjoyed my turbo shower, I heard the poignant murmur of Edith Piaf, and realised my friend had appropriately found the album on my iPod and plugged it into the dock speakers. Despite the traditional décor with stylish muted colours and the enchanting poetic theme, our room was kitted out with all the high tech modern essentials, large TV, speakers and even an iPad for visitors' use. In the bathroom the toiletries were plentiful and by Plantation London, a natural brand I have never come across before. Sadly the plug didn't work in the bath, which was a shame because we were planning on utilising the jacuzzi bubbles settings, to make the stay even more decadent. Wrapped in the soft hotel bathrobe, I could really make myself comfortable on the velvet chaise longue.
After making full use of our room, we wandered out to explore the waiting city. As the hotel has no restaurant (though room service is available), the helpful concierge spoke to us, in perfect English, about our evening plans, and kindly offered to book us into a lovely French Brasserie for supper, to save us the trouble of traipsing round trying to find somewhere suitable. He picked ALLARD, a fiercely French restaurant with a reasonable menu, tucked away on a side street. It was lovely, and just what we desired: comforting Coq au Vin with thick flavoursome sauce, Charlotte au Chocolat and the crispest cold white white.
I slept amazingly well and whinged childishly as we had to rise early and go down to breakfast, wishing I had one more hour in bed, or one more day in Paris. Downstairs the breakfast buffet was small but perfectly composed with buttery miniature pastries and bread, cheese and meats. The hotel offered exemplary service, awaking early to provide us with sustenance before our dawn Eurostar home. We chose a light continental breakfast, making use of the lovely jams and honey and helping ourselves to the freshest orange juice and frothy cappucinos. In the dining parlour there are ample books to flick through, and if you want to curl up on the sofas there is an Honesty Bar which guests are welcome to help themselves to, a nice touch I thought.

Despite being situated in one of Paris's most popular districts, Pavillon des Lettres is a reflective and relaxing haven inside that inspires one to dream. It is a hotel of luxury and comfort, with a unique and inspiring theme. The only risk is you may want to stay in all evening rather than visiting the amazing city's sites, we were certainly tempted to.
Book here to stay in this wonderful hotel.

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